When payday rolls around, the overwhelming majority of Americans receive their money by Direct Deposit, new research found.

In PayrollOrg’s 2024 Getting Paid in America survey, nearly 92% of respondents said their wages come by Direct Deposit. Paper checks were a distant second at 3.7%, followed by online payment systems such as Venmo and PayPal at 1.7%. Payroll cards and prepaid reloadable cards were each cited by fewer than 1% of respondents. 

The importance of wages being delivered on time was underscored in a survey question that asked, “How difficult would it be to meet your current financial obligations if your next paycheck was delayed for a week?” Nearly half—49%—said very difficult, while another 28% said somewhat difficult. 

“When it comes to receiving pay in a safe, reliable and timely manner, Direct Deposit is the best choice,” said Michael Herd, Nacha Executive Vice President, ACH Network Administration. “There’s a good reason why more than nine out of 10 American workers use Direct Deposit: It works. In 2024, no one should be dealing with paper checks.”

Nacha’s specially dedicated website DirectDeposit.org features information on the benefits of receiving not only wages but other payments by Direct Deposit and includes numerous personal stories. 

PayrollOrg conducted the survey as part of its annual National Payroll Week, which was held earlier in September. 

Survey results may be downloaded as a PDF from the PayrollOrg website.