EarnIn
EarnIn is a U.S. Earned Wage Access platform that lets workers access already-earned wages before payday via a mobile app, Visa-backed debit card, and B2B payroll product, serving paycheck-to-paycheck consumers and employers seeking financial wellness benefits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersPalo Alto, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What EarnIn does
EarnIn (legally ActiveHours, Inc., founded 2013 in Palo Alto, California) is an Earned Wage Access (EWA) platform that lets U.S. workers tap wages they have already earned before scheduled payday. The core consumer product, Cash Out, provides up to $150 per day and $1,000 per pay period via a mobile-first iOS/Android app that validates earnings through direct-deposit confirmation, work-email verification, or GPS time-tracking, with funds delivered in 1-2 business days for free or in approximately 30 minutes via Lightning Speed for a small per-transfer fee. Around this EWA core, EarnIn has built a multi-product financial wellness suite: Live Pay, which streams earnings continuously through a Visa-licensed debit card issued by Evolve Bank & Trust (up to $1,500/pay period); Early Pay, which routes paychecks through partner banks to deliver them up to two days early; Balance Shield for automated overdraft protection; free Experian VantageScore 3.0 credit monitoring; Tip Yourself savings jars held at FDIC-insured partner banks; and a marketplace of third-party offers (auto-insurance shopping via Insurify, lending via AmONE and Way.com).
The business model is hybrid: consumer Cash Out is freemium with optional tips (no interest, no mandatory fees, no credit check); Lightning Speed and EarnIn Card subscriptions ($2.99/month) and ancillary ATM/expedited fees generate usage-based and recurring revenue; the October 2025 launch of EarnIn Payroll opened a B2B SaaS channel monetized via quote-based enterprise contracts to employers and payroll service bureaus; and marketplace offers monetize via affiliate referral economics. EarnIn funds 100% of on-demand pay advances itself, secured by $225 million in senior secured revolving credit facilities closed in September 2025 ($150M Cross River Bank and $75M MUFG). Distribution is dual: direct-to-consumer via a heavily downloaded mobile app (27-29M cumulative downloads, 4.8/4.7 app-store ratings, 427K+ five-star reviews) and increasingly enterprise-led via EarnIn Payroll's B2B sales motion and partner ecosystem (BambooHR, QuickBooks, Swipeclock, Employee Navigator, and others). The company employs roughly 547 people, generated $93.6M in FY2025 revenue, and is venture-backed (Series C $125M in December 2018 led by DST Global, Andreessen Horowitz, and Spark Capital) with no subsequent equity rounds disclosed.
EarnIn firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- EarnIn
- Legal name
- ActiveHours, Inc.
- Website
- https://earnin.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- EarnIn is a U.S. Earned Wage Access platform that lets workers access already-earned wages before payday via a mobile app, Visa-backed debit card, and B2B payroll product, serving paycheck-to-paycheck consumers and employers seeking financial wellness benefits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
EarnIn industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Earned Wage Access
- NAICS
- Payroll Services (541214), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA) (FSAMAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Pay Card Programs & Earned Wage Access (EWA) Administration (BPACAIAK), Embedded Payroll, Earned Wage Access & Benefits Finance (FSAGALAI), Earned Wage Access (EWA) & Wage-Advance Products (FSAKAOAF), Payroll Cards & Salary Prepaid (FSAMANAE), Employer of Record (EOR) & Global Payroll (FSAMAKAB)
Keywords
Where EarnIn is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Palo Alto
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
EarnIn business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Optional consumer tips on Cash Out: EarnIn explicitly does not charge interest or mandatory fees on its core Cash Out EWA product; users are invited (but not required) to leave tips that go to EarnIn and help fund free tools such as Credit Monitoring and keep Lightning Speed fees low. Tipping frequency and amount do not affect service quality or availability.
- Lightning Speed (expedited transfer) fees: Optional paid fee to expedite Cash Out, Early Pay, and Balance Shield transfers, with funds arriving within ~30 minutes instead of 1–2 business days. Pricing for Cash Out Lightning Speed starts at $3.99 per transfer (Cash Out) and ranges up to $5.99 for Balance Shield expedited auto-transfers. Early Pay Lightning Speed is $2.99/transfer (charged by partner bank).
- EarnIn Card monthly subscription and ancillary fees: The EarnIn Card carries a $2.99/month access fee with autopay (or $12.99/month with manual pay plus a $5 one-time processing fee), a $2.99 per-transaction ATM fee (third-party ATM operator fees may also apply), and 0.001% APR on balances more than 365 days past due.
- Payroll/B2B platform revenue (EarnIn Payroll): Launched in October 2025, EarnIn Payroll is a full-stack payroll+HR+benefits+EWA platform sold to employers and payroll service providers/bureaus. Pre-launch, over 10,000 companies had signed up. Specific pricing is quote-based, but the platform generates revenue from selling the bundled service to enterprise and bureau customers.
- Marketplace Offers (Insurify, Way.com, AmONE referrals): EarnIn monetizes a marketplace of third-party offers inside the app, including auto-insurance quote comparisons powered by Insurify (quotes as low as $29/mo), personal-loan shopping via AmONE (soft-pull pre-qualification), and lending connections via Way.com. EarnIn gets paid via referral/affiliate economics rather than charging the consumer.
