The cost of paper checks isn’t just an envelope and a stamp anymore. In 2026 and beyond, it’s the labor cost from printing and mailing payments, the growing risk of check fraud, and the business opportunities you miss when you don’t have a payment strategy.
So if you’re still paying suppliers by check because that’s the way you’ve always done it, it may be time to rethink your strategy.
At AvidXchange, we’ve spent more than 25 years helping finance teams modernize accounts payable and supplier payments. Through our network of more than 1.5 million suppliers, we’ve seen community association management companies reevaluate when paper checks still make sense and when electronic payments create greater value.
In this article, we’ll break down the true cost of relying on paper checks, explain why more finance leaders are adopting payment mix strategies, and help you decide whether paper checks are still worth it for your community association management company.
Key Takeaways
- The cost of paper checks extends far beyond paper and postage. Labor, payment delays, and check fraud can significantly increase the true cost of every payment.
- 53% of finance leaders now have a formal payment mix strategy that optimizes across cost, supplier preferences, and rebate opportunities. (AvidXchange B2B Payments Strategy Survey, September 2026).
- The biggest hidden cost may be the opportunities you're missing. Modern payment strategies can help improve supplier relationships, reduce transaction costs, and generate additional financial value.
- Moving away from checks doesn't have to be all or nothing. Many community association management companies use a blended payment strategy that gives suppliers a choice between electronic payments and paper checks.
Why Do Community Association Management Companies Still Use Paper Checks?
For many community association management companies, paper checks are woven into how they’ve operated for years. For example:
- HOA boards may be accustomed to reviewing or signing paper checks.
- Longtime suppliers may prefer receiving check payments.
- Existing accounting processes have often been built around scheduled check runs.
- State regulations or association governing documents may influence how certain payments are approved or documented.
In other words, paper checks have become the status quo for many community association management companies. And when something has worked OK for years, it’s easy to think, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
But sometimes, settling for what’s comfortable can come at a cost. For community association management companies balancing multiple associations, volunteer board approvals, and growing workloads, even small inefficiencies in the payment process can quickly multiply into delayed payments, increased administrative work, and frustrated suppliers.
How Much Do Paper Checks Really Cost?
Check stock, envelopes, postage, and printer supplies all add up. But the larger costs tend to come from the work required to create, send, track, and manage every payment.
1. The Cost of Printing and Mailing Checks
First, there are the direct costs of producing and mailing every payment. Check stock, envelopes, printer supplies, and postage add up quickly when your team is sending payments on behalf of dozens or hundreds of communities. While the cost of an individual check is relatively small, the cumulative expense can become significant over the course of a year.
It also takes time to print, sign, stuff, and mail checks. Plus, your team has to reconcile payments after they clear the bank and answer supplier questions about payment status.
Finally, relying on snail mail can lead to payment delays. If a check is delayed, misplaced, or lost, your team often ends up issuing replacement checks and coordinating with suppliers who are waiting on payment before they begin work.
2. The Cost of Check Fraud
Paper checks also remain one of the most common targets for payment fraud. According to the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), checks continue to be the payment method most frequently targeted by fraudsters.
Unlike electronic payments, paper checks contain sensitive information—including bank account numbers, routing numbers, and signatures—that can be intercepted, altered, duplicated, or used to create counterfeit checks.
Finance teams may also spend hours investigating fraudulent transactions, working with banks, resetting accounts, issuing replacement payments, and communicating with affected suppliers. Even if funds are eventually recovered, the disruption can consume valuable time and delay critical supplier payments.
3. The Cost of Missing Payment Optimization Opportunities
One of the biggest hidden costs isn’t the check itself—it’s what your payment strategy is missing out on.
In 2026 and beyond, finance teams are no longer looking at payments simply as an operational task. According to AvidXchange’s 2026 B2B Payments Strategy Survey, 53% of finance leaders now have a formal payment mix strategy that optimizes across cost, rebates, and supplier preferences. In other words, they’re treating payment methods as a revenue driver instead of just a back-office function.
The survey also found organizations today are using their choice of payment methods to achieve broader business goals, including:
Community association management companies that continue relying on paper checks may have fewer opportunities to capture these benefits. And as more accounting and finance leaders embrace payment mix optimization, the competitive gap will likely continue to widen.
Organizations that don’t evaluate their payment strategy risk falling behind as their peers use payments to lower costs, improve supplier relationships, and generate more value from every dollar they already spend.
What If My Suppliers Prefer Paper Checks?
One of the biggest concerns community association management companies have about moving away from checks is supplier adoption.
But many organizations successfully use a blended payment strategy that prioritizes supplier choice. Suppliers who prefer electronic payments can receive ACH or virtual card payments, while those who still prefer checks can continue receiving them.
Payment automation providers like AvidXchange support this approach by allowing suppliers to choose the payment method that best fits their business.
Over time, many suppliers (especially those with high transaction volume) may choose electronic payment methods because they offer faster payment, greater visibility into payment status, and fewer delays associated with mail delivery.
So, Are Paper Checks Still Worth It?
For most community association management companies, the answer is checks are often not as “worth it” as they used to be. Beyond the hard costs of paper, printing, and postage, check-heavy payment processes create additional labor, increase exposure to check fraud, and make it harder to take advantage of payment mix strategies that generate more value for your company.
That doesn’t mean every supplier needs to stop receiving checks. Many organizations continue paying some suppliers by check—especially those who prefer them or who only receive occasional payments—while helping higher-volume suppliers transition to electronic payment methods.
At AvidXchange, we help community association management companies modernize their payment processes while keeping intact the supplier relationships they’ve spent years building. Our AI-enhanced payment automation solution supports supplier choice by offering multiple payment options—including virtual cards, ACH, and paper checks—so suppliers can receive payments the way that works best for their business while your team gains the efficiency, visibility, and security of a more strategic payment process.
If you’re looking for ways to make accounts payable a revenue driver for your business, the next step is understanding what a more strategic finance function looks like. Read our blog, How Community Association Management Companies Can Build a More Strategic AP Function, to learn how leading organizations are using automation, payment data, and supplier relationships to create value.
The information presented on this page is based on research and intended for educational purposes only. Anyone seeking to follow the information contained herein should consult their own advisors and conduct their own research prior to doing so. AvidXchange, Inc. and its affiliates disclaim any and all liability resulting from reliance on the information contained herein.
AvidXchange is a licensed money transmitter for B2B payments in the United States, licensed as a Money Transmitter by the New York State Department of Financial Services, as well as all other states that require AvidXchange to have a license.