Yes, paper checks are rapidly disappearing, especially for federal payments, with the U.S. Treasury ceasing most paper check disbursements (like Social Security and tax refunds) after September 30, 2025, pushing everyone to electronic options like direct deposit for security and efficiency, though some private sector use will linger due to habit, fraud concerns, and user preference.
Starting September 30, 2025, the federal government will stop issuing paper checks for most federal payments. That means if you're still receiving federal check payments, it's time to switch to an electronic payment method.
For the most part, the IRS will stop issuing tax refunds in the form of paper checks after September 30, 2025. IRS is also taking steps to require that taxpayers make all payments to the IRS electronically.
Yes, the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks for individuals starting September 30, 2025, shifting to electronic payments (Direct Deposit, debit cards) to boost security, speed up refunds, and cut costs, as mandated by an Executive Order to modernize federal payments, though exceptions for vulnerable populations may exist. Taxpayers who still get paper checks need to set up direct deposit or another electronic method to receive refunds faster and avoid mail-related fraud.
How long are personal checks good for? Personal, business, and payroll checks are good for 6 months (180 days). Some businesses have “void after 90 days” pre-printed on their checks.
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, working with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, today announced that paper tax refund checks for individual taxpayers will be phased out beginning on Sept. 30, 2025, as required by Executive Order 14247, to the extent permitted by law.
Starting September 30, 2025, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will no longer issue paper checks for benefit payments. This change is part of a broader government-wide initiative to modernize payment systems and enhance service delivery.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that the federal government will stop issuing paper checks for most federal payments on September 30, 2025. If you are one of the few people who still receives a federal benefit check, it's time to switch to an electronic payment method.
A digital payment system allows government agencies to send and receive funds electronically, eliminating the need for paper checks. These systems can: Disburse funds to citizens (benefits, refunds, reimbursements) Pay vendors and contractors through automated accounts payable (AP) tools.
Toward the end of 2024 the IRS decided to proactively send out unclaimed stimulus payments to people who were eligible but hadn't originally claimed them back in 2021. For whatever reason they screwed up and ended up sending payments to many NRAs who were not actually eligible to receive them.
Yes, the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks for individuals starting September 30, 2025, shifting to electronic payments (Direct Deposit, debit cards) to boost security, speed up refunds, and cut costs, as mandated by an Executive Order to modernize federal payments, though exceptions for vulnerable populations may exist. Taxpayers who still get paper checks need to set up direct deposit or another electronic method to receive refunds faster and avoid mail-related fraud.
Washington, D.C.—Workers receiving their first paychecks of 2026 are finding them bigger than ever thanks to the Working Families Tax Cuts spearheaded by U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
The IRS e-file shutdown 2025 begins on Friday, December 26, 2025, at 11:59 A.M. Eastern Time. During this annual maintenance period, the IRS takes its electronic tax filing system offline to update systems and prepare for the new tax year. The IRS announced it will officially reopen e-file on January 26, 2026.
Yes, unless that's also a forgery. Typically, when people sign a check over to someone else, they sign their name and then write "made payable to [other name]" and that person signs.
Throwing them directly in the trash or recycling isn't a good idea because a checkbook contains a lot of personal and financial information about you that can get misused in the wrong hands, such as your name, address and account numbers.