Federal Benefits: Switch to Electronic Payments by March 1

If you receive your federal benefits by paper check, you'll need to switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013.

The federal benefits affected are:

Social Security
Supplemental Security Income
Veterans Affairs
Railroad Retirement Board
Office of Personnel Management
Department of Labor (Black Lung)

You have two options for receiving benefits electronically:

1. Direct Deposit: The U.S. Treasury deposits your benefits directly into your bank account. You can sign up for direct deposit in one of these ways:

Enroll online.
Visit your bank or credit union.
Call (800) 333-1795 (Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm ET).
Contact the local office of the agency providing your federal benefits.
Enroll by mail.

2. Prepaid Debit Card: The U.S. Treasury deposits your benefits directly to a debit card. This is an option if you don't have a bank account and do not want to open one. You can request a debit card by calling (800) 333-1795 (Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm ET).

Be ready with the information you'll need to set up your federal benefit payments by direct deposit or debit card.

If you have questions, call the Go Direct Helpline at (800) 333-1795.