The time it takes to receive a federal income tax refund could drag out six weeks and more next year for many people who are bound and determined to receive a paper check in the mail.

Beginning next year, the Internal Revenue Service will be throwing out more alerts and new procedures to further encourage tax filers to supply banking information for direct deposit of their refunds when they file their 2025 income tax returns.

It won't be business as usual for the IRS, as the federal government's shift away from paper checks moves forward.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on March 25 to end the use of paper checks to the extent permitted by law, indicating that issuing paper checks "imposes unnecessary costs; delays; and risks of fraud, lost payments, theft, and ineffi

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