WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 1.1 million coronavirus relief payments totaling some $1.4 billion went to dead people, a government watchdog reported Thursday.
More than 130 million so-called economic impact payments were sent to taxpayers as part of the $2.4 trillion coronavirus relief package enacted in March.
The Government Accountability Office, Congress’ auditing arm, cited the number of erroneous payments to deceased taxpayers in its report on the government programs.
The relief payments were made to taxpayers based on the information filed on their 2019 or 2018 taxes.
The government used the previous tax forms to help speed along payments to the public to offset some of the economic devastation from the coronavirus pandemic.
