Clock Ticks on Social Security's Paperless Transition
By
Eric Katz
Most benefits recipients already have switched over; holdouts have six more months.
Social Security recipients have just six months to move to an electronic system for collecting benefits payments.
Most of the more than 55 million beneficiaries have already made the switch, with only 3 percent of recipients still receiving paper checks, according to U.S. News and World Report. The deadline is March 1.
For those who do not make the switch -- with a few exceptions -- Treasury will send a Direct Express Debit MasterCard, preloaded with benefits.
The transition to paperless delivery will save the federal government $1 billion throughout the next 10 years, the Treasury Department has said. Electronic payments cost the government 10 cents, compared to $1 for paper checks.
Recipients in their 90s or with special hardships can continue to receive checks in the mail.
Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Affairs, Railroad Retirement Board and Office of Personnel Management beneficiaries also face the same deadline for the electronic transition.