By Alex Moore
On March 25th, President Trump issued a new executive order that requires the Federal government to stop issuing paper checks for Federal payments, including benefits payments. The change will take effect on September 30, 2025, and it will affect Social Security beneficiaries.
In the executive order’s text, the administration highlighted several benefits of the change. It claims that eliminating paper checks will reduce “unnecessary costs, delays, and risks of fraud, lost payments, theft, and inefficiencies.” Additionally, the executive order states that mail theft has risen substantially since the COVID-19 pandemic and that Department of the Treasury checks (which include Social Security checks) are 16 times more likely to be reported lost or stolen, returned undeliverable, or altered than an electronic funds transfer.
The change will not affect the vast majority of Social Security’s 68.8 million beneficiaries. According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), 99.3 percent of them already received their monthly checks via direct deposit as of May 2025.
However, while the percentage of beneficiaries who may be affected might be small, the overall number isn’t. According to the SSA, about 485,000 people still receive their monthly checks in the mail. That’s almost half a million people who may see their benefits affected.
So, what should you do if you still receive a paper Social Security check?
It depends. Do you have a bank account? If not, that’s where you should start. Either go to a local bank yourself or ask someone you trust to take you so you can set up an account.
If you do have a bank account, then you can move on to the next steps. The Department of the Treasury already has steps for existing beneficiaries to set up direct deposit into a bank account posted online at this page. It provides instructions to set up direct deposit online through your my Social Security account, and it also says you can set up direct deposit by contacting your financial institution or visiting your local Social Security field office.
However, if none of these options work for you, the SSA provides the Direct Express card as an alternative. The Direct Express card is a debit card that you can use to access your benefits without needing a bank account. It works for making purchases, paying bills, and getting cash at thousands of locations. If you choose this option, your monthly benefits will be deposited directly into the card’s account on your monthly payment day. To get your Direct Express card, you can call the Direct Express hotline toll-free at 1-800-333-1795.
