WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department said it screened approximately $3.7 trillion in federal payments during fiscal 2026 and identified about $175 million in payments that would have gone to deceased individuals as part of expanded efforts to prevent fraud and improper payments.
Treasury and its Bureau of the Fiscal Service said a new payment verification process screened more than 1.1 billion federal payments during the fiscal year. Those screenings identified and returned approximately 13,500 payments intended for deceased recipients before the funds were disbursed, according to the department.
The department also said it expanded access to its Do Not Pay program from approximately 4% of federal programs at the end of fiscal 2025 to approximately 99% in fiscal 2026.
Fulfilling EO
The initiatives fulfill key requirements of President Donald Trump’s March 25, 2025, executive order, “Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse,” Treasury said.
“Treasury 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,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
“We are moving beyond ‘pay and chase’ and making prevention the federal government’s first line of defense,” he said.
Expanded Screening and Data Access
Do Not Pay provides federal agencies and federally funded, state-administered programs with data and tools to verify identities and eligibility to help prevent fraud and improper payments.
Treasury reported the following fiscal 2026 results:
- Broader access: Approximately 99% of federal programs can now access all Do Not Pay data sources they are legally authorized to use. Most remaining programs are expected to complete onboarding early in fiscal 2027.
- More records screened: The program screened more than 2.3 billion records, compared with 641 million in fiscal 2025. Treasury attributed the increase to broader federal use, the new payment verification process and additional state screenings through the Public Assistance Reporting Information System.
- Additional data sources: Treasury added nine datasets, including company registration information from OpenCorporates, selected verification using the Social Security Administration’s Numident data and grantee audit findings from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.
Treasury said it streamlined onboarding and worked with agencies to accelerate the data-sharing and privacy compliance work needed to expand access. Access to and use of the data remain subject to privacy, security and user access controls, the department said.
New Bank Account Verification
Treasury also piloted capabilities to validate bank account ownership and check the presence and format of taxpayer identification numbers associated with federal payments.
Those capabilities became fully operational Sept. 30, 2026, allowing Treasury to identify and return payments that fail established verification requirements before funds are disbursed, the department said.
Treasury said it developed the safeguards with federal agencies, with controls intended to protect legitimate payments and ensure responsible, secure use of payment data.
The department said it will continue expanding the data available through Do Not Pay, strengthening payment verification and incorporating fraud prevention into federal payment and program integrity controls.
