Get Banked Indian Country: By September 30, 2025, Be Prepared to Electronically Receive and Send Payments to the Federal Government 

Alert: Native Bank On ONAC, a program of the Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc. (ONAC), is continuing its initiative that seeks to improve access to, and utilization of, financial services among American Indians and Alaska Natives. As part of this program, ONAC is alerting Native families of a change that is planned to occur by September 30, 2025.  With few exceptions, the Federal Government is noting that the Secretary of the Treasury will stop issuing paper checks for benefits payments, tax refunds, etc. The Federal Government will also stop accepting your paper checks for your Federal tax payments, fees, loan payments, etc. Federal payments will now be paid electronically.

In March 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order, “Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account,” requiring that all Federal payments, with few exceptions, must be made by electronic funds transfer (EFT), “…including direct deposit, prepaid card accounts, and other digital payment options” (https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/modernizing-payments-to-and-from-americas-bank-account/). Thus, if you are receiving Social Security or Federal public benefits payments, you will now need to provide the U.S. Treasury with your EFT information (such as your bank account information for direct deposit) or sign up to receive your payments on a prepaid card, the U.S. Treasury Direct Express^® Debit Mastercard®. If you pay your Federal tax payments and make other types of Federal payments by paper check, you will now need to stop doing so and send your payments to the U.S. Treasury electronically. 

Next Steps: Go to https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/eft/ to learn more. This webpage notes that, “if you get your federal benefit payment by check, you may enroll in direct deposit using the Godirect.gov website. You may also call the U.S. Treasury Electronic Payment Solution Center at (877) 874-6347 to enroll in direct deposit or the Direct Express card (see: https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/directexpress/).” 

Need a Banking Option? If you do not already have a bank account to receive and send Federal payments, you could choose to open up a Bank On-certified account (a low-cost account with transparent fees offered by a number of financial institutions). Searching for a Bank On-certified account in your area? Go to: https://joinbankon.org/accounts/.

Native Bank On ONAC advocates for the use of low-fee, secure, and attractive financial accounts, such as Bank On certified accounts, offered by the banks and credit unions that serve Native communities. Bank On account features required for National Account Standards certification include:

• Low fees and no hidden fees

• A checking or checkless checking account that offers a no-fee debit or prepaid card

• Zero dollars to a maximum of $25 required as an opening deposit

• Free direct deposit and bill pay services

• Bank On accounts cost account owners a maximum of $60 per year in service fees (the average non-Bank On checking account costs account owners $150 per year in fees)

To learn more about Native Bank On ONAC, go to https://oknativeassets.org/our_work/Native-Bank-On-ONAC.

Here is a link to this same information on an ONAC flyer: https://bit.ly/GetBankedEFT