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alp227

(31,959 posts)
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 10:41 AM Jun 2020

Treasury sent more than 1 million coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people

Source: The Washington Post

The federal government sent coronavirus stimulus payments to almost 1.1 million dead people totaling nearly $1.4 billion, Congress’ independent watchdog reported Thursday.

The Washington Post previously reported that the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service disbursed some payments of up to $1,200 each to dead people. But the astonishing scope of the problem had not been known.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent investigative agency that reports to Congress, issued the finding as part of a comprehensive report on the nearly $3 trillion in coronavirus relief spending approved by Congress in March and April. It said it had received the information from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in an accounting as of April 30.

The revelation comes as President Trump and some members of his administration advocate for another round of stimulus checks. The news that so much money has gone to the dead could add to reluctance from some Republicans to agree to more direct relief payments.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/06/25/irs-stimulus-checks-dead-people-gao/



Title ends with "congressional watchdog finds", which didn't fit in the character limits.
24 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Treasury sent more than 1 million coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people (Original Post) alp227 Jun 2020 OP
The rest went to some guy named John Baron. C_U_L8R Jun 2020 #1
++++ agree. nt iluvtennis Jun 2020 #7
ROFL greenjar_01 Jun 2020 #13
These are Trump voters bucolic_frolic Jun 2020 #2
I'm also wondering what happened to the checks. ID has to be presented to... brush Jun 2020 #11
Not really. Igel Jun 2020 #22
Good info to know. I still don't see how all of the 1.4b worth of checks to deceased... brush Jun 2020 #23
That's fine. Under Trump's "leadership" on the pandemic, we'll ALL be dead soon enough. FailureToCommunicate Jun 2020 #3
Mr. Bayard hasn't gotten one yet Bayard Jun 2020 #4
On purpose? Bernardo de La Paz Jun 2020 #5
Many people who die fail to notify the IRS and election officials Cicada Jun 2020 #10
Missed at least one LIVE person (me) dawg day Jun 2020 #6
Oh no. One of my brothers was in limbo cause he taxes via hardcopy. I went online and put in iluvtennis Jun 2020 #8
Yup Sherman A1 Jun 2020 #9
Great job, Mnuchin greenjar_01 Jun 2020 #12
Mr. Thirties, who died two years ago, got one. Thirties Child Jun 2020 #14
We can't discriminate Chainfire Jun 2020 #15
Obama to be blamed for keeping dead people in government systems benld74 Jun 2020 #16
Why is this surprising? former9thward Jun 2020 #17
And right after the name it said "DECD" for Deceased (not hard to figure out) Kitchari Jun 2020 #18
Pray that they spend it wisely. Kaleva Jun 2020 #19
More like Mnuchin's bank account in the Cayman's. n/t Greybnk48 Jun 2020 #20
They could have asked the Social Security Admin to veryify........ Bengus81 Jun 2020 #21
Bigger scam is the living people who haven't got a check yet miyazaki Jun 2020 #24

bucolic_frolic

(42,652 posts)
2. These are Trump voters
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 10:46 AM
Jun 2020

If ACH didn't refuse payment, why not? If by check, were they cashed/deposited? Are they still registered to vote?

Igel

(35,191 posts)
22. Not really.
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 04:04 PM
Jun 2020

I had a joint account with my mother.

You don't need an ID to deposit a check to the account held by the person the check's made out to.


Years ago I did the accounts for a non-profit. Accidentally swapped checks for two accounts. One check was for a few thousand dollars, the other for some small amount, under $100. The company expecting the large check but which received the small one made out to somebody else properly objected and returned the check. I contacted the company due the small check but which received the large one, made out to somebody else, and found they'd just stamped the back and deposited. I called the bank, but the check had cleared--this was in the days when it would take a day or two to clear a check. Bank shrugged and said unless I'd contacted them before the check had cleared, there was absolutely nothing they could do, would do, or were required to do. Regardless of the mismatch between the signature on the back and the payee name on the front. If I wanted to, I could sue--not the bank, but the person who (mis)cashed the check.

brush

(53,467 posts)
23. Good info to know. I still don't see how all of the 1.4b worth of checks to deceased...
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 04:14 PM
Jun 2020

people, none of them found their way back to the government.

Bayard

(21,801 posts)
4. Mr. Bayard hasn't gotten one yet
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 10:56 AM
Jun 2020

That was supposedly mailed mid-May. No tax refund yet either.

Dead people come first, I guess.

iluvtennis

(19,756 posts)
8. Oh no. One of my brothers was in limbo cause he taxes via hardcopy. I went online and put in
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 11:06 AM
Jun 2020

his bank account info and he was paid electronically about a month later.

How to check on your stimulus payment is here: https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
9. Yup
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 11:12 AM
Jun 2020

Deceased MIL got one. I am in hopes that the BIL in charge of the estate will return it, but the whole thing was pretty much a cluster F when it was done.

former9thward

(31,798 posts)
17. Why is this surprising?
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 02:48 PM
Jun 2020

About 3 million people in the U.S. die every year. Most of them old enough to be tax payers or on social security. No one tells the IRS when someone dies. The only thing surprising is that the 1.1 million still on IRS lists is as low as it is.

Kitchari

(2,157 posts)
18. And right after the name it said "DECD" for Deceased (not hard to figure out)
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 02:52 PM
Jun 2020

My deceased mother in law got one, and we sent it back

Bengus81

(6,907 posts)
21. They could have asked the Social Security Admin to veryify........
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 03:53 PM
Jun 2020

The ones that were 62 and over and had drawn SS. Those dudes know in a HURRY when someone has died and stop their payments. My dad died on June 27 2008 and never received another social security deposit. His next deposit would have been on the second Wed of July about 11-12 days later.

He did receive one more pension check that I had to return..........

miyazaki

(2,220 posts)
24. Bigger scam is the living people who haven't got a check yet
Thu Jun 25, 2020, 04:23 PM
Jun 2020

If their lives depended on this stimulus money they'd be dead already, and
then maybe they'd get their money.

USA!

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