The use of checks in France is declining rapidly, with the payment method now accounting for just 1.9 percent of non-cash transactions in 2025, according to Les Échos. This drop has led the government to prepare for the eventual end of checks, as it has already stopped accepting them from businesses and professionals for tax payments this year. The French tax administration, known as the DGFiP, plans to close its last dedicated check-processing center by next summer and end its contract with the company responsible for handling checks. Checks were once a common payment method in France, representing 26 percent of non-cash payments in 2006, compared to less than 2 percent today. The total value of checks processed has also dropped significantly, falling by 46 percent compared to 2020. Debit cards and electronic transfers have increasingly replaced checks, and many businesses have stopped accepting them altogether. The decline in check usage has created a practical problem: processing checks is costly, especially given how infrequently they are now used. In 2024, each check collected by the DGFiP cost the administration 2.50 euros to process. Although checks accounted for only 5 percent of the payments received by the tax authority, they made up 30 percent of its processing costs. Banks also face expenses related to producing and distributing checkbooks, as well as collecting and processing checks deposited by customers. The situation is becoming more challenging for the companies responsible for handling checks. According to Les Échos, Tessi and Docaposte, the two main check-processing firms in France, warned banks at the end of 2025 that the activity is no longer profitable and that they want to stop participating. Banks have largely outsourced this work over the years and appear unwilling to rebuild their own check-processing infrastructure. Checks remain a vulnerable payment method, with fraud rates reaching 69 euros per 100,000 euros of payments in 2025. France is now an exception in Europe, as it accounted for 88 percent of checks issued in the European Union in 2025, while several other countries have already moved away from this method. Although the Bank of France says it still supports users' freedom of choice, banks are promoting alternatives such as instant transfers or Wero. However, maintaining the check system is becoming increasingly difficult as usage declines and the companies involved seek to exit the market.