WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), in coordination with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, announced Tuesday that paper tax refund checks for individual taxpayers will be phased out beginning September 30, 2025. The change is required by Executive Order 14247 and marks the first step in a broader transition to electronic payments.

The IRS says it will publish detailed guidance for 2025 tax returns before the 2026 filing season begins. In the meantime, taxpayers should continue using current filing procedures, including for 2024 returns filed on extension through the end of this year.

According to the agency, moving away from paper checks is designed to protect taxpayers, speed up refunds, and cut costs. They say paper checks are more than 16 times more likely to be lost

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