WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service will phase out paper tax refund checks for individual taxpayers beginning Sept. 30, following a presidential executive order aimed at modernizing federal payments.

The change affects individual income tax filers and represents the first step in a broader federal transition to electronic payments mandated by Executive Order 14247, which President Donald Trump signed in March.

Paper checks are more than 16 times as likely to be lost, stolen, altered or delayed compared with electronic payments, according to the IRS. The shift is designed to speed refunds, reduce costs and better protect taxpayers.

"Electronic refunds give taxpayers faster access to refunds, with payments issued in less than 21 days if filing electronically, choosing direct depos

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