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Paper checks are a pain — you have to print them, sign them, distribute them, and then employees have to deposit them. Someone always loses one. Direct deposit gets money into bank accounts automatically on pay day. No paper, no trips to the bank, no “my check got lost in the mail.”

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Setting up direct deposit

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Your company funding account

First, we need a bank account to pull payroll funds from:
1

Add your bank account

Go to Settings → Payroll → Bank Account and enter your business checking details.
2

Verify ownership

We’ll send two small deposits (under $1) to confirm you control the account. Log into your bank, find the amounts, and enter them in Pluvel.
3

Done

Your account is ready to fund payroll.
Verification takes 1-2 business days. Plan ahead before your first payroll.

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Employee bank accounts

Each employee needs their bank info on file:
1

Open their profile

Go to Payroll → Employees and select the employee.
2

Enter bank details

  • Bank name
  • Routing number (9 digits)
  • Account number
  • Account type (checking or savings)
3

Optional: verify with micro-deposits

Send a test deposit to catch typos before real money moves.
Employees can also add their own bank info through self-service if you’ve enabled it.

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Split deposits

Employees can send their paycheck to multiple accounts — great for auto-saving:
ExampleHow it works
80% / 20%80% to checking, 20% to savings
$500 / remainder$500 to savings, whatever’s left to checking
200/200 / 300 / rest200tosavings,200 to savings, 300 to vacation fund, rest to checking

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Setting up splits

  1. Open the employee’s profile
  2. Go to direct deposit
  3. Add primary account
  4. Click Add Split
  5. Add secondary account(s)
  6. Set amounts or percentages
Up to 3 accounts total. Employees can also set this up through self-service.

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Processing timeline

WhenWhat happens
You submit payrollPayroll is locked in
2 business days before pay dayWe debit your bank account
Pay day morningMoney lands in employee accounts
The 2-day lead time is an ACH network requirement, not something we control. Plan your submissions accordingly.

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Same-day ACH

Need to pay someone today? Same-day ACH is available:
  • Submit by morning cutoff (usually 10am PT)
  • Funds arrive same business day
  • Small additional fee per deposit
Useful for bonus payments, final paychecks, or “oops we forgot to add them to payroll” situations.

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Failed deposits

Sometimes deposits fail:
ReasonWhat happenedWhat to do
Invalid accountTypo in account/routing numberGet correct info, reprocess
Closed accountEmployee closed the accountGet new account, reprocess
Bank rejectionVarious reasonsContact the employee’s bank
You’ll be notified immediately. The employee will need a paper check or reprocessed deposit.

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Prenote verification

Optional but recommended for new accounts:
  1. We send a $0 test transaction
  2. Verifies the routing/account numbers are real
  3. Catches errors before real money moves
Takes 3-5 business days. Worth it to avoid failed deposits on the employee’s first payday.

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Security

Moving money requires serious security:
ProtectionHow it works
EncryptionBank numbers encrypted at rest and in transit
TokenizationFull numbers never stored in plain text
VerificationMulti-step process to add new accounts
Audit trailEvery change logged with who/when
NotificationsEmployees notified when their bank info changes

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Employee self-service

Let employees manage their own bank info:
  1. Enable in Settings → Self-Service
  2. Employees log into their portal
  3. They add or update accounts
  4. Changes take effect next payroll
You don’t need to be in the loop for routine updates.
Be cautious if an employee requests a bank change right before payday, especially via email. Payroll redirect fraud is real. Verify unusual requests through a phone call or in person.

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International payments

For employees outside the US:
  • Wire transfers available
  • Currency conversion included
  • Additional fees and longer timelines
Not as seamless as domestic ACH, but it works.

Run payroll

Everything’s set up — now run your first payroll.