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PayPal has today announced that fees associated with the PayPal in-app cash-a-check feature will be waived over the coming weeks for government stimulus paper check recipients, enabling more customers to access their funds usually within minutes, from the safety of their own home, free of charge.

“In the current environment, we know that fast, easy, and secure access to stimulus payments is top of mind for a lot of people around the country,” said John Kunze, SVP Branded Experiences, PayPal. “We are committed to providing our customers the ability to receive access to their urgently needed stimulus payment as quickly and as securely as possible, especially if they are sheltering in place. Using the PayPal cash-a-check feature, customers receiving a government-issued stimulus check over the coming weeks will be able to cash their check without visiting a physical check-cashing location, simply by taking a picture of the check within the app, and can receive the funds quickly and easily.

“And over the next few weeks, fees associated with cashing a government-issued stimulus check through PayPal cash-a-check service will be waived, helping more people access these much-needed funds as quickly and efficiently as possible, without compromising their health and safety.”

With most people in self-isolation across the country, receiving funds from a stimulus payment through PayPal eliminates the need to visit a cash-checking location. And by electing to receive their funds into their account with PayPal, customers can be notified when their funds are received, they can use their stimulus payment immediately wherever PayPal is accepted, or transfer to a linked bank account. It also enables those Americans outside of the financial system or without a bank account to access their stimulus payment securely.

Using PayPal’s cash-a-check feature from the safety of your home

The PayPal cash-a-check feature allows customers to cash checks and have them sent to a PayPal Cash Plus account If they haven’t already, customers can apply for a PayPal Cash Plus account within the app or online. Using cash-a-check is simple – customers in the US can take a picture of the check they want to cash, and send it for review using the PayPal app on a mobile device, rather than visiting a physical check-cashing location. Reviewing a check for approval usually takes a few seconds, although it can take 3-5 minutes and in rare circumstances, up to an hour to verify enough check information to make an approval decision. 

If the check is approved, customers can have the money transferred to a PayPal Cash Plus account in minutes, with the fees associated with instant disbursement waived for all government-issued stimulus checks processed within the PayPal app.  Step-by-step directions on using PayPal cash-a-check can be found here. Fees will be waived for a limited time only. Checks which aren’t approved will not be processed and funds will not be received through PayPal. For best performance, customers should have the latest version of the PayPal app installed and running the latest operating system on their mobile device.

PayPal Direct Deposit

Through the ‘Get Your Payment’ tool launched by the IRS, PayPal customers can elect to receive their stimulus payment into a PayPal Cash Plus account using Direct Deposit* in a few simple steps – some customers may already have a PayPal Cash Plus account, and if you don’t, you can apply for one within the app or online. To receive a government stimulus payment through PayPal, customers can apply for a PayPal Cash Card if they haven’t already. Customers can do this by logging into PayPal in the app or online. Once signed up, customers can enter the PayPal-assigned account number and routing number listed in their PayPal Profile under Direct Deposit (you can find this in Settings in the PayPal account) in the IRS tool to receive your payment. More information on the steps to take can be found on the PayPal newsroom here.

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About the PayPal cash-a-check feature:

The cash a check feature is a service provided by First Century Bank, N.A. and Ingo Money, Inc., subject to the First Century Bank and Ingo Money Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Fees and terms apply. All checks subject to review for approval. Unapproved checks will not be funded to your account. For more details, visit www.ingomoney.com/partners/paypal-terms-conditions.

*Limited to Direct Deposit of a federal or state check, where permitted under applicable law. For up-to-date information from the IRS, visit www.irs.gov/stimulus. Faster access to funds is based on comparison of traditional banking policies and deposit of paper checks from employers and government agencies, versus adding funds electronically using Direct Deposit. Direct Deposit and earlier availability of funds is subject to payer’s support of the feature and timing of payer’s funding