'Unfortunately, the report minimizes the historic work that SBA has undertaken to implement the CARES Act and mischaracterizes SBA’s engagement with GAO,' an SBA spokesperson, who asked not to be identified, said.With the previous two rounds of stimulus checks as precedent, the IRS is likely to deliver most payments to eligible Americans by mid-April. In a statement to NBC News, the SBA denied that it was withholding information. The GAO said the SBA is stonewalling collection of data to show detailed information regarding loan recipients. Many businesses around the country have also complained that they either could not tap into loans or did not receive adequate funds to keep their businesses afloat and their employees on the payroll.

The program has faced criticism for providing aid to unintended recipients, such as large publicly traded companies. Small Business Administration for its handling of the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, which was created under the act to provide direct relief to small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The GAO report, COVID-19 Opportunities to Improve Federal Response and Recovery Efforts, reviewed actions by multiple federal agencies to address the pandemic, from reporting national data on viral testing to distributing critical medical supplies to disbursing relief funds and loans. economy continues to reel from the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump indicated earlier this week that he's open to another round of 'very generous' stimulus payments as the U.S.

Treasury and IRS representatives referred NBC News to responses they provided in the GAO’s report. The IRS and Treasury didn't immediately provide comment to NBC News. The watchdog agency said the IRS should consider 'cost-effective options' for notifying ineligible recipients on how to return payments, which IRS agreed to do. The GAO said in its report that the IRS does not currently have a plan in place to notify ineligible recipients, which includes the relatives of the almost 1.1 million deceased Americans who received a payment as of April 30. A reader in Florida sent NBC News this image of an envelope containing an stimulus payment, addressed to a deceased family member. The sender said the family checked the box and mailed back the envelope without opening it. The envelope, from the Department of the Treasury and its Bureau of the Fiscal Service, bears an explicit instruction that 'if recipient deceased,' the bearer should check a box and return the payment by putting the envelope in a mailbox. Families initially believed they could keep the payments, but the IRS updated its guidance in May to say that people who have died do not qualify for the coronavirus relief payments and 'should be returned to the IRS.'Īn NBC News reader sent along this photo of an envelope she received in April addressed to her father, who died in 2019, that she believes contained a stimulus check. There was an initial backlog when the IRS began sending the first round of payments and relatives of dead Americans all over the country said they received coronavirus relief payments from the on behalf of the loved one. GAO also reported that IRS' legal counsel had 'determined that the IRS did not have the legal authority to deny payments to those who filed a return for 2019, even if they were deceased at the time of payment,' and had advised applying the same rules to recipients who had filed a 2018 return. GAO’s report said Treasury officials said that, to meet the CARES Act's mandate to deliver payments as 'rapidly as possible,' Treasury and the IRS sent out the first three batches of payments using previous operational policies and procedures for stimulus payments 'which did not include using death records as a filter to halt payments to decedents.' The payments decreased for those making more than $75,000, with an income cap of $99,000 per individual or $198,000 for couples. Individuals making up to $75,000 a year received checks for $1,200 and couples making up to $150,000 and filing a joint tax return received $2,400, with an additional $500 per qualifying child. Congress passed a massive $2 trillion stimulus package, called the CARES Act, in March to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic for American workers and businesses.Įligible Americans received checks, called Economic Impact Payments, based on their 2018 or 2019 income tax returns, or by filling out a simple tax return.

Picture of stimulus check envelope