Instawork’s affiliate, Advantage Workforce Services, LLC (“AWS”) is launching a new program to enable Instapay for W-2 shifts.
This article describes how W-2 Instapay works in CA. For information on how W-2 Instapay works outside of CA, refer to this article.
Note: W-2 Instapay is not currently available for shifts worked in CO and CT.
How do I sign up for W-2 Instapay?
Eligible participants can sign up for W-2 Instapay by updating the Payment settings in the app. Here are the steps:
Go to Profile / Setting (gear icon on top of the app) / Payment settings.
In the Payment settings page, tap on the pencil to the right of W-2 shifts
Review and accept the AWS W-2 Instapay Terms & Conditions
Change your Payment settings frequency to Instapay.
After you have selected Instapay as your Payment frequency, you can just select a Payment account.
If you select Checking, your bank may take up to 3 business days after the end of your W-2 shift to make your W-2 Instapay available in your account
If you select Debit, your bank will generally make your earnings available in an hour. (Please note that you have to provide your Debit information for W-2 shifts even if you have already provided the information for 1099 shifts. We are asking this information again to ensure that we pay you correctly. You can use the same debit card for your 1099 and W-2 shifts.)
Note: At any time, if you don’t want the Instapay feature to be enabled for W-2 shifts, simply switch your W-2 payment frequency back to Weekly. There are no fees associated with obtaining your Weekly payments at the regularly set schedule.
How does W-2 Instapay work?
Make sure “Instapay” is selected in your payment settings for W-2 shifts.
After you clock out of a W-2 shift, go to the Earnings tab to review payment details and confirm you want a portion of your estimated earnings sent early via Instapay. If you do not select Instapay before your next shift starts, your earnings will be sent as part of your regular Weekly payment.
If your Payment settings are set to Debit, your bank will generally make your earnings available within an hour. If you choose Checking, it may take up to 3 business days after the shift for the funds to appear in your account.
Any remaining earnings will be processed and paid out at the end of the Weekly pay period.
How much does it Cost?
In CA, there is a separate $5 expedited delivery fee for Instapay for each payout. AWS will charge this $5 fee on the card you have on file each time you confirm Instapay at the end of each shift.
For example, if your W-2 shift estimated gross earnings are $200 and you choose Instapay, 60% of the earnings ($120) are accessible. We will send $120 to the account you selected.
Prior to and separate from sending you the $120, AWS will charge you a $5 fee.
The remaining 40% of your gross earnings will be paid in the next scheduled cycle.
How do I pay for the Expedited Fee?
If you want W-2 Instapay in California, you have to provide a payment method for the $5 fee.
You will be prompted to provide a valid card after you accept the AWS W-2 Instapay terms and conditions. The card can be any valid credit or debit card. It can be the same debit card that you use to receive payments.
You can update the payment method at any time by going to Profile>Settings (gear icon)>Payment settings>Settings (gear icon)>Payment method (used for Instapay).
Here’s what it looks like on the app:
When you choose W-2 Instapay for a given shift, you’ll see detailed information about the payment in the app:
As you can see on the above screen from an example shift, the total estimated gross earnings were $6.33, you can also see:
Instapay amount sent to your account (60% of estimated gross): $3.80
Remaining 40% of estimated gross earnings for the shift, which will be paid out in Weekly pay at the end of the pay period: $2.53
As part of this transaction, you may see a temporary hold of $0.50 on your account. The holds will typically disappear in no more than a few days.
You can find the receipt for each $5 fee in Earnings tab> Transaction history.
Here is an example of the receipt.
To change the card that you use to pay for the CA W-2 Instapay fee, you can go to Profile>Settings (gear icon)>Payment settings>Settings (gear icon)>Payment method (used for Instapay). You can use the same debit card that you use to receive your Instapay.