Direct Express charges .00 for a replacement card once the one free replacement each year has been used, and expedited delivery of that replacement carries a separate 3.50 charge each time. Both amounts sit on the program’s published fee schedule, alongside charges for extra cash withdrawals, transfers to a bank account and paper statements. Treasury’s own description of the card, meanwhile, leads with the absence of monthly and overdraft fees and mentions none of the per-item charges.
Replacement and rush delivery
The Direct Express terms and fees page, read on October 2, 2026, lists one annual card replacement among the free services and then prices every one after it: “$4.00 after one (1) free each year.” Expedited delivery is priced separately at “$13.50 each time.” The program’s FAQ adds that standard delivery of a replacement card is free and takes 7 to 10 days, so the 3.50 buys speed and nothing else.
For a cardholder whose card is lost or stolen, the arithmetic is simple. A first replacement in a year costs nothing and arrives in the standard window. A second replacement in the same year costs $4.00. A second replacement that is also rushed costs $17.50 in total, the sum of the two posted charges.
Cash out: free once per deposit, $0.85 after
Cash access is where the schedule is most likely to touch a monthly budget. The page lists “one (1) free withdrawal with each deposit to your card account” and then charges $0.85 for each U.S. ATM withdrawal beyond that allowance. A cardholder who takes cash out in several small amounts after a single deposit pays $0.85 on every withdrawal after the first. Direct Express Cash Access is listed at $0.85 per transaction, while teller cash withdrawals appear among the free services.
The ATM owner can add its own charge on top. Treasury’s Direct Express page notes that if a cardholder uses an ATM outside the Direct Express network, the bank or credit union that owns that machine may charge a fee.
Moving money to a bank account costs $1.50 each time. Abroad, an ATM withdrawal costs $3.00 plus 3 percent of the amount withdrawn, and a purchase outside the United States costs 3 percent of the purchase amount. A paper statement is $0.75 each month. The monthly fee is zero.
Treasury’s page says “no fees” where the schedule says otherwise
Treasury’s Direct Express page, updated September 1, 2026, states “No monthly fees or overdraft fees” and describes one free ATM cash withdrawal for each deposit posted each month. Both statements match the fee schedule. What the page leaves out is everything in the preceding section: replacement beyond the first, expedited delivery, withdrawals after the free one, transfers out, paper statements and foreign use.
The omission matters because a card marketed by what it does not charge gives a holder little reason to look for what it does. Neither page, as read on October 2, points the reader of the other to it.
Which issuer’s schedule applies
The fee amounts above are those shown as text on the terms page, and the page labels them as the Comerica Bank schedule. The same page states that terms and fees differ depending on who issued the card, and the Social Security Administration said in its May 2026 program message that fees for both Fifth Third Bank and Comerica Bank may be found on the Direct Express website. Cards issued by Fifth Third carry the words “This card is issued by Fifth Third Bank” on the back.
As read on October 2, 2026, the Fifth Third schedule was not available as readable text on the page, and the FAQ, which gives the $4.00 and $13.50 amounts without naming an issuer, describes the card as “issued by Comerica Bank, a division of Fifth Third Bank, N.A.” A Fifth Third cardholder checking charges has to rely on the site’s separate Fifth Third terms rather than the table above. The amounts quoted in this article should be checked against the schedule for the issuer named on the card.
Treasury’s Direct Express page lists 800-333-1795, open 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday, as the number to call. The fee schedule is the document to hold against a statement, and the issuer named on the back of the card decides which one that is.
Keeping a benefit card’s balance protected
The Bank Account & Debt Protection Kit is written for people who receive federal benefits and want a plain guide to how those deposits are treated if a collector contacts them or an account is frozen. It addresses a problem separate from fees: knowing what protection a benefit deposit has and how to document it.
The Bank Account & Debt Protection Kit includes the 2-month bank protection rule and a protected-funds and dispute log for recording deposits and any disputes.
Start with the 2-month bank rule in The Bank Account & Debt Protection Kit →
This article was produced with AI assistance and checked against the primary sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
