Employer FAQs for Access EarlyPay
Got a question? Check out our FAQs below for up to date guidance and support.
Access EarlyPay Employer FAQs
What is EarlyPay?
What if we don't want to issue loans this month?
Access EarlyPay is not a loan. It gives your staff the ability to take what they have already earned in advance of the normal pay date.
Do we have to provide staff with mobile phones?
It's normal for staff to use their own phones. However, to use Access EarlyPay, they'll need a phone or tablet capable of using Android or iOS apps.
Payroll and employee reconciliation
How will EarlyPay work with our payroll system?
Access EarlyPay directly integrates with your payroll system. Or, it can integrate with your Time and Attendance system, which is typically integrated with your payroll system.
Do employment contracts need to include a clause concerning Access EarlyPay?
Access EarlyPay 'Terms of Use' confirm any withdrawals and applicable transaction fees will be deducted from your staff's next pay. Staff can only take advantage of EarlyPay if they acknowledge and accept this clause when downloading the app.
If an employee is on a Debt Management Plan will this be reflected in the amount they can access?
Access EarlyPay keeps you in control - you decide who can use the service and the amount you allow to be drawn down. You can also disable the service for specific employees if you think it's not appropriate for them.
What about when someone takes maternity, paternity or other special leave?
Access EarlyPay allows you to disable or enable access in these situations - so you are always in control.
If someone is dismissed, how do we ensure they don't have access to EarlyPay?
Access EarlyPay should be manually disabled for the employee as part of the termination procedure.
What about employees on a zero hours contract?
If you record staff hours worked in a time and attendance system linked to EarlyPay, the system will show money accrued, regardless of contract type.
How does EarlyPay work for temporary employees?
If you record staff hours worked in a time and attendance system linked to EarlyPay, the system will show money accrued, regardless of contract type.
If someone is leaving the company, how do we ensure they don't draw down more than they have earned?
You can manually disable Access EarlyPay as part your employee departure procedure.
What happens when we have new people joining and staff leaving the company?
As part of Access EarlyPay's integration with your payroll or time and attendance system, new employees will be automatically visible in EarlyPay. You can then choose to enable or disable the service for joiners and leavers.
How does EarlyPay impact our current payroll scheduling?
Nothing needs to change in terms of your payroll process. EarlyPay integrates with your payroll timelines, defining when the app cannot be used due to payroll reconciliation. Any EarlyPay transactions appear as deductions in your payroll system.
How does it work?
Does EarlyPay allow staff to draw down funds needed 24/7?
For most of the pay period, EarlyPay can be used 24/7. However, when your pay period reconciliation starts, EarlyPay closes down to ensure final monthly pay reflects all EarlyPay transactions.
Do amounts available for employees to draw down include the transaction fee too?
No. The transaction fee is added on top of the amount drawn down.
Can we cap how much employees can take ahead of the normal payday?
There are two types of cap - the percentage of accrued earnings, and the absolute amount of earnings employees can draw down. The amount available to draw down will be the lower value of these two caps.
Can we stop employees taking more money than they are entitled to?
EarlyPay only makes accrued earnings available, and never more than 50% of those earnings. Your payroll or HR team can define the percentage cap.
How do I handle Access EarlyPay transactions in the final payroll calculation each month?
As Access EarlyPay is directly linked to your payroll or time and attendance system, every transaction and associated fee is posted in real time to your payroll system as a deduction and is clearly identified. So when it is time to run the payroll all transactions will have been reflected in the individual employee's monthly pay.
How does EarlyPay work with variable hours workers?
We have shift workers. How does EarlyPay reconcile hours worked and the amount of pay they are allowed to draw down?
EarlyPay automatically takes hours worked from your existing time and attendance system, once each shift is approved.
Can EarlyPay be used to help our temporary workers, or only for permanent staff?
If temporary workers are in your payroll and time and attendance systems, then they can use the EarlyPay app too, if you approve them to do so.
The costs
If this is a company benefit, why are we charging our employees?
The software provider takes the transaction fee. Money taken by employees before the normal pay date is funded by the software provider. Fees cover the cost of finance, software licence, infrastructure, and transaction processing costs.
Where does the transaction fee go?
The transaction fee goes to the software provider to fund the advanced finance facility.
If employees are taking salary amounts earlier than usual, how can this be cashflow neutral?
The Access Group funds the money drawn down by employees. When you run your payroll, EarlyPay transactions and fees are paid by you to The Access Group - so it's cashflow neutral to you.
Is EarlyPay suitable for a responsible employer?
Does EarlyPay provide financial wellness advice to help stop employees coming to rely on the service each month?
Access EarlyPay is designed to help people manage their finances. We make it clear to users that any transaction means these funds will no longer be available on the normal pay day. We also link to the Money Advice Trust, which provides independent expert financial guidance.
How do we help stop vulnerable people from overspending?
Access EarlyPay clearly advises users that taking money early means it will not be available on the normal payday. You retain control over which staff have access to the EarlyPay facility - and you can set limits on how much can be drawn down.
If employees are misusing EarlyPay can we turn it off?
You remain in complete control of who has access to EarlyPay, and what percentage of their earnings they can access, in advance of payday.
Setting up EarlyPay
Can we brand EarlyPay as our own service?
The EarlyPay app and all the supporting documentation can show your company logo.
How do we get our employees set up on Access EarlyPay?
We will talk you through our simple set-up process and provide a full employee communication tool kit containing a variety of document templates and which cover everything your employees need to know.
How long does it take to implement EarlyPay into our business?
Access EarlyPay software is designed to be installed fast, in just a matter of hours. Once Access has completed the background account set-up, we will walk you through the system. The app itself takes moments to set up and is highly intuitive for users requiring no training. The admin console is extremely straightforward and training is negligible. We also provide a full tool kit of staff communication templates and will guide you through the roll out process.