- Senior secured debt facilities (capital funding): EarnIn funds 100% of the on-demand pay it advances to consumers and secures this via senior secured revolving credit facilities: a $150 million facility from Cross River Bank (September 2025) and a $75 million facility from MUFG (September 2025). The cost of these facilities is an implied component of unit economics on the EWA business.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Cash Out — EWA up to $150/day, $1,000/pay period; no interest, no mandatory fees, no credit check; optional tips and paid Lightning Speed delivery |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Early Pay — get paycheck up to 2 days early; $2.99 per expedited Lightning Speed transfer (or free by scheduled payday) |
| Subscription | Monthly | EarnIn Card (Visa debit + Live Pay + credit-builder) — $2.99/month with autopay |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Balance Shield — free low-balance alerts; $5.99 per expedited auto-transfer (Lightning Speed) or free standard (1–2 business days) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Tip Yourself savings — no monthly fees, no membership fees, no annual fees, no minimum balance |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Credit Monitoring — free VantageScore 3.0 (Experian) with no hard/soft pull |
| Other | Multi-year contract | EarnIn Payroll (B2B) — quote-based, enterprise/bureau pricing for full payroll+HR+benefits+EWA platform |
Go-to-market motion4 records
EarnIn product offering
Product offeringCore offering
EarnIn provides Earned Wage Access (EWA) through a mobile app, letting workers access accrued wages before payday with no mandatory fees or interest. The offering is extended with a Visa-powered EarnIn Card that streams pay in real time, automated savings, credit monitoring, and balance-shield overdraft protection, while employers adopt EarnIn Payroll and Wellness Benefits to deliver the service as an employee benefit.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cash Out
Companies that use EarnIn
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
EarnIn technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
Feature8 records
EarnIn partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
EarnIn competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DailyPay: DailyPay is one of the largest direct competitors in Earned Wage Access, offering on-demand pay to employees via employer partnerships. It competes head-to-head with EarnIn's Cash Out and employer-side offerings, and was reportedly valued above $2B in 2021.
- Payactiv: Payactiv is a direct EWA peer offering earned-wage access, bill pay, and prepaid debit cards to hourly workers, often through employer partnerships. Its bundled prepaid card and financial wellness tools overlap heavily with EarnIn's product suite.
- Even: Even is a direct EWA competitor offering on-demand pay, budgeting, and savings tools to workers, primarily through employer integrations. It competes with EarnIn's Cash Out, Tip Yourself, and Balance Shield-style features.
- Rain: Rain is an EWA provider offering earned-wage access primarily through employer-integrated payroll and point-of-sale platforms. It is a direct competitor in the wage-advance category and competes with EarnIn for employer partnerships.
- ZayZoon: ZayZoon is an EWA provider focused on small and mid-sized employers, offering earned-wage access integrated with payroll systems. It competes directly with EarnIn Payroll and Cash Out for employer-side distribution.
- Tapcheck: Tapcheck is an EWA provider offering same-day pay access to hourly employees via mobile app and employer integrations. It competes directly with EarnIn's Cash Out and is also referenced in EarnIn's own competitive landscape.
Broad incumbents
- Gusto: Gusto is a leading payroll, HR, and benefits platform serving SMBs that recently expanded into earned-wage access. As a broad incumbent with embedded employer relationships, it represents a strategic threat to EarnIn Payroll's employer go-to-market.
- ADP: ADP is the largest U.S. payroll and HR services provider, with a broad portfolio including payroll, workforce management, and benefits. ADP's scale and employer relationships make it a key broad incumbent that EarnIn Payroll must displace to grow its B2B book.
- Paychex: Paychex is a major payroll, HR, and benefits provider for SMBs, with extensive employer distribution. As a broad incumbent, it competes with EarnIn Payroll in the same SMB employer customer base.
Emerging players
- Dave: Dave is a consumer fintech offering early-pay advances, budgeting, and banking products aimed at subprime and hourly workers, overlapping with EarnIn's target user. It is an emerging player in the broader earned-wage/early-pay category with a different go-to-market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
EarnIn social profiles
Digital presenceEarnIn financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
EarnIn leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
EarnIn subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
EarnIn funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
EarnIn M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about EarnIn
What does EarnIn do?
EarnIn provides Earned Wage Access (EWA) through a mobile app, letting workers access accrued wages before payday with no mandatory fees or interest. The offering is extended with a Visa-powered EarnIn Card that streams pay in real time, automated savings, credit monitoring, and balance-shield overdraft protection, while employers adopt EarnIn Payroll and Wellness Benefits to deliver the service as an employee benefit.
Is EarnIn a public or private company?
EarnIn is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was EarnIn founded?
EarnIn was founded in 2013. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is EarnIn based?
EarnIn is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States, in the North America region.
How does EarnIn make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Optional consumer tips on Cash Out is the primary driver. The others are lightning Speed (expedited transfer) fees, earnIn Card monthly subscription and ancillary fees, payroll/B2B platform revenue (EarnIn Payroll), marketplace Offers (Insurify, Way.com, AmONE referrals) and senior secured debt facilities (capital funding).
Who are EarnIn's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DailyPay, Payactiv, Even, Rain, ZayZoon and Tapcheck. Broad incumbents are Gusto, ADP and Paychex. Dave is listed as an emerging player.
Does EarnIn have an API?
No public API is recorded for EarnIn.
What industry is EarnIn in?
EarnIn's product category is Earned Wage Access. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAMAKAM, Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA), with a secondary code of BPACAIAK, Pay Card Programs & Earned Wage Access (EWA) Administration. Its NAICS code is 541214 and its SIC code is 6199.