Paper checks are not dead, but they are wheezing in the tax-payment ICU.
For decades, taxpayers paid the IRS, state agencies, property tax offices, and other government departments by writing a check, stuffing it into an envelope, and trusting the mail, the bank, and the government’s processing system to behave like responsible adults. That was optimistic then. It is even more optimistic now.
Today, federal agencies are moving toward electronic payments. The IRS has said that mailed payments, including checks and money orders, are still accepted for now, but the agency is reducing its reliance on paper payments and will continue transitioning toward electronic methods over time. The IRS also encourages taxpayers to use electronic payment options to avoid delays.
That does not mean every check will create a problem. It means when a check does create a problem, the cleanup can be painfully slow, like trying to explain depreciation to a raccoon.