Security and data
Security and data at Wagecrew
We move real money and hold real payroll data, so we build carefully and we say only what we can stand behind. Here is how earned-wage access works underneath, in plain terms.
The short version
What we can tell you plainly
Wagecrew moves real money by Faster Payments and holds real payroll data. Below is the verified list; further down is where the model sits with the FCA, stated as carefully as we can.
Seconds
Typical Faster Payments arrival
2FA
Admin TOTP two-factor sign-in
Magic link
Passwordless worker login
Reviewed
Every release passes a security review
How it holds together
The controls we can name
Four things do most of the work: how money moves, how people sign in, how we test, and how every advance is checked against payroll before a run is approved.
How the money moves
Advances are paid by Faster Payments into the worker's own bank account - typically within seconds. The employer funds them from its own float; there is no third-party lender in the salary flow.
How people sign in
Workers sign in with a magic link, so there is no password to reuse or leak, and each withdrawal is confirmed with an SMS code. Admin accounts add TOTP two-factor authentication on top.
How we test and review
Automated tests run against every change, and every release passes a security review before it ships. It is a deliberate, boring process, because it is money.
The Payroll Verifier, as a control
Before a run is approved, the Payroll Verifier reads the payroll file and scores every advance against it, with advance recovery as the one hard check, so money only leaves against figures that reconcile.
Worker data
Keeping each employer's data apart
Every worker, advance and payroll record in Wagecrew belongs to one employer, and access is scoped to that employer: your admins see your workforce and your payroll data, not anyone else's. We describe that as per-employer scoping, deliberately. An absolute isolation guarantee is easy to write and hard to prove, and this page only carries claims we can stand behind.
Regulatory posture
Where this model sits, and what we will not claim
Earned-wage access sits in a specific regulatory position, and the honest thing is to state it precisely, not to imply a status we do not hold.
The FCA set out its view on employer salary advance schemes on 30 July 2020: where an employer funds an advance of wages already earned, the arrangement "does not usually" involve the provision of credit, so the FCA does not usually regulate it. That depends on how a scheme is structured, and it is the FCA's current published view, not a permanent carve-out.
Wagecrew EWA is that employer-funded structure: the employer funds each advance from its own float, workers draw only wages they have already earned within the cap, recovery is principal-only from the next payslip, and the worker pays no fee. None of that makes Wagecrew FCA authorised, approved or regulated, and we do not claim it does.
On that current view, this model sits outside regulated credit, which also means the consumer-credit protections, including recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service, do not apply to it. We say that plainly rather than let anyone assume otherwise, and we keep watching the FCA's position rather than treating it as settled.
- We do not describe Wagecrew as authorised, approved or regulated by a body we are not, and we do not imply protection that does not apply to this model.
- Wagecrew does not currently hold ISO 27001 or SOC 2, and we claim no certification.
- Advances are paid from the employer's own funds by Faster Payments; there is no third-party lender in the salary flow.
What we can show instead of a certificate: automated testing on every change, a security review before every release, and the Payroll Verifier checking every advance against payroll before a run is approved.
FAQ
Security questions, answered honestly
How does the money actually move?
How do workers and admins sign in?
How do you check the payroll figures before money moves?
How is Wagecrew tested before it ships?
Is Wagecrew authorised or regulated by the FCA?
Do you hold ISO 27001 or SOC 2?
Request a demo
See it working, then check it yourself.
One short call covers the worker app, the controls you set, and the Payroll Verifier that checks every advance.