Survey: Direct Deposit Leads the Way on Payday
Direct Deposit remained the clear choice for Americans on payday, a new survey found.
In its 2025 “Getting Paid in America” survey, PayrollOrg (formerly the American Payroll Association) found that nearly 92.7% of respondents said their wages come via Direct Deposit. That’s up from 91.9% in last year’s report.
Paper paychecks remained a distant second choice. Just 3.3% of those surveyed this year reported receiving a paper check, down 0.4% from 2024.
“Direct Deposit is safer, faster, and far more convenient than a paper check,” said Michael Herd, Nacha Executive Vice President, ACH Network Administration. “The federal government is in the process of phasing out the last of the paper checks it issues and moving toward fully electronic payments. Private employers should follow that lead.”
Other ways of receiving pay reported in this year’s survey include an online system such as PayPal or Venmo (1.8%) and prepaid reloadable cards and payroll cards (0.6% each).
Asked how difficult it would be to meet financial obligations if their wages were delayed a week, half of respondents said very difficult with another 28% saying somewhat difficult. Were such a delay to occur, 29% said they would turn to family, friends or savings, 26% would delay bill payments, and 25% would use credit cards.
“While Direct Deposit doesn’t experience delays, automating payroll savings by Direct Deposit can help with unexpected expenses,” Herd noted.
PayrollOrg said more than 25,900 people nationwide responded to its 2025 survey, which is available on its website.
