What is Direct Deposit?
Direct deposit is the electronic transfer of your pay to your checking or savings account at the financial institution (bank, credit union, or savings and loan) of your choice or to a U.S. Bank Focus Card. You can deposit fixed dollar amounts to up to eight accounts (including the Focus Card) and your entire net pay to your account or a Focus Card. Over 80% of state employees currently use direct deposit.
The Advantages of Direct Deposit
- It saves time by giving you easy access to your pay without waiting in line to cash or deposit a check.
- You will receive your pay on payday, even if you are away from the office. Banks are required to credit your account by the beginning of the workday on payday. The funds are available to you immediately.
- If you deposit your pay directly into an account, the financial institution may reduce or eliminate service charges.
- Direct deposits are not lost, destroyed, or stolen like paper checks or cash.
- The state saves money when employees use direct deposit or the Focus Card. We pay less for printing pay stubs and banking direct deposits than we do for paper checks.
U.S. Bank Focus Cards
State employees have the opportunity to load all or a portion of their pay directly to an electronic payment card: The U.S. Bank Focus Card. You do not need a bank account to have your pay loaded to a card. It’s not a credit card.
Each pay period, the payroll application (OSPA) initiates an electronic funds transfer to load your pay to your card. No more waiting in line to get your check cashed or paying expensive check-cashing fees. Over a million businesses worldwide accept the Focus Mastercards.
Need cash? You’ll receive unlimited no fee cash withdrawals at U.S. Bank/Money Pass ATM's. You can also receive cash back with your purchase from many merchants, like supermarkets, without a fee.
Already have direct deposit to a bank account? No problem. You can still choose to load a portion of your pay to an Focus Card. It’s a great way to keep cash for holidays, vacations, birthdays, and day-to-day expenses separate from the rest of your money.
Start enjoying electronic payments today! Fill out and print the Pay Card Authorization Turn it in to your agency’s main Payroll Office. Once your card arrives in the mail, simply call the number on the back of your card to activate it. The next payday after you receive your card, you’ll have immediate access to your funds on payday.
The Focus Card is issued by U.S. Bank National Association pursuant to a license from Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. (c)2022 U.S. Bank. Member FDIC.