Can a new employer ask for my online banking login to set up payroll direct deposit?
No. Payroll direct deposit requires only your bank account number and routing number — never your online banking username or password.
Last reviewed: 10 June 2026
Explanation
Setting up direct deposit is a routine HR task that requires two pieces of information: your bank's routing number (publicly available and specific to the bank) and your personal account number. Both are printed on your checks and visible in your online banking app. That is all a payroll department needs to send money to your account.
No employer, payroll provider, or HR platform ever needs access to your online banking portal. Your login credentials are used to authenticate you to the bank and could be used to transfer money out of your account, access financial statements, or set up new transactions — none of which are payroll functions.
If an interviewer or HR contact requests your banking login for any purpose, this is either a fraud attempt or an extremely poorly designed process that you should refuse and report. Legitimate employment onboarding uses a direct deposit authorization form that you fill out with your account and routing numbers, often countersigned with a voided check.
Be alert to job scams that use payroll setup as the entry point for account takeover or money mule recruitment.
Common red flags
- Asked for your online banking username and password
- Told it is needed to 'verify' your account or set up payroll
- Request comes via text, messaging app, or informal email
- Job offer arrived unsolicited and pay is unusually generous
- Employer rushes the payroll setup before your first day
- Asks you to 'test' the payroll system by receiving and forwarding money
What to do now
- Refuse the request and never share banking login credentials
- Provide only your account number and routing number on an official payroll form
- Verify the employer independently before sharing any bank information
- If the job offer seems suspicious, research the company through official registries
- Report suspicious job offers to the platform where you found them
- Report to your national employment or fraud authority if you believe it is a scam
Frequently asked questions
What information is safe to give an employer for payroll?
Your bank account number, routing number, and account type (checking or savings) on a signed direct deposit authorization form is all that is needed. Some employers accept a voided check instead.
What is a money mule and how does payroll relate to it?
Money mule scams recruit people to receive funds into their account and forward them elsewhere. Fraudsters sometimes pose as employers and use fake payroll setup as the pretext for gaining account access or sending you money to forward.