No more paper checks: Social Security moving to 100% electronic payments this fall

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The Social Security Administration is transitioning away from paper checks.

Later this year, only electronic payments will be used for benefit payments, the agency announced July 14 as part of an effort to modernize its systems and improve service delivery.

“By moving to electronic payments exclusively, we aim to improve efficiency, security, and ensure beneficiaries receive their monthly benefits promptly,” the agency wrote in a blog post.

Less than 1% of beneficiaries have not yet switched to electronic payment methods and still receive paper checks, according to the SSA. The agency is urging those to enroll in either direct deposit or use the Direct Express card before the late September deadline in order to receiving their monthly benefits on time.

Those who still receive paper checks will be sent notices to transition as well as instructions on how to transition on all benefit checks, the SSA said.

When will paper checks no longer be an option?

Starting Sept. 30, 2025, the Social Security Administration will stop issuing paper checks for benefit payments. All beneficiaries will be required to switch to electronic payments.

Why the change?

The SSA said the switch from paper checks to electronic payments will minimize delays in payments and reduce the risk of fraud.

Citing the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the SSA said electronic payments cost roughly 35 cents less than paper checks, essentially saving the federal government millions of dollars annually.

The agency added that the transition will provide a safer and more secure method to receive benefits, saying paper checks are 16 times more likely to be either lost or stolen.

How to switch to electronic payments

Social Security beneficiaries can switch from paper checks to electronic payments online through their personal my Social Securit y account.

The agency has technicians available to support those who need tech support Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. ET.

Another Social Security payment coming in July

As soon as late July, some beneficiaries who have been overpaid could have their monthly Social Security benefits cut in half.

The SSA announced in April that it would begin withholding 50% of benefit payments to overpaid recipients. That marked a partial backtrack from the month prior, when the agency revealed plans to withhold all of a recipient’s benefit until their overpayment was recouped.

Previously, the agency had been withholding only 10% of a recipient’s benefits to recover overpayments. The SSA had lowered the recovery rate to that level after negative media coverage in 2023 about the agency’s collection process, reporting how some had lost their homes after benefits were cut off to make up an overpayment. “Innocent people can be badly hurt,” then-Social Security chief Martin O’Malley said, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.

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No more paper checks: Social Security moving to 100% electronic payments this fall

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