Medicare 2026

Federal Paper Checks Are Ending: What It Means for Social Security and Medicare

If you or someone you help still gets a Social Security check in the mail, a change at the U.S. Department of the Treasury is worth knowing about. On August 14, 2025, Treasury announced that the federal government would stop issuing paper checks for most federal payments on September 30, 2025. Social Security benefits, veterans benefits and other federal benefits are now expected to go out electronically. If you already receive your benefits by direct deposit or on a Direct Express card, you don't need to do anything. If you're still getting a paper check, this article walks you through what the change means and how to switch.

Why the change is happening

Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service says that under Executive Order 14247, most federal payments made by paper check — including Social Security benefits — must be made electronically as of September 30, 2025. Treasury already sends about 97 percent of the more than 1.3 billion payments it makes each year for federal agencies electronically, but it still printed 40.9 million paper checks in fiscal year 2025. Electronic payments are faster, less likely to be lost or stolen, and cheaper for the government to send.

Importantly, if your Social Security benefit already lands in your bank account or on a Direct Express card, nothing changes for you.

How to switch from a paper check

Treasury lists three ways to switch:

1. Follow the instructions from the agency that pays your benefit (for Social Security, that's SSA). 2. Enroll online at GoDirect.gov. 3. Call Treasury's Electronic Payment Solution Center at 800-967-6857, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

If you don't have a bank account, you can sign up for a Direct Express card through that same phone number or through the agency that pays your benefit. Direct Express is a Treasury-sponsored prepaid debit card used for federal benefits like Social Security and SSI. According to Treasury, there's no cost to sign up, no monthly fees and no overdraft fees, and you get one free ATM cash withdrawal with each monthly deposit (an out-of-network ATM owner may still charge its own fee).

SSA has also noted that new Direct Express enrollments began going to a new financial agent's card on May 18, 2026. If you already have a Direct Express card, keep using it until you receive a new one; you'll get advance notice before anything changes.

What about hardship waivers?

Under current Treasury rules (31 CFR 208.4), a small number of people may still receive paper checks. That includes individuals born before May 1, 1921 who were receiving checks on March 1, 2013, and people who file a waiver request certifying that electronic payment would be a hardship — because of a mental impairment, or because they live in a remote area without the infrastructure for electronic payments.

SSA says Treasury, not SSA, decides these requests. The request must be certified before a notary and filed with Treasury by calling 1-800-967-5042. SSA also says Treasury has warned that people who stay on paper checks after September 30, 2025 while a waiver request is pending — or after a request is denied — may experience a disruption in timely payment delivery.

Treasury has also proposed changes to this process. On April 29, 2026 it published a proposed rule (comments were due June 15, 2026) that would keep the two hardship waivers but have individuals send those requests to the paying agency, such as SSA, instead of Treasury, and would remove the age-based waiver. As of October 25, 2026, no final rule had been published.

Does this change how I pay Medicare?

Executive Order 14247 also directs that payments made to the federal government be processed electronically as soon as practicable and to the extent permitted by law. Treasury's guidance is to follow the payment instructions of the federal agency you owe. As of now, Medicare.gov still lists paying your Medicare premium bill by mail with a check or money order as one of its four payment options. If this changes, Medicare.gov will post updated instructions.

While you're reviewing your setup, look at your coverage too

The federal payment change is a good prompt to review your Medicare coverage during Annual Enrollment, October 15 – December 7, 2026, with any changes taking effect January 1, 2027. The Social Security Administration also announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living adjustment for benefits payable beginning January 2027.

A few program-level numbers to know for 2027:

• The Part D out-of-pocket cap will be $2,400 (up from $2,100 in 2026).
• The most any Part D plan may charge as a deductible is $700.
• The Part D base beneficiary premium, used in calculating the late-enrollment penalty, is $41.33. Actual plan premiums are set plan by plan.
• The 2027 Part B standard premium and deductible, and the 2027 IRMAA income brackets, have not been announced yet. CMS typically announces these in the fall.

If you have Medicaid or Extra Help, remember that since 2025 you have a monthly Special Enrollment Period to move to Original Medicare with a stand-alone Part D plan or to switch stand-alone Part D plans. Full-benefit dual-eligible individuals can also join an integrated D-SNP in any month.

When comparing Medicare Advantage with Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy, there are trade-offs on both sides — provider networks, out-of-pocket structures, extra benefits, referrals, and nationwide access — and the right fit is personal.

Watch out for scams

Any time there's a big federal change, scammers follow. Treasury, SSA and Medicare will not call, text or email out of the blue asking for your bank information, Social Security number or Medicare number. Hang up and call the agency yourself. You can report suspected Medicare fraud to the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP).

Where can you get help with Medicare questions?

For Medicare questions, visit Medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For questions about switching your federal benefit payment, visit GoDirect.gov or call Treasury's Electronic Payment Solution Center at 800-967-6857.