Federal government is stopping some paper checks: What you need to know

The government’s practice of issuing paper checks will largely end Sept. 30 under an executive order President Donald Trump signed in April.

Trump said the order will reduce or eliminate “unnecessary costs, delays, and risk of fraud, lost payments, theft and inefficiencies” that occur when mailing checks. The executive order cements a change that has already been happening organically. More than 97% of Veterans Administration benefits are already conveyed electronically. The percentage is even higher for Social Security benefits.

“We pay out over 70 million Americans. Less than 1 percent receive checks,” said Frank Bisignano, the commissioner of the Social Security Administration.

The order is expected to save millions of dollars a year. According to one estimate, it costs the governmen