Ok, I’ve worked “white” in Sweden, Norway and Iceland and I have never recived a check in my hand, my salary has always been deposided directly into my bank account (and that’s even if I’ve bounced at a night-club).
So what I wonder is how many people (and where you’re at) still get a check that they themselves have to go to the bank with? My wonderings about this originated in this thread. 'Cause this couldn’t happen anywhere I know off.
(And since I’m thinking of moving countries this really interests me)
Both of my employers offer whatever the employee wants. Very few get checks, but some do. I’ve asked a couple of people, “Why the hell would you want an actual check?” and the answer has been that they can’t get accounts. I felt nosy and insensitive for asking after that.
But the only two guys I’ve ever met in Sweden (when I lived there) who couldn’t get accounts was one who’d hacced into SÄPO (swedish CIA/FBI) and one who managed to cheat an ATM (ans got caught)
When I was working, I used direct deposit. I was even in the first test group at our corporation to try it, because I knew one of the programmers and she got me in on it. Now, I get a check and take it to the bank to deposit it. Direct deposit is available and they’d prefer not to have to print and mail me a check, but the paperwork involved in setting it up was such a pain, that I told them to forget it. It’s not a hassle to go to the bank; I drive past it on the way to the grocery store anyway.
'Cause I (for 3 months more) get a text whenever my pay has been deposited into my account. It can’t be any easier, right? Or do you have to pay extra for direct deposit? (I’m willing to settle for hassle)
I used direct deposit, and it was nice to know that my money was in the bank when I got up every other Friday.
I say used because, as of September 8th of this year, my company suddenly announced that they would no longer participate in direct deposit “until further notice”. They won’t even mail the checks-instead, they hand them out to all personnel at the main office. After 5:30pm on Friday.
I’m thinking they are hoping that a large number of employees won’t be able to deposit their checks until Monday, giving them time to get their financial shit together.
Sorry, I keep forgetting that my location field died when I dropped down to guest status. I’m in Missouri, about 50 miles from the St. Louis riverfront. No, I wouldn’t pay anything extra for direct deposit.
My company strongly encourage all employees to get direct deposit and we don’t get a paper paycheck stub. (I can go onto the corporate website and get the numbers so I can enter them into Quicken.) And I can’t imagine that anyone would charge for direct deposit. In fact, most banks will give you free checking if you direct deposit your paycheck.
I was doing a lot of consulting over the past couple years for small firms, where I had to bill by the hour, and so I always got a paper (handwritten) check for whatever I billed.
Now that I’m full-timing again, direct-deposit all the way.
I’ve used direct deposit in every instance where it’s been available. At my current job, switching accounts or splitting my check is as simple as logging on and entering the account info. Changes are processed immediately-- if I change my account info Thursday afternoon, it’s updated by the time my paycheck is available Friday morning. Convenient is an understatement.
A friend of mine gets paper checks, when she gets checks. She’s a server and the vast majority of her income is in tips. A few months ago, I asked her why she doesn’t do direct deposit. Her response was that she has to fill out about 3 forms to get it started, and bring in a copy of a check. Too much to do for the occasional times she is actually issued a check.
I have a small company and I had to do physical checks for the past 7 years because direct deposit was way too expensive for us, for just 3 people. Now we’re able to get it through Quickbooks Payroll Services, but it costs $299/year for that plus $3.16 every time I run payroll.
My bank is kind of far and out of the way, and we get paid weekly, so when gas prices went up I decided it actually saved ME money to do direct deposit.
From what I’ve seen while exploring direct deposit options, it can be expensive for a company. There is probably a “sweet spot” where it gets cheaper as you add more employees but the fewer you have the more expensive it is.
The office manager at my last employer told me that the partners wouldn’t do direct deposit because if they did it through their payroll company, it meant they had to have all the cash on hand to meet payroll 3 days earlier than they would otherwise. Later I discovered the firm was having financial problems (which is part of why I’m not there anymore - my boss quit and jumped ship for another firm, and took me and the entire immigration practice with him).
Oddly, if you weren’t going to be in the office on payday for some reason, they were glad to have the mailroom guy go to your bank and deposit your check in your account for you.
I get direct deposit and can’t imagine it any other way. My friend got checks because he worked far away from his house and preferred to have a bank close to his job. I know a few people who like to get checks so they can go to the bank of their employer and cash the check right away.
The last two jobs I’ve had ONLY offered direct deposit for paychecks. I’ve had it for so long, I can’t imagine having it any other way. My money available immediately on payday, already in my checking account, versus getting a physical check from my employer, finding the time to go by the bank, fighting traffic to the bank, filling out a deposit slip, waiting in line…agh. Why go through that?
U.S. Definitely direct deposit, especially nice since even when I’m traveling the money goes in. We don’t get paper anymore either, but we have an app that lets us look at our paystubs back for years.
My wife is a freelance writer, and some of the companies she works for a lot do direct deposit also.
Yeah, usually the ones who need the cash so they can get a start drinking it away on a friday night, thus insuring they’ll be desperately broke again, come next payday.
Direct deposit all the way for me. My bank changed their account-numbering system years ago and I still can’t remember my new ones to save my life.