8 Apps to Get Paid Early: Get Your Paycheck Early By Two Days

Financial emergencies can strike when you least expect them, leaving you in a tough spot for cash until your next payday. Luckily, the rise of fintech apps allows you to access a portion of your hard-earned wages in advance without the headache of credit checks or outrageous fees that come with traditional borrowing options.

In this article, we'll take a deep dive into the world of apps like Chime® and Dave, and uncover the top options that can get you paid early, sometimes up to two whole days ahead. By exploring each app's unique features and benefits, you'll be able to choose the perfect one to suit your needs. Say goodbye to payday loan alternatives and hello to a more convenient and financially savvy way of managing your money.

How To Get Paycheck Early

Some banks offer a handy feature called early direct deposit, which allows you to receive your paycheck from your employer up to two days earlier, regardless of whether you work full-time or part-time.

Here's how it works:

• When your employer sends your paycheck via ACH (Automated Clearing House) to your bank account, most banks will hold the funds until the designated posting date. However, certain banks and the apps we'll be discussing in this guide take a different approach.
• Instead of waiting for the funds to clear, they make the funds available in your checking account as soon as they receive information from your payer (such as your employer) about the incoming deposit.
• Once your bank receives information about your incoming direct deposit from your payor, they should give access to your direct deposit two days before pay day.

Not all banks offer this service, and even those that do may have specific eligibility criteria for certain types of accounts. In this guide, we dive into the banks and get paid early apps that do offer this helpful feature.

How Does Direct Deposit Work?

Employers use direct deposit to transfer funds directly into their employees' bank accounts. It's a convenient and secure way of getting paid without the need for paper checks.

To set up a direct deposit, your employer will ask for your checking account number and routing number. Then, when it's time for you to get paid, your bank and your employer's system will communicate with each other to electronically transfer the money to you every payday.

Some apps on this list, such as Chime, have search portals in-app that collaborate with thousands of employers and payroll providers across the United States. If you provide your account information this way, your direct deposit should be up and running. Just make sure to confirm with your Human Resources department, payroll provider, or manager that everything was set up properly.

What Are Get Paid Early Apps?

Get paid early apps are mobile applications that make it easy for you to get a portion of your earned wages before your official payday.

To get started, the app digitally links to your employer's payroll system. This connection allows the app to securely communicate with your employer and gather information about your wages. Once the app has this information, it transfers the money from your employer to the account within the app.

What Are the 8 Best Apps For Direct Deposit?

Here are a few features that the best get paid early apps, and their digital checking accounts, which offer:

• No monthly fees;
• No minimum balance requirements;
• No cost for debit card access and online bill pay;
• Get paid two days early with no fees;
• Ability to freeze debit card in-app;
• Free ATM network access;
• Free peer-to-peer payments to friends and family.

Without further delay, let's detail through the 8 best apps to get paid early:

1 — Chime Early Direct Deposit

Chime® is one of the most popular checking account apps in the United States, offering tools such as SpotMe®⁵, an optional savings account³, optional Secured Chime Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card², and early direct deposit⁶. Some financial institutions make you wait up to two days due to processing times, but Chime, you will typically be able to access your paycheck the day that Chime receives it from your employer. This can be up to two days before the scheduled payment date.

With Chime's employer portal, you can easily search among more than 30,000 employers, payroll providers, and unemployment agencies directly in the app.

You'll be able to enjoy this feature if you set up a qualifying direct deposit with Chime. To set up direct deposit, copy your routing and account numbers and share them with your employer or payroll provider. If you're interested in looking for other apps like Chime, take a look at our in-depth guide on the subject.

2 — Dave Spending Account

Dave is another digital finance app that offers unique features to get you cashback, opportunities to take on gig work, and paycheck advance. The app's early direct deposit feature is called ExtraCash™ and helps you get paid up to 2 days early when you set up direct deposit into your Dave Spending account.

To set up direct deposit with Dave, you have three options: signing into your employer's direct deposit portal, using your Dave Spending routing and account numbers in your employer's portal, or creating and sending a direct deposit form to your HR team. The timing of your deposit depends on your employer or sender. If you don't see your deposit appearing early, it's best to contact your employer or sender to understand their payroll policies.

3 — Current Faster Direct Deposits

Current is a mobile finance app with features for convenient overdrafts, savings pots, round-up savings, and getting paid early. Their Faster Direct Deposits feature lets you get paid up to two days early by easily enrolling in direct deposit through the Current app.

The savings account also provides mobile check deposits and money management tools to help you track your budgets. Current also works with American gas stations to remove temporary holds that gas stations typically place on your cards to ensure they receive full payment for the gas.

4 — Capital One Early Paycheck

Capital One 360 Checking is a solid big bank option that has strongly adopted online banking and digital apps to provide better experiences for customers. When you set up direct deposit with Capital One by payroll system, pre-filled form, or a blank form, your paycheck can be available up to two days early. The bank also has a network of over 70,000 ATMs, which offer free cash withdrawals.

Capital One 360 Checking is a fully licensed and FDIC-insured bank account that offers more optional products, like savings accounts, credit cards, and other traditional banking services. There are no minimum opening balance requirements or monthly maintenance fees.

• More Info: Read our in-depth Capital One review

5 — Wells Fargo Early Pay Day

Wells Fargo is a standard traditional bank that offers the Early Pay Day feature, which allows you to gain access to your eligible direct deposits up to two days in advance. There's no need to go through a separate enrollment process as your direct deposits will automatically be included. It's worth noting that all accounts require a minimum opening deposit of $25.

What Time Does Wells Fargo Direct Deposit Hit?

