Hardship waivers ensure vulnerable beneficiaries keep receiving $1,900 Social Security payments despite the end of paper checks
Paper checks are going away
Starting September 30, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will officially stop mailing paper checks to most recipients. This nearly century-old method of delivering benefits is being retired in a move to modernize the federal payment system, save money, and reduce fraud.
In the future, most Social Security recipients will have two options to receive their payments: deposit into a bank account that they have already established or a prepaid debit card called Direct Express. The SSA reaffirms that electronic payments are more secure and efficient, with less possibility of checks getting lost or stolen.
“Paper checks are 16 times more susceptible to being stolen or lost compared to electronic payments, which increases the risk of fraud,” SSA further added. Electronic transfers cost less than 15 cents, while mailed checks cost approximately 50 cents each, which could save the federal government millions of dollars annually.
Exceptions through hardship waivers
While the change affects more than half a million beneficiaries, it also makes exceptions for those who may not be able to receive electronic payments. Beneficiaries may appeal a hardship waiver if they fall under any of the following categories:
- Mental Impairment – It would be a hardship to make electronic payments due to a mental disability.
- Remote Locations – Living in an area without infrastructure to support electronic financial transactions.
- Advanced Age – People aged 90 years and above.
People who believe they qualify may call the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution at 855-290-1545 or print a waiver form from the GoDirect website and send it.
Senator Elizabeth Warren has been on this issue, and she stated she met with Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano to ensure that exceptions are being honored. “Nobody will be left behind, and those who need the option of paper checks will still have it,” she said.
The payment schedule remains the same
Social Security benefits continue to be mailed based on the birthday of the recipient and paid on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month:
- Second Wednesday: Born 1st through 10th
- Third Wednesday: Born 11th through 20th
- Fourth Wednesday: Born 21st through 31st
The schedule doesn’t shift, so recipients don’t need to change the timing of their payments.
A long-standing shift toward electronic payments
The push away from paper checks is not new. Federal law for decades has encouraged the use of electronic payments wherever possible, with some exceptions. The Trump Administration’s recent move merely speeds along this decades-long trend.
Paper checks are increasingly falling into the hands of fraudsters, the Treasury Department said. By going electronic, the government aims to protect beneficiaries from theft and scams and provide them with a faster, more secure method of receiving their Social Security benefits.
Why this matters for impaired beneficiaries
That hardship waivers are offered has the effect that the most vulnerable recipients, including those mentally impaired or poorly served by banking facilities, will not have their $1,900 Social Security checks terminated. The advocates stress the importance of awareness, as non-applying beneficiaries stand to lose delayed payment of benefits.
The SSA invites recipients to open their accounts as well as explore joining direct deposit or Direct Express. Meanwhile, eligible exceptions must actively go about filing the required forms so that their access to their benefits will not be disconnected.
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