How Urban Outfitters Transforms Employee Financial Wellness with Payactiv

The Challenge:

Meeting Employees’ Needs

Urban Outfitters recognized a challenge their workforce was facing. Many staff members faced a harsh reality: with the rising cost of living, essentials like bus fare, subway or gas money became daily obstacles, making it difficult to get to work and manage everyday expenses.

Urban Outfitters previously offered small employee loans to help bridge these gaps, but as the amount of requests for payday advances grew, they wanted to look into a more scalable and sustainable solution. The team decided to look into financial wellness solutions, particularly Earned Wage Access¹ (EWA). With EWA, they saw a way to address these critical needs directly and empower their team members to access funds for transportation, childcare, food, and other essentials.

The Solution:

Finding a Partnership That Fits

Urban Outfitters needed a better way to address growing requests for pay advances without creating additional complexity for payroll. Payactiv’s pre-built integration with the company’s HCM platform made implementation straightforward while supporting accurate data and a seamless payroll process.

Payactiv also allowed employees to access their earned wages without changing their direct deposit setup. Unlike solutions that require paychecks to be routed through a separate account, Payactiv fit into the processes already in place, creating a smoother experience for employees.

"Not putting another player in there for direct deposit was really important to us. One of the competitors of Payactiv wants full net pay. And I just felt that would create a lot of issues for our employees.”

Jeff DeVault, Senior Director, HRIS & Payroll at Urban Outfitters

Launch & Maintainance

Built for a Small but Mighty Payroll Team

Urban Outfitters’ payroll team is impressively lean, with just three people responsible for paying over 20,000 employees every two weeks. They were initially concerned about the potential burden of implementing and maintaining a new service. However, thanks to Payactiv’s seamless integration with UKG, the process was straightforward from start to finish.

Urban Outfitters ensured that every new hire received information about Payactiv during the onboarding process. Posters were placed in all 700+ stores, and Payactiv’s user-friendly setup allowed employees to scan a QR code, sign up, and start using the service within minutes—without burdening the payroll team.

It was such an easy lift for our team to get up and running. We pay 20,000+ employees biweekly with just three payroll staff members. And Payactiv has not put anything additional on our plate to maintain.”

Melanie Ryan Payroll Manager at Urban Outfitters

Strategic Value

Empowering Employees Beyond Payday

Since implementing Payactiv, Urban Outfitters has seen impressive engagement, with employees actively using the service to manage essential financial needs—especially during high-demand periods like the holiday season. This high adoption speaks to the necessity of EWA as a crucial support for many team members.

Beyond providing timely access to earned wages, Urban Outfitters found that employees also took advantage of Payactiv’s broader benefits— such as discounts on transportation, entertainment, and healthcare essentials. With cost of living rising, these additional perks have made a tangible impact on employees’ day-to-day lives, helping them stretch their paychecks further. This holistic approach to financial wellness has been essential for Urban Outfitters as they aim to better support their workforce’s well-being.