Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/research-trends/rellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5/ --- description: Rellevate's June 2021 commissioned research examined household cash shortfalls and the potential role of properly priced earned wage access. title: Rellevate study assesses earned wage access for nearly 100 million US workers image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/rellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-nearly-100-million-us-workers-46aabc02f4ecfccdf64cc5b198bf53a6.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) # Rellevate study assesses earned wage access for nearly 100 million US workers Rellevate's June 2021 commissioned research examined household cash shortfalls and the potential role of properly priced earned wage access. By [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) June 2, 2021 2 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Frellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Rellevate%20study%20assesses%20earned%20wage%20access%20for%20nearly%20100%20million%20US%20workers "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Frellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Rellevate%20study%20assesses%20earned%20wage%20access%20for%20nearly%20100%20million%20US%20workers%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Frellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Rellevate source artwork accompanying rellevate study assesses earned wage access for nearly 100 million US workers](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/rellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-nearly-100-million-us-workers-source-w1200.webp) Photo: Source: rellevate.com Research commissioned by [Rellevate](https://giftcard.news/company/rellevate/) estimated that nearly 100 million US workers could benefit from access to earned wages between paydays. Announced on June 2, 2021, the report examined the gap between household income and expenses and the possible role of earned wage access in addressing short-term financial pressure. Economist [William M. Rodgers III](https://giftcard.news/person/william-m-rodgers-iii/) conducted the analysis, published as Bridging the Gap. The findings described financial strain among low- and moderate-income families even before the COVID-19 pandemic, including difficulty meeting regular expenses and absorbing unexpected costs. The estimate concerned potential beneficiaries of earned wage access, rather than the number enrolled in Rellevate's service. Rodgers argued that access to already-earned money could help workers meet expenses arising before their next payday. He also qualified that assessment: programs needed appropriate pricing, design and monitoring of consumer rights. He did not present earned wage access as a complete solution to household financial insecurity. Rellevate chairman and chief executive [Stewart Stockdale](https://giftcard.news/person/stewart-stockdale/) said the research informed the company's employer-based financial services. Its Digital Account included Pay Any-Day, an earned wage access feature, alongside Bill Pay, Money Send and a Visa debit card. Gift and incentive cards were also part of the broader company offering. In the June 2021 announcement, Rellevate said the platform was available at no charge to employers and described the account as having no monthly subscription fee, credit check or minimum balance. [Sutton Bank](https://giftcard.news/company/sutton-bank/) was identified as the banking services provider and the issuer of the Visa debit card under a licence from [Visa U.S.A. Inc.](https://giftcard.news/company/visa-u-s-a-inc/) Rodgers was then a professor of public policy and chief economist at Rutgers University's Heldrich Center for Workforce Development. He had previously served as chief economist at the US Department of Labor. The report was commissioned by a provider of earned wage access, making that commercial context relevant to its interpretation. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [Rellevate Commissions Study on the Impact of Earned Wage Access on Financial Wellness](https://rellevate.com/news/rellevate-commissions-study-on-the-impact-of-earned-wage-access-on-financial-wellness/?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — Rellevate ## In this article ### Companies * [Rellevate](https://giftcard.news/company/rellevate/) * [Sutton Bank](https://giftcard.news/company/sutton-bank/) * [Visa U.S.A. Inc.](https://giftcard.news/company/visa-u-s-a-inc/) ### People * [Stewart Stockdale](https://giftcard.news/person/stewart-stockdale/) * [William M. Rodgers III](https://giftcard.news/person/william-m-rodgers-iii/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Frellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Rellevate%20study%20assesses%20earned%20wage%20access%20for%20nearly%20100%20million%20US%20workers "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Frellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Rellevate%20study%20assesses%20earned%20wage%20access%20for%20nearly%20100%20million%20US%20workers%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fresearch-trends%2Frellevate-study-assesses-earned-wage-access-for-nearly-100-million-us-946145cafbe5%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/emma-carter-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Emma Carter](https://giftcard.news/author/emma-carter/) Journalist — Retail & E-commerce Emma Carter covers retail, e-commerce and the gift card shopping experience for Gift Card News. From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. [Find a provider ](https://giftcard.news/find-a-provider/) ## Related articles [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [MENA’s Digital Gift Card Markets: A Country-by-Country Research Atlas](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/mena-digital-gift-card-markets/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 18, 2026 66 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [India’s Digital Gift Card Market: Growth, Consumers and Regulation](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/india-digital-gift-card-market/) [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) September 18, 2026 30 min [Research & Trends](https://giftcard.news/research-trends/) Analysis ### [AI Can Shop for You. 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