Where to find payment elections in Workday

Payment elections in Workday live in your personal profile, not in a payroll or accounting section. Log in to Workday, click your profile icon (usually in the top right), and select Profile. From there, look for Pay or Payroll in the left menu—the exact label depends on what your employer has named it. Once you're in that section, you should see Payment Elections or Direct Deposit as an option.

If you cannot find it in your profile, your company may have placed it under a different name. Check for Banking Information, Payment Method, or Compensation. If you're still stuck, your HR or payroll team can tell you the exact path in your company's Workday setup—it varies by organization.

Key Takeaways

  • Payment elections are found in your Workday profile under Pay or Payroll, not in the main accounting or HR menu.
  • You can change your bank account, routing number, or split deposits between multiple accounts without waiting for a pay period to end.
  • Changes take effect on the next paycheck if submitted before your company's payroll cutoff date; after the cutoff, they explore to the following pay period.
  • Workday requires you to verify new bank details before the change goes live, so have your routing and account numbers ready.

Steps to change your direct deposit account

Once you're in the Payment Elections section, click Edit or Add Payment Method. Workday will ask you to choose between direct deposit to a bank account or a check. If you're changing banks, select Bank Account and enter your new routing number and account number. Double-check both numbers—a single digit wrong will send your paycheck to the wrong place.

After you enter the account details, Workday will ask you to confirm the account type (checking or savings) and may ask for the bank name. Some companies require you to upload a voided check or bank statement as proof. If your employer requires this, take a photo of a voided check (write "VOID" across it in large letters) or read a statement from your bank's website and upload it through Workday. Without this verification, your change will stay in pending status and won't process.

Once you submit, Workday shows you a confirmation screen with an effective date. Write down that date—it tells you which paycheck will use the new account. If you submitted before your payroll cutoff, it usually takes effect on the next paycheck. If you submitted after the cutoff, expect it on the paycheck after that.

What happens between submission and the first paycheck

After you submit a payment election change, Workday sends it to your payroll department for review. This step usually takes one to three business days. During this time, your change shows as Pending in Workday. Do not assume it's approved just because you submitted it—check back in a day or two to see if the status changed to Active or if a message appeared asking for more information.

If your company requires verification documents and you didn't upload them, Workday will show a message telling you what's missing. Upload it as soon as you see the message, because payroll will not process the change until they have it. If you're cutting it close to the payroll cutoff, call your payroll team directly and ask them to confirm receipt—email can get lost, but a phone call gets an answer.

Splitting your paycheck between multiple accounts

Workday lets you send part of your paycheck to one account and the rest to another. This is useful if you want to automatically move money to savings or pay a loan from a different bank. In the Payment Elections section, click Add Payment Method again after your first account is set up. Enter the second bank's routing and account numbers, then specify how much goes to that account—either a fixed dollar amount or a percentage of your gross pay.

Workday processes split deposits in the order you list them. If you send $500 to savings and the rest to checking, it deducts $500 first, then sends the remainder to your main account. Make sure the total doesn't exceed your paycheck, or the second deposit will fail. You can have up to ten accounts in most Workday systems, though most people use two or three.

Timing: when changes take effect

The effective date of a payment election change depends on when you submit it relative to your payroll cutoff. Most companies have a cutoff date—usually three to five business days before payday—after which changes don't take effect until the following pay period. If you submit on Monday and the cutoff is Wednesday, your change takes effect on the next paycheck. If you submit on Thursday after the cutoff has passed, it takes effect on the paycheck after that.

Workday shows you the effective date when you submit, so check that screen before you close it. If the date is later than you expected, you can contact payroll to ask if they can manually move it up, but they're not required to. The safest approach is to make changes at least a week before you need them to take effect.

Troubleshooting common problems

If your change shows as Pending for more than three business days, log back into Workday and check for error messages. The most common issues are a mismatched routing number, a wrong account type (you said savings but entered a checking account), or a missing verification document. If you see a specific error, fix it and resubmit. If the message is vague, screenshot it and send it to your payroll team with a note about when you submitted.

If your paycheck went to the old account after you changed it, the change did not process in time. Contact payroll and ask them to issue a correction check or direct deposit to the new account. This usually takes five to ten business days. While you wait, log into Workday and confirm your payment elections show the new account as Active—if it still shows the old one, the change never went through and you need to resubmit.

If Workday won't let you edit your payment elections at all, you may not have permission in the system. This sometimes happens if you're a contractor, a new employee still in onboarding, or if your company has locked down payroll changes. Contact your HR or payroll team and ask them to unlock it or make the change on your behalf.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my payment election in the middle of a pay period?

Yes, you can submit a change at any time. Whether it takes effect on the next paycheck or the one after depends on your company's payroll cutoff date. Workday tells you the effective date when you submit, so check that before you close the confirmation screen.

What if I enter the wrong bank account number?

If the account number is wrong, your paycheck will be rejected by the bank and returned to your company. Payroll will then issue a check or reissue the direct deposit to the correct account, which takes five to ten business days. To avoid this, verify the account number with your bank before you enter it in Workday.

Do I need to tell my old bank I'm switching my direct deposit?

No. Once your paycheck stops going to the old account, you can close it whenever you want. You don't need to notify the bank—they'll straightforward stop receiving deposits. If you have automatic payments set up from that account, move them to your new bank first so they don't bounce.

Can my employer see my bank account number?

Yes. Your employer and payroll processor need your account and routing numbers to send your paycheck. This information is stored securely in Workday, but your payroll team can see it. This is normal and necessary for direct deposit to work.

What if my company uses a payroll card instead of direct deposit?

If your employer issues a payroll card, you may not see a direct deposit option in Workday. Instead, you'll see a card account listed. You can usually update the card details or request a replacement card through the same Payment Elections section. If you want to switch to direct deposit to a bank account instead, contact payroll—some companies allow it, others don't.