Meet Your Money’s Superpowers: Direct Deposit & Direct Payment!

What if your money could fly straight into your bank or credit union account, or you could direct your bills to be paid all by themselves? Good news—you can! Let’s meet two money superheroes, Direct Deposit (it also has a special power called Split Deposit) and Direct Payment.
Direct Deposit logo
Direct Deposit: The Fast Way to Get Paid

Direct Deposit is like a money delivery service that never sleeps. Instead of getting a paper check, your money goes straight into your bank or credit union account, or mobile wallet. No waiting. No trips to your financial institution. Just boom—it’s there!

Why It’s Awesome:

✅ Fast – You get your money on time, every time.

✅ Safe – No lost checks or stolen cash.

✅ Easy – Works with your bank account to help you budget.

It’s the way 92% of workers get paid. Even 99% of people on Social Security and 97% of veterans use it. That’s a lot of happy people!

How People Use Direct Deposit. From receiving payroll, government benefits, business and personal reimbursements, and tax refunds, meet Americans using Direct Deposit. Visit: Direct Deposit.

Direct Deposit’s Special Power: Split Deposit

Want to save money without even thinking about it? Split Deposit has its own superpowers and works alongside your superhero, Direct Deposit. 

With Split Deposit, you can tell your employer to send a fixed amount or percentage of your pay to a savings or investment account—and the rest to your regular account. 

Here’s how it works: 

💵 Put $50 into savings, and the rest into checking. 

📈 Or send 5% to savings, 2% to investments, and 93% to your main account. 

It’s automatic, easy, and super smart. 

If you save just $10 a week, you’ll have $520 saved in a year—without lifting a finger! 

Why It Rocks: 

🧠 Automatic – Set it and forget it. 

🎯 Goal-Friendly – Save for a trip, a new phone, or your future. 

🔒 Reliable – Your money goes where you want, every time. 

Direct Payment: The Bill-Paying Hero

Direct Payment is like a robot helper that pays your bills for you. It’s also called eCheck, bank transfer, autopay or EFT (that stands for electronic funds transfer). 

You can use it to pay for: 

  • Utilities, rent/mortgage or credit card bills.  
  • Student and car loans.  
  • Donations to your favorite causes. 
  • Subscription and streaming services, membership dues.  
  • Account replenishment for apps, tolls/transit. 
  • Insurance premiums or tax payments. 

Most Americans use Direct Payment to pay an average of six bills a month, totaling more than 40% of their total bill payments. 

Why It’s Great: 

🕒 On Time – No more late fees! 

🔒 Secure – Your info stays safe. 

🧠 Simple – Set it up once, and you’re done! 

Learn how people Use Direct Payment. Meet Americans who are using and benefitting from Direct Payment. Visit: Direct Payment.  

Who Makes It All Work? Meet Nacha!

You might be wondering: Who makes sure all this money-moving magic works safely and smoothly? That’s where Nacha comes in! 

Nacha governs the ACH Network—the backbone of the U.S. financial system, which benefits consumers, businesses and government agencies by moving money electronically from any U.S. bank or credit union account to another.  

Nacha writes the Rules that financial institutions follow to make sure your money gets where it’s supposed to go—safely, quickly, and correctly. ACH payments (Direct Deposit and Direct Payments) can be made and received in just a few hours on the same business day—or a day or two, depending on how fast the sender wants it to go. 

The Critical Role of ACH Operators. There are two ACH Operators (Federal Reserve and The Clearing House) that sorted more than 33 billion payments valued at more than $86 trillion dollars in 2024 alone. The ACH Operators are fully interoperable and responsible for getting all those payments to the correct destination.  

Want to Learn More? Visit How ACH Payments Work. 

Got Questions About Your Direct Deposit or Direct Payment?

Here are some quick answers: 

  • Where’s your money? If your Direct Deposit didn’t show up, call the company or government agency that sent it. They are in the best position to locate the payment. 
  • Don’t know the company that debited your account or you didn’t authorize the payment? Contact your bank or credit union to report this. Do this soon, as there is limited time to report unauthorized transactions.  
Want to Learn More?

Whether you’re a student, worker or retiree, Direct Deposits and Direct Payments make life easier. They’re safe, smart, and super convenient.