Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 4, 2026

EarnIn

EarnIn is an earnings management company that provides earned wage access services and other financial and payroll-related services.

Last revised
Jun 4, 2026
Read time
≈ 7 min
Length
1,514 w
Citations
49
Source
Wikipedia ↗
EarnIn
FormerlyActiveHours
Industry
Founded2013 (2013)
FounderRam Palaniappan (CEO)
HeadquartersPalo Alto, California
Area served
North America
ServicesEarned wage access, Payroll, Credit report monitoring, Bank account
Number of employees
200+ (2021)
Websitewww.earnin.com

EarnIn is an earnings management company that provides earned wage access services and other financial and payroll-related services.12

Founded by Ram Palaniappan in 2013 as Activehours, the company launched its app in May 2014 to provide earned wage access services, and has since expanded to include services including free credit monitoring, balance alerts, bill reminders, savings features, and payroll.34512

History

Earnin was founded by Ram Palaniappan in 2013.65 Palaniappan, who helped launch RushCard, wanted to help people unlock their earned wages.4 EarnIn operates in the earned-wage access (EWA) industry, providing workers with on-demand access to wages they have already earned, but would otherwise wait to receive on payday.7 The service is not a loan, because the money is already earned and there is no interest charge or mandatory fee in many cases.8 By providing pay-earlier access, EarnIn addresses the cash-flow gaps and timing mismatches that some hourly workers experience, and reduces reliance on credit cards, payday loans, or overdrafts.7

After a member's scheduled wages are deposited in their bank account by their employer, the company automatically withdraws the wages and the tip.91101112 EarnIn uses a "zero integration" B2B model, which allows companies to use EarnIn without integrating it into their payroll system.13

After a year of development, Earnin launched its app in May 2014. At launch, the company was handling transactions for employees at 100 different companies; a few months later, this increased to 250 employers including Best Buy, Starbucks, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.41014

Originally known as Activehours, the company rebranded to Earnin in November 2017.14

In 2017 and 2018, Earnin raised $164 million across two rounds of fundraising, with venture capital firm A16z participating in both rounds.15

In January 2023, the company rebranded from Earnin to EarnIn.16

In September 2023, EarnIn abolished $22 million in medical debt in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and San Antonio.17 In 2024, EarnIn furthered its debt relief efforts by partnering with Forgive Co. Together, the two forgave over $10 million in debt held by those living in metro Atlanta.18

In May 2024 EarnIn created a $50,000 fund to help cover overdraft charges incurred by its previous customers in the state of Connecticut.1920

In 2018, Andreessen Horowitz was among the investors backing EarnIn as part of the company's growth-stage funding rounds.21

Over time, EarnIn expanded its platform beyond earned wage access to include additional financial tools and payroll-related services. These include overdraft alters, paycheck advance features, credit monitoring, savings tools, and employer payroll software. The company has also introduced products including Balance Shield, Cash Out, Early Pay, Tip Yourself, and EarnIn Payroll.122223242526 Tip Yourself money is held at Evolve Bank & Trust and is FDIC insured.27

EarnIn's Payroll is a payroll software platform that integrates payroll processing with HR, time and attendance, benefits, and employee self-service functions.28

In March 2026, EarnIn's Live Pay had processed over one million transactions since its 2015 launch.29

In April 2019, the New York State Department of Financial Services investigated whether the company's "tipping" system skirted New York State lending laws regulating payday lending.301 An article in the New York Post said that members who do not leave tips may have their monthly maximum restricted, which may trigger interest rate disclosure laws.31 New York State subpoenaed information from the company, including a calculation of annual percentage rates if tips were measured as fees or interest.1

In November 2024, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against EarnIn, alleging that the company deceptively marketed its earned wage advance services.32 The case was dismissed after determining that EarnIn's advances were not loans.33

In March 2021, a federal court granted final approval of a $12.5 million settlement in a class action lawsuit against EarnIn, in which plaintiffs claimed that the company’s practices led to overdraft fees on their bank accounts.34

In August 2024, a class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against EarnIn. The plaintiffs alleged that the company's optional fees and tips constituted hidden interest payments, violating Georgia's Payday Loan Act and the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The complaint highlighted that EarnIn's fees and tips led to APRs averaging 284%.35

In 2024, a wrongful termination lawsuit was filed in Vermont Civil Court by a former EarnIn employee alleging retaliation after reporting months of harassment and threats by users of the platform.36 The suit remains active as of early 2025.

In 2024, another employment-related lawsuit (Castro v. Activehours, Inc.) was filed in California state court, alleging wrongful termination after bringing concerns over data leaks and security and privacy.37 The suit remains active as of early 2025.

