Embedded worker payments refer to payment capabilities (such as Same-day Pay, Paycards, Digital Wallets, Instant Pay) that are built inside a staffing or workforce management platform. Rather than requiring workers to login to a separate portal or system, the payment function is “embedded” into the workflow they already use for scheduling and time tracking. Instead of sending data out to a third-party payroll provider, staffing companies can run compliant pay, taxes, and filings through your platform. This makes you not just a workforce management tool, but a complete employment infrastructure platform that supports both the staffing company and its workers.

Embedding worker payments enables software companies to:
‍Increase revenue through interchange, interest, and transfer fees.
‍Boost acuitision, retention and engagement by giving your customers a more complete solution.
‍Differentiate your product with a solution that does more than what your competitors do.
‍Reduce friction for staffing customers by eliminating exports and integrations between time, attendance, and payroll systems.
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For example, if your customers already manage shifts and hours in your tool, embedding payments lets them pay those same workers instantly and compliantly without ever leaving your app.

Embedded payments are enabled via API, White-label Components, or MCP that integrate with your existing workflow:
Your platform captures and approves worker time and attendance data.
That data passes to a payroll and payments API.
For W-2 workers or 1099 workers with deductions, the API calculates gross-to-net pay, handles taxes and filings, and initiates payouts.
The worker receives payment, a digital paystub, and money movement capabilties within your UI.
This embedded architecture means you can offer payment capabilities without becoming a payroll company yourself.

Common adopters of embedded worker payments include:
‍Time & attendance platforms
‍Scheduling and shift management apps
‍Worker communication or engagement platforms
‍Staffing CRMs and onboarding systems
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These companies serve staffing agencies, gig platforms, and workforce marketplaces where paying workers accurately and compliantly is critical but where software companies don’t want to handle the complexity of payments and compliance themselves.

Payment volume and convenience becomes monetizable assets. By embedding payments, platforms can:
Earn a percent of every Paycard purchase, also known as interchange.
Earn a percent of every dollar saved in a Digital Wallet, also known as interest, yield, or a deposit incentive.
Earn money every time an Instant Pay transfer is initiated.

Additionally, worker payments help increase retention and lifetime value by making the platform indispensable to daily operations.
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In other words, embedding worker payments can add a new transaction-based revenue stream.

With Zeal, compliance is handled for you. Zeal becomes the infrastructure behind your product. We take care of KYC, BSA/AML, tax withholding, multi-state filings, wage & hour compliance, reporting, and much more.
Your platform focuses on experience and data; Zeal handles the legal, financial, and regulatory components of paying workers.

Zeal handles the support when a worker has a payment question or issue. We offer support in both English and Spanish.

Most platforms can integrate and launch in a few weeks, depending on scope. Zeal’s API, MCP, and White-label Components are designed for fast integration:
Standardized endpoints for worker onboarding, pay runs, and payouts.
Sandbox environments for testing pay flows.
Documentation and compliance templates ready for engineering and ops teams.
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You can start running worker payments inside your platform without building from scratch.