Section E - Direct Deposit Information
- Item 16
The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) requires all federal benefit payments to be made electronically. You will need to choose an electronic payment option. You can choose to have your payments made by Direct Deposit to a bank, savings and loan, credit union account or other financial institution or to a Direct Express® Debit Mastercard®. Both options save money by eliminating the need to print and mail checks.
An electronic payment has many advantages. Payments are generally available 2 or 5 days sooner than payment by check. You do not have to worry about a check being lost, stolen or misplaced and you can be away from home without the worry of a check sitting unprotected in your mailbox. There is no need to wait for mail delivery of a check or to make a special trip to your financial institution.
To provide the information we need to correctly deposit your benefit payments, attach a voided personal check to your application or call your financial institution for the information needed to complete Items 16a-d.
If you change financial institutions or your account while claiming benefits, be sure to give the RRB information to establish Direct Deposit to your new account. Do not close your old account until you receive the first RRB payment in your new account.
Electronic Payment Waiver Conditions
Treasury will allow benefit payments to be paid via paper check to individuals who:
- were born before May 1, 1921,
- have a mental impairment and do not have a representative payee,
- live in a remote area of the country that lacks infrastructure to support electronic financial transactions, or
- had a Direct Express® Debit Mastercard® that was suspended or cancelled.
You will need to contact Treasury directly at 1-800-333-1795 to apply for a waiver.