Wells Fargo Early Pay Day usually allows incoming electronic direct deposits through ACH to be available for use up to two days before the scheduled payment date, though not all deposits qualify. It may take the system one or two billing cycles to kick in, since Wells Fargo bank needs to communicate with your employer's bank. The availability of early direct deposits can also vary due to the timing of payment instructions from the payor and standard fraud prevention checks.

While Wells Fargo provides a range of optional products such as savings accounts, credit cards, and other traditional banking services, we generally do not recommend it. This legacy brick-and-mortar bank charges $10 monthly maintenance fees associated with standard checking accounts. Wells Fargo is a fully licensed bank and is FDIC-insured, ensuring the safety and security of your funds.

• More Info: Visit the Wells Fargo website

6 — Cash App Direct Deposit

Cash App has a direct deposit service that enables you to receive your earnings from your employer up to two days before the official payday. The app integrates with major employers like UPS and Home Depot, making setup easy.

You can manage your paychecks efficiently by setting a portion to be automatically saved or transferring funds to other features within the app. Cash App is one of the most popular apps in the country, largely thanks to its flexible and smart financial management.

• More info: Read our Cash App guide or visit the Cash App website

7 — DailyPay On Demand Pay

DailyPay works directly with several employers in the US to track your wages earned by the hour. Your employer will be able to advance money from pay that has already been earned but has not been distributed yet.

Rather than get paid under a traditional monthly or bi-monthly paycheck calendar, DailyPay will track approved hours worked so you can build up a balance in your DailyPay account each day. That balance can be left in your DailyPay account, or you can transfer it to a bank account or debit card.

More info: read our money borrowing comparison guide

8 — Earnin Cash Out

EarnIn has their "Cash Out" feature, which allows you to access up to $750 per month of your pay early (eligibility based on your hourly wage), with a daily limit of $100. To access this feature, you must verify your income and employment. If you have a consistent source of income, EarnIn can help you spread out access to your paycheck throughout the whole month.

Instead of transferring funds to your main bank, you can also use their EarnIn Card, a Visa contactless card. This card enables immediate access to your earnings, allowing you to spend up to $1,500 per day. You can also take a no-fee cash advance of up to $300 per day from an ATM using the card.

More info: Read our EarnIn comparison guide

Alternatives to Get Your Paycheck Early Apps

If you're in a pinch and need some cash, several alternatives exist to receiving money early via cash advance payments with pay-early apps. Depending on your personal needs, preferences, and circumstances, these options could help you access funds without resorting to high-interest cash advances and include options like:

• Payday Cash Advance Apps: Cash advance and payday advance apps typically operate by having you establish a direct deposit from your employer. When you need emergency cash, you can overdraft a limited amount without imposing overdraft or interest fees. The app will then deduct the overdrafted sum from your next direct deposit.
• Emergency Savings: If possible, we recommend tapping into any emergency savings first to get you through the month. After all, having a savings account for emergencies is a responsible way to handle unexpected financial challenges in life.
• Nonprofit Assistance: Search around for nonprofit organizations or local charities that might provide financial assistance or grants to individuals in need, and contact them to see if you're eligible. If you're part of a local religious community, your church, synagogue, mosque, or temple might also be a good place to start.
• Sell Unused Items: Consider selling personal items you no longer need or use to generate quick cash through online marketplaces, consignment shops, or flea markets.
• Ask Your Friends or Family: Borrowing money from family or friends is a common way of raising some cash quickly when you're in a pinch. Explain your situation to them clearly and, if possible, request a precise amount while indicating how much time you'd need to pay it back. If your family or friends live in another country, try asking them to use our real time comparison engine to compare money transfer providers and save money on exchange rates compared to the bank:

Disclaimers

Chime is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services and debit card provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A.; Members FDIC. Credit Builder card issued by Stride Bank, N.A.

¹ Out-of-network ATM withdrawal and over-the-counter advance fees may apply. See here for details.

² To apply for Credit Builder, you must have received a single qualifying direct deposit of $200 or more to your Chime Checking Account. The qualifying direct deposit must be from your employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, or benefits payer by Automated Clearing House (ACH) deposit OR Original Credit Transaction (OCT). Bank ACH transfers, Pay Anyone transfers, verification or trial deposits from financial institutions, peer to peer transfers from services such as PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo, mobile check deposits, cash loads or deposits, one-time direct deposits, such as tax refunds and other similar transactions, and any deposit to which Chime deems to not be a qualifying direct deposit are not qualifying direct deposits.

³ The Annual Percentage Yield ("APY") for the Chime Savings Account is variable and may change anytime. The disclosed APY is effective as of September 20, 2023. No minimum balance is required. Must have $0.01 in savings to earn interest.

⁴ On-time payment history can have a positive impact on your credit score. Late payment may negatively impact your credit score. Results may vary.

⁵ SpotMe® on Credit is an optional, no-interest/no-fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account available to qualifying members with an active Chime Credit Builder Account. SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no-fee overdraft service attached to the Chime Checking Account available to qualifying members after Visa debit card activation. Both SpotMe on Credit and SpotMe on Debit are sometimes collectively referred to as "SpotMe" or, if you have signed up to use SpotMe with only one account, "SpotMe" means the elected service. To qualify for SpotMe, you must receive $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account monthly. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account and/or Secured Deposit Account (associated with your Chime Credit Builder credit card) up to $20 but may be later eligible for a higher limit of up to $200 or more based on Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. The SpotMe limit will be displayed within the Chime mobile app and is subject to change at any time, at Chime’s sole discretion. Although Chime does not charge any overdraft fees for SpotMe, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions. SpotMe Debit Terms and Conditions and SpotMe on Credit Terms and Conditions.