Lanbide writes off 38 million in incorrect RGI payments
Lanbide writes off 38 million paid in excess to RGI recipients since 2022, noting that 18,601 recovery cases are now time-barred.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
38 million in RGI payments Lanbide is writing off
Lanbide has conceded the matter of 38 million euros. The Basque Employment Service writes off these undue payments made to recipients of the Income Guarantee (Renta de Garantía de Ingresos) since 2022, according to accounts published in September 2026. The paradox is twofold: the Administration demands money from vulnerable individuals that it itself entered in error, and much of these claims have already become time-barred without any recovery.
What is unknown—and not accounted for—increases the total amount.
222 claims per day and a mountain of cases reaching prescription
In the first six months of the year, Lanbide has issued an average of 222 claims daily for RGI holders to return amounts received without meeting the conditions. The amount demanded totals 29.5 million euros, from this year or previous ones. And that is only the active flow: since 2022, 18,601 reimbursement cases have become prescribed (statute of limitations), including 614 so far this year. In practice, the money is gone.
The fault is not always with the recipient. Many received what the Administration itself entered, and years later, they face a debt they did not generate. For someone in a vulnerable situation, that countdown is anything but neutral.
The overlap of benefits: RGI versus the Ingreso Mínimo Vital
One critical current points to the system's design: the regional RGI coexisted with the national Ingreso Mínimo Vital without one replacing the other. It is argued that this overlap multiplies controls, and consequently, errors and overpayments. It is even maintained that the communities compete to appear more generous with money that is not theirs.
Who bears the error
The question runs through the entire issue: who pays. Some propose deducting it from the salaries of those responsible for making the incorrect payment. Others look sideways at other Basque public bodies, where they suspect the hole is even bigger and unciphered.
With 38 million on the table, 18,601 prescribed cases, and a daily trickle of claims, the uncomfortable question remains: if the error is the Administration's, why does the first notice always reach the weakest?
Lanbide has conceded the matter of 38 million euros. The Basque Employment Service writes off these undue payments made to recipients of the Income Guarantee (Renta de Garantía de Ingresos) since 2022, according to accounts published in September 2026. The paradox is twofold: the Administration demands money from vulnerable individuals that it itself entered in error, and much of these claims have already become time-barred without any recovery.
What is unknown—and not accounted for—increases the total amount.
222 claims per day and a mountain of cases reaching prescription
In the first six months of the year, Lanbide has issued an average of 222 claims daily for RGI holders to return amounts received without meeting the conditions. The amount demanded totals 29.5 million euros, from this year or previous ones. And that is only the active flow: since 2022, 18,601 reimbursement cases have become prescribed (statute of limitations), including 614 so far this year. In practice, the money is gone.
The fault is not always with the recipient. Many received what the Administration itself entered, and years later, they face a debt they did not generate. For someone in a vulnerable situation, that countdown is anything but neutral.
The overlap of benefits: RGI versus the Ingreso Mínimo Vital
One critical current points to the system's design: the regional RGI coexisted with the national Ingreso Mínimo Vital without one replacing the other. It is argued that this overlap multiplies controls, and consequently, errors and overpayments. It is even maintained that the communities compete to appear more generous with money that is not theirs.
Who bears the error
The question runs through the entire issue: who pays. Some propose deducting it from the salaries of those responsible for making the incorrect payment. Others look sideways at other Basque public bodies, where they suspect the hole is even bigger and unciphered.
With 38 million on the table, 18,601 prescribed cases, and a daily trickle of claims, the uncomfortable question remains: if the error is the Administration's, why does the first notice always reach the weakest?
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (26 replies).
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