Due to Executive Order 14247, Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account, signed on March 25, 2025, the IRS started phasing out paper tax refund checks in September 2025. The IRS encourages taxpayers who do not have a bank account to open one so they can receive refunds by direct deposit.
The IRS is transitioning to electronic payments in effort to reduce costs, and increase security. Taxpayers who have not elected to have their refunds direct deposited into their bank account, may receive a prepaid card in the mail.
The IRS has indicated that further guidelines are likely to published. For more information, please go to https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/modernizing-payments-to-and-from-americas-bank-account.
If you owe taxes when filing your return you can elect to have the amount owed direct debited from your account when filing your return or you can use IRS Direct Pay to pay directly from your bank account without additional fees charged by the IRS. For more information on IRS Direct Pay, go to https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay-with-bank-account.