The Treasury Department said Tuesday it has blocked nearly $100 million in federal payments from being sent to deceased individuals since implementing a government-wide payment verification process last year.

Since March 2025, the Treasury Department's Bureau of the Fiscal Service has reviewed approximately 885 million payments totaling nearly $2.7 trillion and identified more than 4,900 payments worth about $99 million that were associated with deceased payees, according to the department, The New York Post reported Tuesday.

Treasury said the payments were halted before funds were disbursed, and the payments were returned to the originating federal agencies for further review. The department said payments directed to deceased individuals can be an indicator of fraud or other improper payments.

The $99 million represents about 0.0036% of the $2.7 trillion in payments reviewed, but Treasury said the amount is more than three times the amount identified before President Donald Trump's administration expanded payment verification efforts.

"Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump's mandate to stop improper payments and fraud before money leaves the Treasury, and strengthen the integrity of the federal payment system," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

"Together with Vice President Vance's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this new safeguard addresses a longstanding vulnerability and helps ensure every dollar the federal government spends reaches its intended recipient," Bessent added. "Treasury will continue efforts to modernize the federal payment system, strengthen safeguards against fraud and improper payments, and protect taxpayer dollars."

Treasury said it used the federal Do Not Pay program, which verifies a recipient's identity, eligibility, and banking information before federal payments are issued, along with additional verification tools to identify improper payments.

The department said it significantly expanded its use of those verification systems last year following directives from Trump aimed at reducing waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending.

Treasury officials also credited expanded access to the Social Security Administration's Full Death Master File for improving the government's ability to identify deceased recipients. Congress granted Treasury temporary access to the database in 2021, and Trump signed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act into law in February, making that access permanent.

The department estimates the enhanced verification process will produce about $330 million in net benefits by reducing improper payments made to deceased individuals.