Power earned wage access

Determine cash advance eligibility and mitigate long term risk with real-time data.

Mitigate risk with real time monitoring

Know your information is always up to date with ongoing payroll provider data visibility and change notifications

Confidently determine eligibility and set limits with verified data

Verify income & employment

Instantly confirm your customers’ current income and employment status with their payroll provider.

Ensure repayment

Check that you are the recipient of customers’ direct deposit allocation to guarantee reimbursement.

Calculate cash advance levels

Access historical cash flows to qualify customers’ cash advance amounts.

Drive value for customers and for your business

Meet customer needs

77%

of consumers said they would use EWA if their credit union or bank offered it

Grow deposits

By requiring a direct deposit to qualify for earned wage access, you create a powerful incentive for customers to make a deposit switch.

The industry's only holistic bill management solution:

Instant detection of recurring payments

Frictionless switching for bills paid both through card and ACH

Visibility into upcoming payment due dates to avoid account overdraft

Ongoing management of existing and new recurring payments over time

Security at Pinwheel

Pinwheel's security program meets or exceeds industry standards. With multiple controls in place, we ensure your personal information remains safe. Plus, we're the only API provider with a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).

Earned wage access (EWA) has helped consumer finance companies to become the primary financial account by leveraging a powerful incentive. Download this guide to learn the basics of EWA, along with best practices for implementation, risk reduction, and data accuracy.

FAQs: Pinwheel Earned Wage Access

What is Earned Wage Access (EWA) and how does Pinwheel enable it?

Earned Wage Access (EWA) is a financial service that allows employees to access a portion of their wages before their scheduled payday — drawing against income they have already earned but not yet received. EWA is distinct from a payday loan: it is not a credit product, it does not charge interest, and the employee is accessing their own money. EWA providers typically charge a flat fee or offer employer-subsidized free access.

Pinwheel enables EWA by providing the payroll data infrastructure that makes it possible to offer EWA safely, accurately, and at scale. Specifically, Pinwheel gives EWA providers real-time visibility into a worker's employment status, current income, accrued earnings to date, and direct deposit allocation — the four data points required to determine how much a worker has earned, confirm they are still employed, calculate a safe advance limit, and ensure repayment will occur at the next paycheck.

What specific Pinwheel capabilities power an EWA program?

Pinwheel's EWA infrastructure consists of three core capabilities:

1. Income and Employment Verification: Pinwheel Verify instantly confirms that a worker is currently employed and provides their current income rate and pay frequency. This is the eligibility gate — an EWA provider must confirm active employment and income before issuing an advance. Without real-time payroll verification, EWA providers face elevated risk of advancing funds to workers who have recently been terminated or reduced their hours.

2. Cash Advance Level Calculation: Pinwheel provides access to a worker's historical cash flows — including earnings to date in the current pay period and year-to-date earnings — which allows EWA platforms to calculate accurate, risk-appropriate advance limits. An advance that exceeds the worker's actual earned balance in the current pay period creates a credit risk. Pinwheel's payroll data enables EWA providers to set limits that reflect real earned amounts rather than estimates.

3. Repayment Assurance via Direct Deposit: Pinwheel confirms whether the EWA provider is the recipient of the worker's direct deposit allocation. This is critical for repayment certainty: if the worker's paycheck is routed to a different account, the EWA provider cannot automatically recoup the advance at the next pay cycle. Pinwheel monitors allocation in real time and alerts providers to changes before repayment is at risk.