You won't get a paper Social Security check in October - or ever again. Here's how you'll be paid instead.

By Jessica Hall

About 500,000 people were still getting paper checks - including people over age 80, living with disabilities or without internet access

Exceptions on paper Social Security checks may be made only in rare circumstances.

The U.S. government will stop sending paper checks for Social Security benefits as of Tuesday, Sept. 30, in a move it says will save money and crack down on crime. After 85 years of on-time monthly benefits sent by mail, more than 68 million Social Security beneficiaries will now receive their payments electronically.

The change is due to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March, which mandated that Treasury Department payments must be made electronically, including Social Security checks and Supplemental Security Income.

Read: Social Security will stop sending paper checks soon. How to make sure you still get your benefits on time.

There were about 494,000 beneficiaries who still were receiving paper Social Security checks as of June 2025, according to the Social Security Administration. Many of those beneficiaries included people over age 80, those in rural locations without internet access, and those with intellectual or physical disabilities, analysts said.

This group of beneficiaries "tend to be the most marginalized, often unbanked or unhoused, and lacking in the tools and skills they need to access digital services," said Kathleen Romig, director of Social Security and disability policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank.

It costs the government more than $657 million a year to maintain the physical infrastructure and specialized technology needed for handling paper checks, according to the president's executive order. According to the Treasury Department, issuing a paper check costs about 50 cents, whereas an electronic funds transfer, or EFT, costs less than 15 cents.

In addition to the cost, there's the issue of potential fraud. Checks are 16 times more likely than an EFT to be reported lost or stolen, altered or returned undeliverable, according to the Treasury Department.

The SSA has been sending notices to people who currently receive paper checks to explain the change. Additionally, recent benefit checks have included an insert explaining the steps a beneficiary could take to shift to electronic payments.

Read: Target won't take your paper checks anymore, but these major retailers will. The humble check isn't dead yet.

For beneficiaries without a bank account, people can get a Direct Express card, a prepaid debit card designed specifically for federal benefit payments. For more details and to learn how to enroll in direct deposit or obtain a Direct Express card, beneficiaries can visit www.ssa.gov/deposit.

In extremely rare circumstances, the Treasury Department may grant exceptions to the electronic-payment mandate, according to the SSA. To request a waiver, call the Treasury Department at 855-290-1545.

"We are hearing that people are struggling to get through to the Treasury phone line for assistance, and we know how overwhelmed local Social Security offices are after deep staff cuts. SSA spokespeople have promised that beneficiaries will not be cut off next month, and I certainly hope that's the case. For this population, missing a payment would cause real harm." Romig said.

-Jessica Hall

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09-30-25 0940ET