Treasury says it has sent more than 1.5 million updated check inserts and processed more than 184,000 new electronic enrollments since the federal government moved most benefit payments off paper checks on Sept. 30, 2025. The notice, last updated March 3, 2026, says the waiver procedures that let some people keep paper checks “remain in effect until further notice.” Social Security says it plans to finish moving every beneficiary to electronic payment this year.
People who still get a paper check are the ones affected. Social Security’s own July 2025 post said fewer than one percent of beneficiaries were still paid that way. Anyone in that group needs a direct deposit account, a Direct Express card, or an approved waiver before the paper check stops.
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What Treasury’s notice says
The Treasury Fiscal Service notice, dated Sept. 30, 2025, says the change follows Executive Order 14247 and covers “Social Security benefits, Veterans benefits, and other federal payments.” The Fiscal Service page says people already paid by direct deposit or prepaid debit card need to do nothing.
It reports three numbers. Treasury says it has sent over 1.5 million updated check inserts to recipients and vendors with transition guidance. It says its Electronic Payment Solution Center has processed more than 184,000 new electronic enrollments for benefit agencies, apart from conversions the agencies do on their own. And a May 2025 request for information drew nearly 250 comments about access challenges and reaching people still on paper.
The page says enrollment resources and guidance are available at MyMoney.gov/FederalPayments. It adds that Fiscal Service is reviewing guidance related to waivers, and it does not say when that review ends.
Social Security’s plan for 2026
In a June 2, 2026 blog post, Social Security said federal law and Executive Order 14247 require federal benefits to be paid electronically and that it plans to complete the move for all beneficiaries “this year.” The post gives no cutoff date.
The agency gave two reasons. Paper checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen, altered or returned undeliverable. And it cited a Treasury figure of $3.07 for each printed check, about 20 times the cost of an automated payment.
Social Security has said the group still on paper is small. Its July 14, 2025 post said under one percent of beneficiaries receive paper checks and that notices were going out, with an insert in benefit checks explaining how to switch.
Treasury’s page calls direct deposit “a safer, faster, more convenient way of receiving benefits.” It says Treasury’s Electronic Payment Solution Center, at godirect.gov, handles enrollments for benefit agencies, and that agencies also convert recipients directly.
The two Social Security posts cite different Treasury cost figures. The July 2025 post said a paper check costs about 50 cents and an electronic payment under 15 cents. The June 2026 post says $3.07 for each printed check, about 20 times the cost of an automated payment. Neither post explains the gap. The July 2025 post adds that Social Security technicians are ready to help beneficiaries make the switch, and that its direct deposit page at ssa.gov/deposit has more detail.
How to switch, and who can ask for an exception
The June 2026 post lists the routes. A beneficiary can create or sign in to a personal my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount and add bank information, or ask a bank to send the direct deposit details to Social Security electronically. Anyone without a bank account can enroll in the Direct Express prepaid debit card at GoDirect.gov or by calling 1-800-967-6857.
The agency also says beneficiaries who face challenges, such as mental health concerns or living in a remote area without access to financial institutions, may request an exception through Treasury at 1-877-874-6347. Treasury’s page describes the waiver procedures as still in effect but does not describe how to apply.
Treasury also carries a scam warning on the same page. It advises verifying any request about a payment change by contacting the agency through a website or phone number already known to be real. The enrollment and exception numbers in this report come from Treasury’s and Social Security’s own pages.
The date to watch
Sept. 30, 2025 is the date the electronic payment requirement took effect, and it has passed. The date that matters now is the one Social Security has not announced: the day paper checks stop for the beneficiaries still on them. The agency says only that it expects to finish this year, and 2026 has under two months left.
That leaves a beneficiary who still gets a paper check with a plain job. Set up direct deposit or a Direct Express card, or call Treasury about an exception, before the check stops arriving. The Treasury figures show that more than 184,000 people have already enrolled through its center, and that count leaves out the conversions agencies handled themselves.
Is a paper Social Security check about to stop arriving?
Social Security has not named the day paper checks end, but it says the move finishes this year. A beneficiary who waits can end up with a payment that does not arrive, and a switch started late means days without a deposit.
The Social Security Check Protection Kit is a 75-page guide with the 2026 payment calendar, so the date of the first electronic deposit is written down and checked. It also includes a first-24-hours plan for a late or missing payment, for the weeks after a switch.
Get the paper-check switch kit with the payment calendar and late-payment plan →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
