What Is Savings Exchange? Helping Employees Break the Paycheck-to-Paycheck Cycle

Here's a statistic that should stop every HR and Finance leader in their tracks: roughly 63% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and the average worker can't cover a $400 emergency without going into debt. Meanwhile, that same employee might be sitting on thousands of dollars in unused PTO, or watching a portion of every paycheck disappear with nothing set aside for the unexpected.

Savings Exchange was built to close that gap. Not by asking employees to take on more debt, but by helping them save from money they've already earned.


What Is Savings Exchange?


Savings Exchange is a financial wellness platform that lets employees automatically direct a portion of their wages, or unused PTO, into a savings account they control. It integrates directly with payroll, HRIS, and existing benefit programs, so contributions happen automatically, no manual enrollment paperwork, no separate app employees have to remember to use.

Employees can access what they've saved quickly and without penalty when they need it, and adjust their contribution rate as their circumstances change. It's not a loan, and it's not an advance against future pay, it's their own money, saved and available on their terms.


How It Works



Seamless integration. Savings Exchange connects with your existing payroll and HRIS systems, enabling automatic enrollment (with the option to opt out) so participation stays high without added HR overhead.

Flexible contributions and withdrawals. Employees set their own savings rate and can withdraw funds as circumstances change, supporting both short-term needs and long-term goals in the same account.

Employer matching and incentives. Employers can offer matching contributions or reward tokens to encourage saving habits, fully aligned with SECURE 2.0 provisions.

Fast, flexible transfers. Employees can move funds via ACH, push-to-card, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or wire, whatever gets money where it's needed, fast.


Built for SECURE 2.0 Compliance



The SECURE 2.0 Act opened the door for employers to support emergency savings alongside retirement accounts, including matching contributions tied to savings and student loan payments. Savings Exchange is built around that framework from the ground up, so employers can offer real financial wellness support without creating new compliance risk. It also integrates with existing 401(k) and student loan programs, so employees aren't forced to choose between saving for next month and saving for retirement, they can do both.


Why It Matters for Employers

Financial stress doesn't stay home when employees clock in, it follows them, and it shows up in productivity, engagement, and turnover. Giving employees a compliant, low-friction way to build savings directly from payroll (or from PTO they've already earned) is one of the most direct ways to reduce that stress without adding a new line item to the benefits budget. It's a tool that helps employees move away from credit cards and payday loans for life's inevitable surprises, and toward a habit of saving that compounds over time.

 

See the platform in action and understand how PTO Exchange can work for your business here!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Savings Exchange? Savings Exchange is a workplace savings platform that lets employees automatically set aside a portion of wages or unused PTO into an accessible savings account, integrated directly with payroll and HR systems.

Is Savings Exchange the same as a loan or wage advance? No. Employees are saving and accessing their own funds, there's no borrowing, no interest, and no debt created.

Does Savings Exchange comply with SECURE 2.0? Yes. The platform is built to align with SECURE 2.0 provisions, including support for employer matching to both savings and student loan payments.

Can employers offer matching contributions? Yes. Employers can offer matching dollars or reward tokens to encourage participation, based on policies they design.

 

Ready to help your employees build real financial stability? See how Savings Exchange works for your organization →