To switch your direct deposit to another bank, get your new routing and account numbers from the new bank, give them to your employer through its payroll portal or on a direct deposit authorization form, and leave your old account open until a full paycheck has cleared in the new one. The whole changeover usually takes one to two pay cycles, and the timing of your submission within the cycle is what decides whether you wait one or two.
What You Need From the New Bank
Two numbers do the work: a nine-digit routing number that identifies your bank within the ACH network, and your account number.1American Bankers Association. ABA Routing Number You can pull both from the bottom of a personal check (routing first, then account), from the account details screen in online or mobile banking, or from a pre-filled direct deposit form your bank provides.
Copy the digits straight from your banking records rather than typing from memory. One wrong digit can route your pay to the wrong account or bounce the transfer back. Most employers also want proof the account exists, usually a voided check or a bank-issued direct deposit verification letter. If your new bank doesn’t issue paper checks, request the letter through its website or at a branch.
Submit the Change to Your Employer
Employers handle direct deposit changes one of two ways. Many use a self-service payroll portal, such as ADP, Gusto, or Workday, where you log in, open the payment or direct deposit section, and enter the new bank details yourself. The portal may ask you to upload a voided check or verification letter.
If your employer uses paper, you’ll complete a Direct Deposit Authorization form listing your full legal name, the bank’s name, the routing number, the account number, and whether the account is checking or savings. Submit it through whatever channel payroll specifies: hand-delivered, through an internal HR system, or through encrypted email. Don’t send banking details over regular email, and never put an account number in a subject line.
You pick the bank. Federal rules bar an employer or financial institution from requiring you to open an account at a specific bank as a condition of employment.2eCFR. 12 CFR Part 1005 – Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E) Some states additionally require employers to offer a paper check option if you decline direct deposit.
When to Submit It
Payroll departments lock in banking details several days before payday. Submit too close to the next pay date and your deposit will go to the old bank for one more cycle. The safer window is right after a payday, which gives payroll a full cycle to process the change. Aim for at least a week before the next scheduled deposit.
Keep the Data Secure
Your routing and account numbers are sensitive. If you’re entering them in a portal, confirm the URL starts with “https.” If you have to send a document, ask whether your company has an encrypted email system or a secure file-sharing tool, and use it.
How Long Until the Money Actually Moves
Plan on one to two full pay cycles. The ACH network itself settles transfers in one to two business days; the lag comes from payroll processing. Payroll systems batch payment instructions days before the pay date, so a mid-cycle change often can’t take effect until the following period.
Some employers run a small test deposit of a few cents to verify the new account before routing your full paycheck there. If that happens, watch for the amount in your new account and confirm it with payroll if asked. The verification step adds a few days.
Holidays Can Shift Your Pay Date
The ACH network doesn’t process on federal bank holidays. The Federal Reserve publishes a yearly schedule showing when ACH processing pauses and resumes.3Federal Reserve Financial Services. Holiday Schedules If your payday falls on or near one of those dates, your deposit may arrive a day early (if the employer sends funds ahead of the holiday) or a day late (if the payment clears after processing resumes). Keep this in mind when you time your switch, since a holiday adjacent to your first expected deposit at the new bank can make a successful transfer look like a failed one.
Verify the Switch Before You Close the Old Account
On the first payday after you submit the change, open both accounts. Your pay stub should show the last few digits of the receiving account and the bank name. Match those against your new account. If the money still landed at the old bank, the change hasn’t taken effect yet; call payroll and confirm they have your updated information on file.
Do not close the old account until at least one full paycheck has cleared in the new one. If the payroll system still has the old account on file and you’ve already closed it, the deposit comes back with an “account closed” code. The bank usually returns the funds within two business days, but your employer then has to reissue payment by paper check or a corrected electronic transfer, and you lose access to that pay in the meantime.
Move Your Autopays Before You Close the Old Account
Switching your paycheck is only half of the job. Any automatic payments pulling from the old checking account will fail once the account is closed or empty, which can trigger late fees, service interruptions, and in some cases negative marks on your credit report.4FDIC. Thinking About Moving to Another Bank?
Before you touch the old account, list every automatic payment or withdrawal tied to it. The common ones:
- Loan payments: mortgage, auto, student, personal
- Insurance premiums: health, auto, renters, homeowners
- Utilities: electric, gas, water, internet, phone
- Subscriptions: streaming, gym, software
- Credit card autopay drawing from your bank account
- Automatic transfers to savings or investment accounts
Update each one with the new routing and account numbers. If you used your old bank’s online bill-pay feature, cancel those scheduled payments there and set them up again at the new bank.4FDIC. Thinking About Moving to Another Bank? Leave enough money in the old account to cover anything that hasn’t finished switching, and watch both accounts closely until the autopays settle at the new bank.
Splitting Your Paycheck Across Accounts
While you’re updating your direct deposit, you may be able to split your pay between accounts. Many payroll systems let you send a fixed dollar amount or a percentage to a separate savings or investment account, with the balance going to checking.5Nacha. Split Deposit For example, $200 (or 10% of gross) to savings, the rest to checking. Designate one account as the “remainder” or “balance” account so you don’t have to recalculate when your pay changes. The number of accounts you can split between depends on the payroll system; check your portal or ask HR.
If You Receive Federal Benefits
Federal benefits don’t run through your employer, so the steps above don’t apply. Nearly all federal benefit payments are required to be electronic, with paper checks available only in limited hardship situations.6eCFR. 31 CFR Part 208 – Management of Federal Agency Disbursements Each agency has its own channel.
Social Security and SSI
Update banking information online through your my Social Security account at ssa.gov, which is the fastest route. You can also call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or visit a local office in person.7Social Security Administration. Update Direct Deposit Have your new routing and account numbers ready.
VA Benefits
For disability compensation, pension, or education benefits, sign in to your VA.gov profile with a verified Login.gov or ID.me account and update the deposit information there.8Veterans Affairs. Change Your Direct Deposit Information Without internet access, submit a paper Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (SF-1199A) instead.9General Services Administration. Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form
Railroad Retirement, OPM, and Others
Railroad Retirement and Civil Service (OPM) payments can be updated through the U.S. Treasury’s Electronic Payment Solution Center or the Go Direct program, which also handles most other federal benefit payments.10Go Direct. FAQ Representative payees managing benefits for someone else are also required to move any remaining paper payments to electronic delivery.
If You’re Self-Employed or a Contractor
With no HR department in the picture, you update your bank information directly with each client or payment platform. Clients using payroll software with a contractor portal usually let you change your banking details yourself. For clients paying through PayPal, Stripe, or a similar processor, update the linked bank account in the platform’s settings.
If a client pays you by ACH outside any portal, send the updated routing and account numbers through a secure channel and confirm the change before the next scheduled payment. The same rule holds: keep the old account open until at least one payment has arrived in the new one.