E-Paper
Social Security goes paperless: Beneficiaries to receive payments under new digital system on October 8
Social Security benefits are now paperless as of October. Here’s when this week’s payments will arrive and how the new deposit-only system affects recipients.
The first round of Social Security payments for October is being sent this week, and for the first time, they are all paperless. The change follows the agency’s new paperless policy, a new federal rule that ended paper checks as of September 30.
Shift to paperless payments
The switch to paperless payments comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025. In his statement, Trump ordered the government to stop mailing paper checks and move to a fully digital system to cut costs and reduce fraud tied to lost or stolen paper checks.
The deadline to switch was September 30, per USA Today. October marks the first full month under the new paperless policy. Recipients will now need to use direct deposit or a Direct Express debit card to receive their money.
Who gets paid this week?
According to the Social Security Administration’s payment schedule, beneficiaries whose birthdays fall between the 1st and the 10th of any month will get their October payment on Wednesday, October 8. Payments for others will roll out later in the month, depending on their birth dates.
- 1st to 10th: paid on the second Wednesday
- 11th to 20th: paid on the third Wednesday
- 21st to the end of the month: paid on the fourth Wednesday
- Those who began receiving benefits before May 1997 are paid on the 3rd of each month, unless the date falls on a weekend or holiday.
What about SSI payments?
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) get their checks on the first business day of each month. For October, that was October 1.
The SSA has also laid out the next several payment dates:
- October 31, 2025 (November check)
- December 1, 2025 (December check)
- December 31, 2025 (January 2026 check)
- January 30, 2026 (February check)
- February 27, 2026 (March check)
About Social Security payments
Social Security is the main source of income for millions of retirees and disabled Americans. The change means all recipients must have an active bank account or use the government-backed Direct Express card. This week’s payment will be the first real test of how smoothly the new paperless process works.
FAQs:
1. Why are Social Security payments no longer sent as paper checks?
Paper checks ended after an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March 2025. The policy took effect on September 30, requiring payments to be sent electronically.
2. How will I receive my Social Security benefits now?
Recipients must have direct deposit set up with their bank account or use the government’s Direct Express debit card.
3. Who gets their Social Security payment on October 8, 2025?
Beneficiaries whose birthdays fall between the 1st and 10th of the month will receive their October payment on October 8.
