Mixed Messages For Relatives Receiving Stimulus Payments For Deceased
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Anne Michaels, a mother of four and grandmother of nine, just received her economic stimulus payment.
Twelve hundred dollars went straight into her bank account, but Anne passed away more than a year ago in January 2019.
"Number one, this is a big government mistake," said Anne's daughter, Laurette Sparks. "Someone should be checking. She's in their database. They know she's deceased. I don't get it."
Jon Coupal is the president of the political watchdog Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Coupal says while the program was done hastily to help those in need, the government should have done a better job.
"It reflects a failure of government, of course, and reflects a waste of taxpayer dollars. Those relief checks are intended for those struggling while still working," Coupal said.
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Sacramento State Finance Professor Sanjay Varshney says what's more important is that the payments are going out.
"Maybe they should have done a better job checking, but they were really more concerned about getting those checks to people so they could put food on the table," said Varshney.
An IRS spokesperson says they've received many reports of the deceased getting payments, but no guidance on what to do about it. The IRS website shows as of April 17th, California taxpayers have received nearly $16 billion dollars in economic stimulus payments.
Sparks only hopes the money got into the right hands.
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"Why are they sending $1,200 stimulus checks to people who are deceased? That does not make sense to me at all. There are people who need that money," said Sparks.
Both Coupal and Varshney suggest relatives should not spend the money sent to deceased relatives as the IRS will most likely ask for the money back.