Monzo's Get Paid Early feature allowed 750,000 customers to access their salary before their official payday during the final week of October 2026. The free service lets eligible customers receive their salary or student loan payment from 4pm one business day early, which could prove useful ahead of Christmas when budgets are often stretched.
How Get Paid Early works
To qualify, a salary must be paid into a Monzo account via Bacs, the payment system widely used for Direct Debits and other bank transfers. For example, if a salary is due on December 18, it could arrive a day earlier on December 17, giving customers a head start on shopping and helping them avoid the rush when others are also paid.
Monzo has 16 million customers in total, including more than 15 million personal customers and over one million business banking customers.
October 2026 usage figures
Monzo shared details with the Express about the peak times customers claimed their money early. During the final week of October (October 25 to 31), 750,000 early payments were claimed by customers ahead of their official payday.
Thursday, October 29, was the peak day, with more than 70,000 customers using the Get Paid Early feature within the first 15 minutes of it becoming available at 4pm, totalling more than £100 million.
Double your salary for free
Getting paid early is not the only perk. Monzo states: "We could double your salary if you get paid into your Monzo account. There are 10 lucky customers every month." If a customer's take-home pay is £500, Monzo will add an extra £500 to their account. It says: "It's yours to spend, save, or invest, and you won't pay tax on your winnings."
Since the launch of Double Your Pay Day in December 2025, Monzo has paid out just over £190,000 in payouts over the past 11 months.
Checking and qualifying for Double Payday
Customers can check if they've won by tapping beneath their salary transaction or selecting the Double Payday card in the app. If they are among the winners, Monzo will deposit the money directly into their account.
To qualify, salaries must be paid into a Monzo personal or joint account via Bacs or Faster Payments. Weekly and monthly salaries between £300 and £20,000 count, with eligibility based on the previous month's salary. Winning payments are capped at £10,000.
To be entered into next month's Double Payday, a salary must be paid into the Monzo account by the last day of the month, providing one entry per month. On the first working day of the following month, 10 winners are selected at random from everyone who qualifies. There is no need to opt in, and customers can opt out in the app at any time.
