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Early Pay

Early Pay

Get paid up to 2 days early.*

Early Pay gives you free access to your paycheck or qualifying direct deposit up to two days early, helping you stay on top of bills and handle unexpected expenses. Just set up direct deposit for your payroll or government benefit in a qualifying First Merchants account and, if the payment is eligible, you’ll get paid early!

Get paid early. Worry less. Take care of bills, handle life’s surprises, and breathe easier. Here’s how Early Pay works:


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It’s Free

There are no costs or fees for Early Pay. Just money straight into your account – up to 2 days early.

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It’s Not a Loan

Unlike payday loans or cash advances, Early Pay is free. You don’t have to worry about interest or repayment.

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It’s Automatic

"No need to sign up, opt in, or fill out forms. If your payroll qualifies, Early Pay automatically delivers your paycheck up to two business days early.

Want to know when your account gets a deposit? Just set up an alert for deposits in your First Merchants app, and we’ll let you know the moment money hits your account. It’s easy to set up: Just tap More > Settings > Alert Settings > Tap New Alert and then select History Alert on your account for credit transactions.

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*Terms and conditions apply. Early Pay is a free service that First Merchants Bank offers at its discretion. We can’t guarantee you’ll always get your paycheck early—it depends on how and when your employer sends us your direct deposit. Not all employers send deposits early or label them in a way that qualifies for Early Pay. If your deposit doesn’t meet the criteria, it will arrive on your regular payday.

FAQs


Early Pay depends on your employer. If they submit payroll direct deposits later than usual or label them differently, you will receive your deposit at the regular time.
You can easily update your direct deposit with First Merchants Direct Deposit Switch service. If your new employer’s direct deposit qualifies, you will get Early Pay.
Early Pay is a free service for First Merchants qualifying checking accounts. If your employer sends your paycheck early and labels it correctly, you could get paid up to two days sooner. It’s not a loan or credit—just faster processing.
If the direct deposit qualifies, you’ll get Early Pay automatically—no need to sign up!
If you have deposit alerts turned on for your qualifying First Merchants checking account, you’ll receive a notification of an Early Pay deposit—just like any other deposit. You can set up deposit alerts in your mobile app!
It depends on your employer and your account type. Once you set up direct deposit to a qualifying account, it may take up to 90 days for you to start seeing early deposits.
Early Pay is built into qualifying accounts, much like some of our other great benefits. If your deposit qualifies, you will see it early.
If your direct deposit has been active for at least 90 days, this could mean that your employer isn’t submitting your direct deposit information before your payday or meeting the labeling requirements. In this case, Early Pay won’t apply.
Recurring direct deposits to a qualifying checking  account that are submitted early and labeled correctly qualify for Early Pay. It all depends on how and when your employer sends the deposit.
Currently, Elite Checking Accounts are eligible for Early Pay. We expect to expand this feature to other checking account types in the future.
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