Maryland overpaid $807.4 million in unemployment benefits since the COVID-19 pandemic and missed the opportunity to recover $760 million of that amount because it took too long do to so, state auditors said.
The report published Friday by the Office of Legislative Audits covered unemployment benefit paid out between Nov. 16, 2020, and Jan. 15, 2025, when states were flush with federal cash to help them through the pandemic and the sudden and historic loss of jobs that came with it. The chance to collect many of those overpayments passed in May 2025, the auditors said.
“That is quite concerning to me when we are not good stewards of taxpayer money,” said Sen. Shelly Hettleman (D-Baltimore County), co-chair of the Joint Audit and Evaluation Committee. “We have a (budget) shortfall, and we need to make sure that our money is spent on the priorities and the values we adhere to.”
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