Trending

66,000 taxpayers in Louisiana get a double refund, costing state an extra $26 million

BATON ROUGE, La. — Some Louisiana taxpayers thought they hit the jackpot when they saw their tax refunds this year.

>> Read more trending news

The state accidentally sent out a double refund to about 66,000 people, according to WAFB-TV, costing the state an extra $26 million so far.

And they won’t be able to keep it.

The Division of Administration spokesman, Jacques Berry, said authorities are in the process of trying to recover the money, WAFB reported.

The mistake was discovered Wednesday, and Berry blamed a problem with the file system, which he said ran “abnormally.”

A majority of the refunds were direct deposits to taxpayers’ bank accounts, and Berry said the state is in the process of contacting banks to retrieve the extra money.

He cautioned people against spending the extra money.