How Long Does Target Direct Deposit Take – What To Expect

Direct deposit is a great feature available for employees to handle their payments. Rather than having to deal with a paper check to take to a bank or deposit using your phone, direct deposit simply moves all the money from your paycheck directly into your bank account on payday. Target utilizes a direct deposit system for employees to receive their pay.

Direct Deposit at Target occurs on Friday mornings for employees and represents the pay earned in the prior two-week pay period. As a company, Target is pretty standard when it comes to paying employees and direct deposit utilization. 

Most companies operate on a similar schedule, though banks and other financial institutions you may use might complicate that process slightly.

In most circumstances, direct deposit provides an easy and low-cost method for transferring pay and handling payroll. It usually involves two-week pay periods, a set payday, and a 5-7 day lag between the end of a pay period and the day payroll deposits are made to employee bank accounts.

Most American companies offer direct deposit to their employees and most of those who do use it encourage the tool rather strongly.

How do Target pay periods work?

Target operates on a two-week schedule, with payday falling on Friday. Your check will be available to pick up on either Friday or the following day, and some locations may even have your pay available on Thursday. Check with your store’s on-site management to know what your specific calendar looks like.

If you are participating in direct deposit, your paycheck should be available in your bank account early Friday morning. There may be some delays caused by your financial institution that might alter what time of day the funds are available on Friday.

You may need to contact your bank to see if they’re aware of anything that may complicate matters. By and large, though, direct deposit paycheck funds are available when you wake up for the morning on Friday.

Each paycheck will have all your elected withholdings taken out of it already, so pay close attention to the paperwork you’re filling out as part of your initial onboarding. Many people will fill out paperwork without thinking of the implications it has on your bi-weekly take-home pay. The number of dependents accounted for in the federal income tax withholding, for example, will alter how much each paycheck has withheld from it.

Does Target withhold anything from employee paychecks?

Target does not withhold anything from employee paychecks that employees don’t voluntarily choose. This means income tax, social security, and other government-mandated withholdings are all typical on paychecks. Insurance and other voluntary benefits may also involve a payday deduction.

Any court-ordered paycheck withholdings will also be reflected on your pay stub. Comb through your pay stub carefully to ensure you know what is and isn’t being withheld each payday.

Ultimately, Target does not withhold from employees any charges for uniforms or work-related attire or equipment. Some companies will charge employees for uniforms or to purchase equipment necessary to do their jobs. Target does not do this, so anything withheld on your paycheck should not be a surprise to you.

What other ways can Target employees be paid?

The most common method of payroll payments in the United States are direct deposit, prepaid debit cards, or paper paychecks. According to ADP, direct deposit and paper paychecks are the most popular forms of payment.

There are other options for money transfers, but it’s highly unlikely that Target will utilize any of them soon. It’s not outside the realm of possibility to see a future in which some of the other money transfer services (think PayPal, Venmo, etc.) become a more integrated method for paying employees.

Talk to your supervisor about your options if you need a different arrangement. There is usually more than one choice when deciding how to take your paycheck home, and you are well within your rights to ask about the options available.

How long does direct deposit typically take?

In most companies, direct deposit occurs at the end of the week following the end of the pay period. For a company operating on a two-week pay period, like Target, Friday paydays are for the two weeks before that week. The Monday through Friday of the week containing payday are actually paid out on the following paycheck since they are part of the next pay period.

So you can think of direct deposit and pay periods typically being on a one-week delay. Payday is usually paying out for wages earned during the two weeks ending 5-7 days prior.

Additional delays and processing times may occur depending on your financial institution and other factors influencing your pay, such as government withholdings or similar situations. These special circumstances may alter your pay from the typical calendar.

What else do I need to know about getting paid by Target?

Many Target employees report that their direct deposit occurs around 3 AM, if the time of day of your deposit is important to you. If you’re a new employee, you might also want to know that your first check will likely be a paper check as your information is put through the system and works its way in.

The second paycheck is typically when your direct deposit kicks in.

Depending on the day you’re hired on, you might also have to skip a pay period and instead have your first few days of employment paid out on the following payday. This is due to the time it takes to process your onboarding and get you into the system. Make sure you check with your supervisor to ensure you’re not anticipating a paycheck you aren’t going to receive.

Conclusion

Direct deposit was first adopted in the 1970s. The introduction of new technology and the willingness to be flexible on financial regulation paved the way for the first electronic transfer of payday money in the mid-1970s at a bank.

Since then, the technology has spread rapidly and is now a part of everyday life. Rather than checks having to work their way through a central clearing house, leading to inevitable backlogs and delays, electronic fund transfers created new efficiencies for employers and employees alike.

Target is one of those large employers that has fully embraced direct deposit as a method for providing compensation to employees. Although it’s not the only method for receiving pay as a Target employee, it is by far the easiest and most convenient. That said, you should know how the process works and how long things take to happen. After all — it’s your money, and you should know what’s happening to it.