overpayment
noun
over·pay·ment
ˌō-vər-ˈpā-mənt 
plural overpayments
: payment that exceeds what is necessary
overpayment of taxes
… implemented electronic payrolls for all employees to prevent overpayment …—
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
also
: an amount that is paid in excess
… two taxpayers could not get refunds of tax overpayments dating back more than four years … —Samantha McCaughren
Samantha McCaughren Examples of overpayment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Politicians would like to believe that rising health-insurance costs result from bloated hospital budgets, physician overpayments, or administrative waste—problems that could be trimmed away painlessly.
—Chris Pope, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
The office said there was sufficient cash in county coffers to float that overpayment until April, when the next round of property tax bills are due.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Earlier this year, Kaiser Permanente affiliates agreed to pay $556 million to resolve allegations the company added about half a million diagnoses to its MA patients’ charts between 2009 to 2018, generating about $1 billion in overpayments.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
Most taxpayers will collect refunds, reflecting the overpayment of taxes in the past year, typically due to withholding too much money on W-2 forms.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overpayment
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Chris Pope, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
The office said there was sufficient cash in county coffers to float that overpayment until April, when the next round of property tax bills are due.
—A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
Earlier this year, Kaiser Permanente affiliates agreed to pay $556 million to resolve allegations the company added about half a million diagnoses to its MA patients’ charts between 2009 to 2018, generating about $1 billion in overpayments.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
Most taxpayers will collect refunds, reflecting the overpayment of taxes in the past year, typically due to withholding too much money on W-2 forms.
—Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overpayment
Cite this Entry
“Overpayment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpayment. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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