References

References

  1. Crosman, Penny (2019-04-03). "A payday lender in disguise? New York investigates the Earnin app". American Banker. Archived from the original on 2025-08-23. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  2. Rubin, Ben Fox. "You can hire this startup -- for free -- to negotiate down your medical bills". CNET. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  3. Debter, Lauren. "Want To Cash In On Your Paycheck Before Payday? There's An App For That". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. Lapowsky, Issie (2015-08-05). "The Next Big Thing You Missed: Startup Offers Payday Advances Without the Pesky Loan-Sharking". Wired. Archived from the original on 2014-08-27. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  5. Carrns, Ann (2014-05-22). "Getting Your Wages, Before Payday". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  6. Valle, Gaby Del (2019-05-22). "How a Silicon Valley startup is trying to rebrand payday loans". Vox. Archived from the original on 2019-05-31. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  7. Davis, Jonathan (15 August 2025). "The case for earned wage access". Payments Dive. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  8. DeMarco, Jacqueline (2019-07-08). "Earnin app review: Paycheck advances". Intuit Credit Karma. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  9. Manos, Matthew (24 November 2025). "How the Pay What You Want Model Can Work For You". www.bizjournals.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  10. Shieber, Jonathan (2017-09-21). "Activehours raises $39 million for its new take on cash advances". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2025-09-22. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  11. "The Rise of Digital Tipping — From Music to Your Own Paycheck". OZY. 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  12. Renzulli, Kerri Anne. "EarnIn App Review". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  13. Balogh, Shannen. "This startup has raised $190 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz to help workers get paid in between paychecks. Its head of B2B explains why it's introducing a 'zero integration' model". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  14. Clark, Kate (2018-12-20). "Earnin raises $125M to help workers track and cash out wages in real time". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 2025-08-23. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  15. Pearson, Jake (2025-11-05). "Tech Billionaire Marc Andreessen Bet Big on Trump. It's Paying Off for Silicon Valley". ProPublica. Archived from the original on 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  16. Gramatikova, Tsani (2023-02-21). "EarnIn Unveils a New Strategic Brand Identity That Highlights Its Mission To Alleviate Financial Anxiety". Smart Branding. Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  17. "EarnIn abolished $22 million in medical debt in Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Antonio". Employee Benefit News. 2023-11-16. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  18. Kanell, Michael E. "Company pays off debts of Atlantans in 'random acts of kindness'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved 2025-09-04.
  19. Haar, Dan. "Dan Haar: Finance firm banned from CT is giving away $50K to former customers as legislation fails". CT Insider. Archived from the original on 2025-06-30. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  20. Ragland, Jamil (2024-05-02). "Company That Advances Workers' Pay Offers Refund For Fees After Halting Service". CT News Junkie. Retrieved 2025-09-23.
  21. Clark, Kate (2018-12-20). "Earnin raises $125M as paycheck advance app continues rapid growth". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
  22. Valle, Gaby Del (2019-05-22). "How a Silicon Valley startup is trying to rebrand payday loans". Vox. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  23. Renzulli, Kerri Anne. "EarnIn App Review". Business Insider. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
  24. "Earnin Review: Pros, Cons, And Alternatives". 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2025-10-14.
  25. PYMNTS (2025-03-18). "EarnIn Debuts Early Pay For Faster Paycheck Access". PYMNTS.com. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  26. "EarnIn aims to fill gap left by banks, launches Early Pay". American Banker. 2025-03-21. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  27. "EarnIn App Review [2025]: Get Paid Faster". FinanceBuzz. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
  28. Limonta-Volkova, Ilona. "Why Are Earned Wage Access Companies Like EarnIn Moving Into Payroll?". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-12-10.
  29. Limonta-Volkova, Ilona. "EarnIn Hits One Million Live Pay Transactions As Real-Time Pay Moves From Novelty To Norm". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-05-29.
  30. Dugan, Kevin (2019-03-28). "Cash-advance app Earnin gets subpoenaed by NY regulator: source". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  31. Dugan, Kevin (2019-03-22). "Popular cash advance app Earnin operating in payday loan 'gray area,' critics claim". New York Post. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  32. "Activehours, which makes every day a payday, just raised $22 million in Series A funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  33. Kauflin, Jeff. "MoneyLion Accused Of Trapping Borrowers With Misleading Claims And Illegal Loans In Baltimore City Lawsuit". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  34. "Perks et al v. Activehours, Inc., No. 5:2019cv05543 - Document 63 (N.D. Cal. 2021)". Justia. March 25, 2021.
  35. Rosenblum, Taylor Gess, Carlin McCrory, Caleb Rosenberg, Jeremy (2024-08-22). "Class Action Alleging Usurious Fees and Tips Filed Against FinTech Provider of Earned Wage Access Services". Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor. Retrieved 2025-03-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. "Register of Actions". portal.vtcourts.gov. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  37. "Case 24STCV32469 Kelvin Evelio Castro Vs Activehours, Inc., Et Al. - Trellis: Legal Intelligence + Judicial Analytics". Trellis.Law. Retrieved 2025-03-31.