Refunds
IRS to phase out paper tax refund checks starting with individual taxpayers
IR-2025-94, Sept. 23, 2025
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, working with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, today announced that paper tax refund checks for individual taxpayers will be phased out beginning on Sept. 30, 2025, as required by Executive Order 14247, to the extent permitted by law. This marks the first step of the broader transition to electronic payments.
| The IRS referred us to the following informational sites: FDIC Get Banked website https://www.fdic.gov/getbanked Find a Credit Union https://mapping.ncua.gov/ Veterans banking options https://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/banking.asp |
Options that don’t require a visit to a bank.
All of these options allow account creation in real time and can be used for direct deposit of income tax refunds
| Option | Mobile app ? | Add cash ? | Fees ? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chime (checking/debit) | Chime Mobile Banking app | Yes, free at Walgreens | Out of network ATM | See video here for setting up a Chime account in real time |
| Venmo (debit) | Venmo app | Yes, at Walmart; need Venmo debit card if depositing >$300 | Fee for adding cash to card at Walmart | |
| CashApp (debit) | CashApp account | Yes at various stores, max of $500 | $1 fee to add cash to card | |
| Walmart MoneyCard (debit) | Walmart MoneyCard app | Free at Walmart | Monthly $5.94 unless $500 DD per month; certain ATM fees | Issued by Green Dot bank |
| SoFi (checking/savings/debit) | Yes | See more details | Checking and savings account and a debit card | |
| Go2Bank (checking/savings/debit) | Yes | Yes at Walgreens, CVS, Dollar General | $4.95 fee to add cash to card | Issued by Green Dot bank |
| Paypal (debit) | Yes | Yes, at many stores | Up to $3.95 fee to add cash. |
Yolo County Options
We are not in a position to recommend any particular banking institution, but we have discovered two FREE options in our county:
1) Golden1 Credit Union offers a checking account with an ATM card with no fees. Requires a minimum balance of only $1 to keep the account open
2) US Bank offers no fee banking for veterans.
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