Overview
- With the deadline days away, the SSA and Treasury are pushing remaining recipients to switch as roughly 0.8% of beneficiaries—about 590,000 people—still get paper checks, citing faster, cheaper and more secure electronic payments.
- Recipients can enroll in direct deposit through a my Social Security account or opt for the Treasury-backed Direct Express prepaid card by calling 1-800-333-1795 or visiting usdirectexpress.com.
- Help is available by calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213, and those without bank accounts can still receive benefits via Direct Express or seek banking options through local institutions.
- Waivers will be granted only in rare cases such as hardship due to mental impairment, age 90 or older, or residence in a remote area, and requests go through the U.S. Treasury at 1-877-874-6347.
- The SSA says payments will not be paused on Oct. 1 and it will keep issuing paper checks only for people with no other way to receive funds, as advocates warn that homeless, unbanked and offline populations may struggle; most federal benefits are affected, though some veterans may continue paper checks under VA law.