HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania Treasury Department prevented $75 million in overpayments, duplicate payments, and payments to incorrect recipients during fiscal 2025-26 after auditing 10.6 million payment requests worth $249.5 billion, according to its latest improper-payments report.
Treasury prevented nearly 20,000 payments valued at more than $1.4 billion during the fiscal year, though that larger figure represents all payments stopped for review rather than taxpayer savings. Requests flagged as improper are returned to the originating state agency and can be corrected and resubmitted when appropriate.
The $75 million savings figure covers payments that Treasury determined would have resulted in an overpayment, duplicate payment, or payment to an incorrect recipient. Treasury reported more than $325 million in savings through its payment-audit process over the five fiscal years from 2021-22 through 2025-26.
The department processes payment requests for more than 70 state agencies. State law charges Treasury with auditing those requests and approving payments that appear to be legal and correct.
The fiscal 2025-26 figures were published as part of an updated Payment Production and Improper Payments Report on OpenBookPA, Treasury’s online portal for state financial information.
Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity characterized the report as a way for taxpayers to scrutinize state spending and “hold their government accountable.”
Treasury relaunched OpenBookPA last year with changes to its navigation, financial data access, local-government resources, charts and security, according to the department. Other additions under Garrity include Ledger 5, which details unappropriated expenses; county- and state-level information on Treasury consumer programs; and expanded information on federal funds.
The portal also provides access to Treasury’s payment information and the state’s Contracts e-Library. Under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, covered agencies are required to file qualifying contracts valued at $5,000 or more for public access through the e-Library.
The fiscal 2025-26 improper-payments report and other state financial information are available at patreasury.gov/openbookpa.
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