Starting Sept. 30, 2025, the IRS will begin phasing out paper tax refund checks for most individual taxpayers. This marks the first step of the broader transition to electronic payments.

Taxpayers should continue filing taxes as usual, but if they don’t already receive refunds electronically, they should provide or secure suitable banking or digital payment options. This change will help reduce the risks of lost or stolen checks, speed up access to refunds, and lower costs to the IRS.