Earned Wage Access Consumer Protection Act
Sponsored By: Representative Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a federal framework to regulate earned wage access and impose strong protections for workers. It focuses on transparency, a required no-cost option when providers charge fees, limits on tip practices, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight.
Show full summary
- Workers and households would get clear pre-agreement and pre-disbursement disclosures about limits, fees, tips, and exact payout amounts. Providers must offer a same-amount no-cost option if they charge fees, allow penalty-free cancellations, and provide a formal dispute process.
- Earned wage access providers would face limits on tip handling, privacy rules by being treated as "financial institutions" for certain federal privacy law purposes, and a rule saying EWA is not credit or a loan. They could not force payment by suing, arbitration, debt collection, or selling expected wages, except when a consumer supplied false information.
- The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection would be the primary regulator and must write rules within 180 days. States keep general authority to enforce laws of general applicability but cannot treat EWA as traditional credit in ways that block compliance.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Stronger protections for earned wage users
This bill would bar EWA providers from suing, forcing arbitration, using debt collectors, or selling expected payments to third parties to collect, except when a consumer knowingly gave false information. Providers would have to run complaint and dispute processes for wrong or unauthorized disbursements and wrong fees or tips. Providers would have to reimburse any overdraft or NSF fee your bank charged if the provider debited your account earlier or for a different amount than authorized. Consumers could stop recurring EWA services by notice with no cancellation fee. The bill would also ban discrimination in offering EWA services.
Worker fees, tips, and no-cost payouts
This bill would require EWA providers to give clear disclosures before you sign up and before any payout. Providers would have to show limits on access and disbursements, all fees, how to get wages without a fee or tip, and tip practices. Providers would also give pre-payout amounts and fees and year-to-date totals if they took fees or tips. If a provider offers a paid payout, it would also have to offer the same wage amount at no cost. Material changes would need 30 days' notice.
Changes to earned wage access classification
This bill would change how earned wage access (EWA) services are classified under some federal rules. It would exclude EWA from certain Truth in Lending Act creditor definitions and treat EWA providers as financial institutions for some privacy rules. If the provider has a contract with your employer, the provider could tell that employer the dates and amounts of your EWA transactions. These changes would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Steil, Bryan [R-WI-1]
WI • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov