Generally, after September 30, 2025, the Treasury Department has said that all federal agencies will cease sending and receiving paper checks as a form of payment. However, there are ways to pay the IRS without a check and to get a tax refund without a bank account.

Even if you received a tax extension, you still needed to file your 2021 tax return by the April 15, 2025, deadline to claim that third stimulus check. There are no extensions or appeals available for missed deadlines, and any unclaimed stimulus payments become the property of the U.S. Treasury.

The change, required by an executive order issued in March, is aimed at improving security, speeding up refunds and cutting costs, the IRS said. Paper checks are more than 16 times as likely to be lost, stolen or altered compared with electronic payments, and direct deposit eliminates the risk of undeliverable mail.

President Donald Trump’s Republican administration says electronic payments and collections will speed up processing and cut costs.

Are we getting a stimulus check in October 2025? See Trump rebate eligibility, IRS where's my refund payment status tracker by social security number

Have a question for Nancy Jiang or our other editors? Ask here for a chance to be featured in a story. Send a note to Nancy Jiang, Aaliyah Pasols and our other editors. We read every email. By submitting this form, you agree to allow us to collect, store ...

Last month, President Donald Trump teased that a potential rebate could be attached to the worldwide tariffs he announced earlier this year. “We have so much money coming in, we’re thinking about a little rebate,” Trump said on July 25 ahead of his ...