Paylab

What Paylab does

Paylab is an Australian financial wellness platform operating as Paylab Pty Ltd (ABN 65 092 732 5), headquartered in North Sydney, NSW, and previously known as WageSplitter. The company operates a mobile-first platform available on iOS and Android that combines a retail rewards marketplace (Paylab Rewards, with digital gift cards at 140+ Australian retailers and a Café Choice Gift Card accepted at 25,000+ cafes, bars, and restaurants) with an optional earned wage access product (Paylab Advance / Pay Myself) that lets employees access up to 50% of accrued wages before payday for a fixed 5% service fee, settled in real time via Australia's New Payments Platform and repaid automatically on the next pay cycle. The platform integrates with the major Australian and global payroll and HR systems (Xero, Reckon, MYOB, Deputy, Oracle Netsuite) for automated reconciliation, uses Till Payments as a PCI-DSS certified card-processing gateway, and relies on Illion for bank-data-driven eligibility assessment without storing bank credentials. It is offered to employers as a free B2B employee benefit (Paylab for Businesses) and is also used directly by individual consumers.

The business model blends four revenue streams: a 5% transaction fee on EWA advances, a $5 Advance assessment fee that is rebated as rewards upon repayment, monthly subscription fees for Club (up to $6/month) and Premium (up to $8/month) membership tiers (the latter including monthly prize draw entries worth up to $3,000), and implicit marketplace commissions on gift card sales where retailers fund the discount rates. Card surcharges are cost-recovery only. Go-to-market is hybrid: a product-led consumer funnel via App Store and Google Play download and in-app rewards mechanics, paired with a sales-led B2B motion in which employers are onboarded, integrated with payroll, and used as distribution channels to their workforces. The company is privately held, appears bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, and is led by Founder and Director Anthony Hausler. Partner integrations with RentPay, Alex.Bank, and Novated Lease Australia extend the wallet into rent offset, personal loans, and novated leasing respectively, positioning Paylab as an emerging hub for embedded consumer finance in the Australian market.

Name

Paylab

Legal name

Paylab Pty Ltd

Website

https://paylab.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Paylab is an Australian mobile financial wellness platform offering retail rewards and earned wage access (5% fee) to consumers, distributed through a free B2B employee benefits product integrated with major payroll systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Wellness Platform

NAICS

Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121), Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAMAKAM

Instant Payouts & Earned Wage Access (EWA)

Financial & Insurance/Payments & Transaction Processing/Payroll & Payouts / Disbursements

SECONDARYBPACAIAK

Pay Card Programs & Earned Wage Access (EWA) Administration

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Payroll Services & Workforce Administration

SECONDARYBPAMAFAF

Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms

Business & Public Services/Web, Mobile & Digital Platforms/Payments, Wallets & Digital Banking Platforms

SECONDARYFSAGALAB

Embedded Payments (Pay-ins, Pay-outs, Wallets)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Technology (Fintech)/Embedded Finance & Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)

Keywords

• Earned wage access
• Employee financial wellness
• Digital gift cards
• Retail rewards platform
• Payroll integration

Headquarters

HQ city

North Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Earned Wage Access - Service Fee: A 5% service fee is charged on cash advance amounts transferred via the 'Pay Myself' feature. No interest is charged. The fee is automatically deducted from wages on payday alongside the advanced amount.
2. Paylab Advance Assessment Fee: A $5 application fee is charged for the Advance assessment process, which is fully refunded as Paylab Rewards upon loan repayment.
3. Membership Subscriptions (Club & Premium): Club membership up to $6/month and Premium membership up to $8/month, billed monthly with automatic renewal. Provides higher rewards, exclusive promotions, early access to deals, priority support, and monthly prize entries.
4. Gift Card Surcharges: A surcharge is applied to recover the cost of processing credit/debit card transactions (including Apple Pay/Google Pay) when purchasing gift cards. Paylab does not profit from this surcharge.
5. Gift Card / Marketplace Commission: Paylab earns commissions from retailers when users purchase gift cards through the platform. This is implicit in the rewards-funded model where retailers provide discount rates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Paylab operates a mobile-first financial wellness platform that lets Australian consumers earn instant rewards and cashback on digital gift cards from 140+ retailers, and access a portion of their accrued wages before payday via Paylab Earned Wage Access (Paylab Advance) for a 5% service fee. Paylab for Businesses delivers the same platform as a no-cost employee benefit, with payroll-system integrations (Xero, Reckon, MYOB, Deputy, Netsuite) that automate wage reconciliation for employers.

