U.S. Federal Government will no longer issue or accept paper checks beginning September 30th. This could affect you! ACA has the solution!

An  Executive Order issued on March 25, 2025  mandates that, effective September 30, 2025, the Federal Government will cease issuing paper checks and requires that payments made to the Federal Government also be processed electronically.  This means that payments to the IRS, remittances from the IRS and payments/reimbursements for Social Security and Medicare will also be affected.  ACA is concerned about this policy change and has already highlighted our concerns to the National Taxpayer Advocate (NTA) and will also be meeting with the IRS to discuss these changes.  

This is why you need to apply for a State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU) bank account  via your ACA membership *.  You can make electronic payments to U.S. federal agencies (IRS and Social Security) and receive remittances with an SDFCU account.  Additionally, there is an  entire host of services and benefits for Americans abroad  that can be accessed with SDFCU.  See SDFCU's flyer below and our  FAQ page .

What is it?

ACA has teamed up with the State Department Federal Credit Union to provide SDFCU accounts for Americans residing abroad. This is the same type of account used by Americans working at US embassies, as well as many other people around the world. The State Department Federal Credit Union is not affiliated with the State Department nor in any way with the US Government and you don’t have to be connected in any way with the Federal Government to qualify. 

Credit unions are member-owned financial cooperatives which exist for the benefit of their customers.  Like banks, credit unions accept deposits, make loans and provide a wide array of financial services to their members.

Member “deposits” and savings – technically “shares” – are insured by the National Credit Union Insurance Fund, in a similar way to the way bank deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.  This Fund is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. SDFCU, like other federally chartered credit unions in the US, is regulated and supervised by the National Credit Union Administration, an independent federal agency.

A large number of financial planning and investment alternatives are available. These include “Share Certificates,” similar to Certificates of Deposit (“CD's”).  These come in a variety of forms and yield different rates.  Rates are reset monthly. Complete information is available online.

It’s easy to maintain an IRA or one of the other types of tax-advantaged deferred compensation accounts alongside your ACA-Members/SDFCU account.

The ACA-Members/SDFCU account is simple to open and maintain. Everything can be done online.  See our Description and FAQs here.  Listen in on SDFCU's informative webinars on a variety of financials topics.  Have more questions?  Contact SDFCU at: newaccounts@sdfcu.org.

NOTE: ACA does not manage the SDFCU account and products offered nor the application or onboarding process.  This is done directly by SDFCU.  SDFCU is solely responsible for determining eligibility for accounts and product offerings.  If you have additional questions about SDFCU account features, products and/or questions about the application process, please contact SDFCU directly: newaccounts@sdfcu.org.