Illinois overpaid millions in unemployment benefits during the pandemic. Now there’s a way for people to keep the money.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, it prompted a statewide stay-at-home order for everything but essential businesses, and waves of furloughs and layoffs. Last year, the state paid out nearly $19.7 billion in unemployment benefits to about 1.5 million recipients, both annual records for Illinois, according to IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco.