Best Banks For Early Direct Deposit In 2025

Direct deposit makes getting paid fast and easy since the money appears in your bank account automatically, without needing to go to a bank. Some banks allow you to receive direct deposits even faster — by up to two days — through early direct deposit. 

Early direct deposit can help avert late payments on bills or prevent you from having to pay an overdraft fee by ensuring your account is funded a little earlier. 

Many banks offer accounts that feature early direct deposit — and the list is growing. Here are Bankrate’s top picks for banks with early direct deposit. 

Bankrate’s best banks with early direct deposit in 2025

As with all credit unions, Alliant is owned and controlled by its members. To be a member, you have to open a savings account first, and then you can get access to Alliant’s excellent checking account.

Not only will you get your paycheck up to two days early, Alliant’s High-Rate Checking account also offers up to $20 in ATM fee rebates each month, making it easy to access your cash even when you’re outside the credit union’s 80,000+ ATM footprint. 

Pros

• You’ll earn interest when you opt into eStatements and receive at least one monthly electronic deposit.
• Becoming an Alliant member is easy compared to some credit unions.
• The account doesn’t charge monthly or overdraft fees.

Cons

• You must maintain monthly direct deposits in order to earn a yield.

Ally Bank’s Spending account has minimal fees and offers ATM fee refunds.

With this account, customers can get up to eight early direct deposits each month, for amounts of $10,000 or less. Meanwhile, all checking account balances earn a small yield, and there are no hoops to jump through to earn the rate.

Ally Bank also covers up to $250 for overdrafts with no fee when you set up direct deposits; without direct deposits, it covers up to $100. 

Pros

• The Spending account doesn’t charge a monthly fee, overdraft fee or incoming wire transfer fees.
• All checking balances earn interest.
• Customers get up to $10 in ATM fee refunds per month.

Cons

• Direct deposits greater than $10,000 don’t qualify for early direct deposit.

Axos Bank’s Essential Checking account features Direct Deposit Express, an early direct deposit service. There’s no minimum deposit to open this account and no monthly maintenance fee.

The account also charges no overdraft or nonsufficient funds fees and reimburses all domestic ATM fees.

Pros

• The Essential Checking account charges no overdraft or monthly fees.
• Customers get unlimited domestic ATM fee reimbursements with the Essential Checking account.

Cons

• Direct deposit express is available at Axos but only with one of its three checking accounts: Essential Checking.

Bank5 Connect — the digital arm of Massachusetts-based BankFive — offers a checking account with a highly competitive APY of 2 percent on balances of $100 or more. Customers also get perks like early direct deposit (up to two days early) and even cash back on certain debit card purchases. 

While this is an online bank, accounts are not available to residents of Massachusetts or Rhode Island, which is where BankFive branches are located. 

Pros

• Bank5 Connect’s checking account comes with a high yield and cash back rewards.
• The account doesn’t charge a monthly fee.

Cons

• Bank5 Connect accounts aren’t available to Massachusetts or Rhode Island residents.
• There’s a $1 fee for paper statements.

Customers of Capital One can get their paychecks direct deposited early with the bank’s 360 Checking account. The account has no monthly fees and charges no overdraft fee. Customers also have access to a network of more than 70,000 fee-free ATMs. 

Plus, all balances in this account earn a small amount of interest.

Pros

• The bank’s 360 Checking account charges no monthly fees or overdraft fees.
• Customers have access to more than 70,000 fee-free ATMs.
• The 360 Checking account earns interest.
• Capital One has some branches and banking cafés.

Cons

• No fee reimbursements for out-of-network ATMs.

Discover is an online-only bank offering the full suite of deposit accounts, including an outstanding checking account that comes without monthly or non-sufficient funds fees. 

Early direct deposit is available for Discover’s checking account, up to two days early. The account offers 1 percent cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month. You’ll also get access to more than 60,000 fee-free ATMs nationwide. 

Pros

• Discover’s checking account is largely fee-free.
• The account comes with a stellar cash back perk.
• Discover offers free overdraft protection service.

Cons

• This account doesn’t earn interest.

NBKC Bank offers a strong checking option that earns a good interest rate and charges virtually no fees, whether banking online or at one of its branches in the Kansas City area. 

The account bills itself as an “everything” account meant for both checking and savings but while the rate is great for checking, you can find better rates for savings elsewhere. 

Pros

• NBKC’s Everything Account earns a competitive yield for a checking account.
• The account is largely fee-free, coming without monthly, overdraft or non-sufficient fees.
• Customers get access to early direct deposit, up to two days before your scheduled paycheck.

Cons

• NBKC customers don’t have access to Zelle.

SoFi Bank offers a combined Checking and Savings account. There’s no monthly fee on the account or balance minimum, and it comes with early direct deposit.

Many other fees are waived for the combined account, including overdraft fees.

Both the checking and savings balances earn competitive yields, though you need to set up direct deposit to earn the high savings rate. The other way to earn the high savings rate is to have general deposits totaling more than $5,000 per month.

As of this writing, SoFi also offers a cash bonus to new customers of $50 or $300, depending on how much is directly deposited into your account within 25 days. 

Pros

• The Checking and Savings account doesn’t charge monthly maintenance fees or overdraft fees.
• Both checking and savings balances earn a competitive rate.

Cons

• To earn the high savings APY, you need to have substantial deposits into the account ($5,000 or more) or set up direct deposit.

Early direct deposit is a handy and low-effort perk to take advantage of: As long as your checking account offers this feature, you’ll get your direct deposits early.

— Yuliya Goldshteyn, deposits editor, Bankrate

What is direct deposit?

Direct deposit is a service in which checks are automatically deposited into consumers’ bank accounts. Enrolling in direct deposit typically requires the account holder to complete a form, either online, at a branch or at their employer (for payroll deposits).

Direct deposit works for certain payments only, such as your paycheck, federal and state tax refunds and Social Security or other government benefit payments. Just putting in a deposit in the bank, or a transfer, won’t be considered a “direct deposit.”

Usually, it can take a couple of days for direct deposit to process and appear in an account after payment has been initiated. With early direct deposit, however, the money becomes available as soon as it is sent to the bank, up to two days earlier than it typically takes.

Pros and cons of early direct deposit

Pros

• Getting your paycheck early to help cover bills or other expenses on time.
• Having your funds early can prevent you from incurring overdraft fees.
• Early direct deposit can also help you get a tax refund or other government-issued check faster in some cases.

Cons

• Early deposits may encourage consumers to spend their money faster, rather than practice saving habits.

How does early direct deposit work?

The sender of a direct deposit — such as an employer — submits information through the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. This is a system that makes electronic transfers between banks possible.

After the bank is alerted about the direct deposit submission, most banks hold onto the funds until the date specified by the sender. But banks that offer early direct deposit post the funds to the receiver’s account as soon as the bank gets the direct deposit files. These funds can be posted up to two days earlier than they would be without the early deposit.

Eligibility criteria for early direct deposit

Eligibility for early direct deposit generally depends on your bank or credit union. In most cases, you’ll need:

• An account that offers the feature (not all checking or savings accounts qualify).
• To be enrolled in direct deposit through your employer or benefits provider.
• A regular electronic deposit submitted through the ACH network.
• To meet the specific criteria, if any, required by the bank or credit union to obtain early direct deposit (e.g., meeting a minimum balance requirement or opting into eStatements).

Alternatives to early direct deposit

If you need faster access to your paycheck, but your bank doesn’t offer early direct deposit, there are a few alternatives to consider:

• Paycheck advance apps: Some financial apps let you access part of your paycheck ahead of payday. However, they may charge subscription fees or request voluntary tips, which can add up.
• Employer-based advances: Certain employers provide access to earned wages before payday. The catch is that availability depends on your workplace.
• Personal loans and credit cards: These may provide quick access to funds, but they come with interest rates. While you can avoid an interest charge with a credit card by paying the balance in full before interest accrues, personal loans accrue interest on a fixed rate based on the loan amount and term. 

Bottom line

Early direct deposit can be a great tool to help make payments on time and avoid relying on overdrafts or credit. If you’re looking for an account that specifically offers early direct deposit, make sure to consider other important factors such as fees charged, minimum balance requirements to open the account and whether you’re eligible for early direct deposit at all.

Frequently asked questions

• Does early direct deposit cost extra?
  

  No. Banks and credit unions that offer early direct deposit typically provide the service for free. There may be other account-related fees, but posting your paycheck early typically doesn’t come with an added charge.

   

• Is my money insured if I receive early direct deposit?
  

  Yes, funds deposited early are treated the same as any other deposit. If your account is at an FDIC-insured bank or an NCUA-insured credit union, your money is covered up to the limit allowed by law.

   

• Do I have to ask for early direct deposit?
  

  It depends on the bank. Usually, you’ll receive your paycheck early if you are enrolled in direct deposit with a bank account that offers the early deposit feature. But you may need to opt-in to early direct deposit with some banks.

Research methodology

Bankrate researches over 100 banks and credit unions, including some of the largest financial institutions, online-only banks, regional banks and credit unions with both open and restrictive membership policies.

To find the best banks for early direct deposit, we looked at all the banks we research that offer this feature and chose the top ten highest-rated checking accounts from our highest-rated banks.

Only banks and credit unions with broadly available CDs made the list. Learn more about how we choose the best banking products and our methodology for reviewing banks.