12/08/2025
The Internal Revenue Service is changing the way it issues tax refunds. The change, prompted by an Executive Order mandating a shift away from paper checks, will require some pre-work for people who don’t have bank accounts.
Starting this tax year, refunds will no longer be issued via paper checks. The IRS has long touted electronic payments as the quickest way to receive a refund – generally less than 21 days compared to six weeks for a paper check- but there are other advantages as well, the agency said. Paper checks are 16 times more likely to be lost, stolen, altered or delayed than electronic payments as scammers target mailed refunds.
