Starting on September 30, 2025, the US Department of the Treasury will discontinue issuing paper checks and will move to electronic payments, called electronic funds transfers (EFT). This will affect government payments, such as Social Security payments and tax refunds.
This change is part of an effort to modernize payment systems within the Treasury Department. Moving forward, payments will be made via an electronic funds transfer (EFT) to direct deposit, debit and credit card, or digital wallet.
By modernizing payments, they will be more secure with less fraud. Mail theft continues to be a problem and many government checks are stolen each year.
If you still receive Treasury payments via paper check, sign up for Go Direct at godirect.gov or call 877-874-6347. Most Americans are already enrolled in direct deposit, so most will not have to take action.
Be alert for scammers if you have to sign up for direct payments via Go Direct, as many scammers are impersonating it. Be sure to visit Go Direct directly by typing the link into your search bar, godirect.gov.