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Alaska Payroll Card Rules Are Now in Effect: What Employers Need to Know

Carol Warner
By: Carol Warner
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About the Author

For nearly two decades, Carol Warner has analyzed the legal and financial realities behind workplace decisions, covering employment law, benefits, payroll and HR technology. She translates complex legal updates, regulatory shifts and vendor claims into plain language that HR teams can act on. Her focus is simple: What does this mean for employers, and what should they do next? Connect with her on LinkedIn.

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Last Updated: July 31, 2026
1 minute engagement
A Corporate Memphis style promotional graphic for an HRMorning article titled "NEW STATE LAW." The text is set in bold white typography against a deep terracotta background. On the right, the illustration depicts a diverse pair of professionals standing before a stylized municipal or state government capitol building. A man in a tan blazer displays a signed legal scroll featuring a United States map outline and a gold seal, while a female colleague in a dark green shirt and yellow pants ponders the text with a hand to her chin. Floating geometric shapes drift in the background, reinforcing themes of regional legislative adjustments, regulatory compliance audits, and legal oversight.

Alaska employers may pay wages by payroll card under SB 79, effective July 1, 2026, subject to new compliance requirements.

Employers may use a pay card only if the employee voluntarily authorizes it or has not authorized direct deposit under AS 23.10.043.

New Payroll Card Obligations

Before issuing a card, employers must disclose:

  • Wage payment options
  • Card terms and fees
  • How to access wages and check balances for free, and
  • That non-issuer fees may apply.

Cards must allow at least one free withdrawal each week or pay period, whichever is longer, up to the employee’s full net wages, plus unlimited free balance checks by phone and electronically.

Employers may not offer cards that charge application, enrollment, participation, card issuance, wage transfer, or point-of-sale purchase fees. Card funds must also pass through the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Administration (or an equivalent deposit insurer).

More info: Alaska Payroll Card Law (SB 79)

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