--- title: Social Security to Stop Sending Paper Checks This Month description: Social Security ends paper checks Sept. 30. Most beneficiaries must switch to direct deposit or Direct Express for payments. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 132 covers: - Retirement - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Katherine Peach role: Associate Editor url: https://money.com/author/katherine-peach/ bio: Katherine Peach is an associate editor with a focus on news and email at Money. She didn’t always intend to write about money. She’s a classically trained pianist who dreamed of becoming an archaeologist. However, in 2007 Katherine began working in financial publishing as an editor for Agora Inc. (Apparently, unearthing ideas about improving your personal finances isn’t such a bad career alternative!) Katherine’s writing and editing work has been featured in Investing Daily, Clever, Investor Junkie, The Palm Beach Letter, Truth & Plenty, Independence Monthly, NICHE, AmericanStyle, AntiqueWeek, Millennial Money, Money Done Right, TheStreet, Sure Dividend and many others. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Studies with concentrations in Archaeology and Ancient Languages and a minor in Literature from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. education: University of Maryland, Baltimore County at_money_since: 2025 articles: 14 covers: - Retirement - Banking - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Federal Reserve Rate Cuts - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Shopping - Taxes published: '2025-09-02T18:58:58.000Z' modified: '2025-09-02T18:58:58.000Z' section: Retirement tags: - News word_count: 458 canonical: https://money.com/social-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![A paper social security check scribbled over](https://img.money.com/2025/09/News-Paper-Social-Security-Checks-End.jpg) The Social Security Administration will [stop mailing paper checks](https://money.com/white-house-eliminates-paper-checks/) to beneficiaries starting Sept. 30. The change stems from an [executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/modernizing-payments-to-and-from-americas-bank-account/) signed by President Donald Trump on March 25 requiring all federal payments — including Social Security benefits, tax refunds and intragovernmental payments — to be made electronically. The order cited paper checks as costly, inefficient and vulnerable to fraud, theft and lost payments. Shifting to direct payments, the order said, would improve efficiency, cut expenses and strengthen the security of federal payments. ## Long-Term Care Insurance allows you to know that you and your loved ones are financially protected as you age ### Regular health insurance, disability insurance, and Medicare are not designed to cover long-term care costs. Get Long-Term Care Insurance today - select your state to get a free quote. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/b569008ea8c5?ap_referrer=%2Fsocial-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30%2F&url=%2Flong-term-care-insurance%2Flp%2Fbest-long-term-care-insurance-money&apxa1=social-security-paper-checks-end) About 400,000 Social Security recipients — less than 1% of the nearly 69 million beneficiaries — still receive paper checks, according to the SSA’s latest [data](https://www.ssa.gov/deposit/GIS/data/Reports/T2StateSum.htm). While most federal payments are already issued electronically, the majority of Social Security recipients are older Americans, who are more likely to rely on traditional paper payments than electronic options. Exceptions will be made. In a July 23 [press release](https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-secures-key-commitments-from-social-security-chief-to-protect-americans-benefits), U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano committed to ensuring that beneficiaries who need paper checks will continue to have access to them. “Their plan is to start with people who do have checking accounts, but he made a commitment that no one will be left behind,” Warren said. Although the Social Security Administration, or SSA, hasn’t issued a formal public statement, a spokesperson told Money.com in an email on Aug. 4 that the agency is “proactively contacting" the beneficiaries who still receive paper checks to alert them about the change and the process to enroll in direct deposit or receive a [Direct Express card](https://www.usdirectexpress.com/) — a prepaid debit card that allows beneficiaries to access their federal benefits without a bank account. According to the [Treasury Department](https://godirect.gov/gpw/faq/), exceptions will be made only in three circumstances: if a beneficiary has a mental impairment that makes it challenging to manage electronic payments, lives in a remote area without the infrastructure to support electronic banking or is age 90 or older. Everyone else must transition to electronic payments. ## Options for paper check recipients Recipients who believe they qualify for a waiver can request an application through the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution waiver line at 1-855-290-1545. Beneficiaries can also print and fill out the online [waiver form](https://godirect.gov/gpw/resources/docs/FS_Form_1201W.pdf) and return it to the address listed in the bottom left-hand corner. On the flip side, recipients who currently receive Social Security benefits or Supplemental Security Income by paper check can sign up for electronic payments [online](https://godirect.gov/gpw/) through the Treasury's GoDirect website. They can also [enroll by mailing a direct deposit form](https://godirect.gov/gpw/enroll-by-mail/) or calling 1-877-874-6347. ## Get the care you will need after age 65 ### 70% of people 65+ will require long-term care. A Long-Term Care Insurance policy makes the process easier by helping you pay for the care you need in your golden years. [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/k696436a32ba?ap_referrer=%2Fsocial-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30%2F&url=%2Flong-term-care-insurance%2Flp%2Fabm-pub-best-ltc-insurance&apxa1=social-security-paper-checks-end) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/1402/medium_fWrleDLaHsZEAmRdSdadlEauvRehdv.png) Getting Long-Term Care Insurance allows you to know that you're protected as you age [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/be10e253227a?ap_referrer=%2Fsocial-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30%2F&apxa1=social-security-paper-checks-end) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Retirement", "item": "https://money.com/retirement/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Social Security", "item": "https://money.com/social-security/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Social Security to Stop Sending Paper Checks This Month" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/social-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30/", "name": "Social Security to Stop Sending Paper Checks This Month", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2025-09-02T18:58:58.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/social-security-ends-paper-checks-sept-30/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2025-09-02T18:58:58.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "Social Security to Stop Sending Paper Checks This Month", "articleSection": "Retirement", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2025/09/News-Paper-Social-Security-Checks-End.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-Paper-Social-Security-Checks-End" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liliana Hall", "url": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/#author", "description": "Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. 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