Product overview

Paylab is a mobile-first financial wellness platform comprising a core consumer rewards product (Paylab Rewards) and a B2B employee benefits platform (Paylab for Businesses). The core Paylab App serves as the unified interface for purchasing discounted digital gift cards from 140+ Australian retailers, earning instant savings, and managing earned wage access. Paylab for Businesses offers optional add-ons including Earned Wage Access (Paylab Advance), membership tiers (Club and Premium), and charitable donations. The platform integrates with major payroll systems (Reckon, Xero, MYOB, Deputy, Netsuite) and payment processors (Till Payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Partner products like RentPay, Novated Lease Australia, and Alex.Bank extend the platform's financial services ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Paylab Club: Subscription membership tier offering enhanced Paylab benefits including higher rewards, early access to deals, and premium customer support.
• Paylab Premium
• Paylab Advance
• Paylab Rewards
• Paylab Donations
• Paylab Prizes
• Paylab Earned Wage Access

Products and services

• Paylab Rewards
• Paylab Earned Wage Access (Paylab Advance / Pay Myself)
• Paylab for Businesses
• Paylab Club membership
• Paylab Premium membership
• Paylab Gift Cards
• Paylab Donations

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 15% instant savings at partner retailers; up to 40% off at food delivery services
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RentPaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRentPay is a reward partner integrated with Paylab. Paylab Rewards are built into RentPay, allowing renters to earn rewards on purchases and use them to offset rent payments. RentPay also enables features like emergency funds, credit score improvement, and bill smoothing for renters.
• Novated Lease AustraliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNovated Lease Australia is a reward partner offering novated leasing benefits to Paylab users. Users gain access to exclusive car leasing deals and discounts, and can save on fuel using Paylab Rewards.
• Alex.BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAlex.Bank is a digital Australian challenger bank offering personal loans. Paylab users are referred to Alex.Bank for fast, fair, and flexible loans with no ongoing fees and competitive rates. Paylab may receive a commission for referrals.
• ReckoncoreTechnology or IntegrationReckon is a payroll integration partner. Paylab integrates with Reckon's accounting software to sync employee data, manage wage advances, rewards, and donations, all within a single platform. The integration streamlines payroll reconciliation for businesses.
• XerocoreTechnology or IntegrationPaylab integrates with Xero's payroll and accounting platform for automated wage advance reconciliation, allowing employers to manage employee benefits through existing Xero workflows.
• MYOBcoreTechnology or IntegrationPaylab integrates with MYOB payroll software for seamless earned wage access and reconciliation through MYOB's payroll system.
• DeputycoreTechnology or IntegrationPaylab integrates with Deputy's scheduling and HR platform for time and attendance-based wage access, syncing approved hours to determine earned wages.
• NetsuitecoreTechnology or IntegrationPaylab integrates with Oracle Netsuite for enterprise-level payroll and HR integration, supporting earned wage access and reconciliation for larger organizations.
• IllioncoreTechnology or IntegrationIllion is a third-party bank data verification partner used by Paylab for Advance eligibility assessment. Illion accesses the user's bank account (where wages are deposited) to scrape 3 months of transaction history for income and expense analysis. Paylab does not store bank credentials.
• Till PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationTill Payments is Paylab's PCI-DSS certified payment gateway provider for processing credit and debit card transactions (Visa, Mastercard, eftpos). All sensitive cardholder data is processed and stored by Till Payments; Paylab does not access or store card numbers, PINs, or CVV codes.
• Autism Community Network (ACN)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPaylab Donations partners with the Autism Community Network as its designated charity. Paylab users can donate their earned rewards to ACN, which provides support and resources to individuals and families affected by autism. Donations are tax-deductible.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cashrewards: Australian cashback and rewards marketplace paying users when they shop at partner retailers. Overlaps with Paylab's gift card rewards model and Australian consumer base.
• ShopBack: Asia-Pacific cashback platform operating in Australia. Comparable as a retailer-funded rewards marketplace targeting everyday consumer spending.
• Perkbox: Employee benefits and perks platform providing savings, rewards, and wellbeing tools to employers. Closely comparable B2B employee-benefits distribution model to Paylab for Business.
• Beforepay: Australian earned wage access and cash-flow platform offering before-payday advances. Closest direct competitor in the Australian market, with comparable fee-based EWA mechanics.
• PayActiv: US-headquartered EWA platform integrated with employer payroll systems, providing earned wage access to employees. Comparable product mechanics and B2B distribution model.
• Even: US earned wage access and budgeting app partnering with employers to provide on-demand pay. Directly comparable product offering for employees seeking pay flexibility.
• Dave: US fintech offering small cash advances, budgeting tools, and side-income features to cash-strapped consumers. Comparable in serving underbanked users with low-fee alternatives to payday loans.

Broad incumbents

• Employment Hero: Australian HR, payroll, and employee benefits platform with broader functionality. Overlapping customer base of Australian SMB employers using payroll software, though not an EWA specialist.

Others

• Wisr: Australian personal finance and credit-building platform. Adjacent fintech serving Australian consumers with financial wellness products but with a different core offering.
• Illion: Australian data and analytics provider currently used by Paylab for bank-data verification. Key ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but adjacent to Paylab's eligibility-assessment workflow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Paylabau
• Facebookfacebook.com/paylabaustralia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paylab-au
• Instagraminstagram.com/paylab_au

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paylab