Gig work like Instacart gives people freedom and flexibility like they’ve never had before, not having to be stuck behind desks from 9 to 5.
In fact, shoppers for Instacart can earn the equivalent of $20 an hour or more, depending on how fast they are. But you may wonder: When does Instacart pay? If you’d like to find out, keep reading to see what I discovered!
When Does Instacart Pay In 2024?
Instacart pays its full-service shoppers weekly via direct deposit, processing the funds Wednesday mornings in 2024. Some banks may not deposit the money until a few days later. The pay period runs from the previous Monday through Sunday, including any tips accrued. Shoppers can also cash out early by paying a small fee.
To learn more about the details on how long it could take Instacart funds to hit your bank account, what time you might expect your payment, and even how to access instant cash out, keep reading!
How Long Does It Take to Get Paid on Instacart?
In terms of seeing the money from your batches show up on your account, The Grocery Store Guy reports that it usually takes between 30 to 45 minutes to get paid through Instacart.
But, even better, sometimes it can show up faster than that. This is important if you rely on the instant cashout feature (which is discussed further below).
However, in terms of time between hours worked and payment processed for deposit, it takes a little bit longer to get paid.
With Instacart, your work week starts on Monday and runs through Sunday.
Your total at the end of Sunday then gets processed on Wednesday, very early.
Now, from there, it actually depends on your bank.
Some banks may put the money through immediately, meaning that you wake up with fresh funds on Wednesday.
However, others take time and may push the deposit off until Friday.
If your money isn’t in your account by Friday, and it’s not showing up as pending on your account, double-check your Instacart account.
You’ll want to make sure you actually had a payment coming and see that it was processed and paid.
If it was, then chances are good you need to call your bank and ask about where your money is, and when you might expect it to appear in your account.
How Does Instacart Pay?
Instacart pays its shoppers one of two ways.
The fastest method is via direct deposit, and you will need a valid checking or savings account in order to receive your funds that way.
Another option is to receive a paper check in the mail with your payment, which you can deposit into your bank account manually.
Unfortunately, Instacart does not pay via PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, or any other method besides a checking or savings account at this time.
What Time Does Instacart Direct Deposit Go Through?
The timing of your Instacart direct deposit depends largely on your own personal bank.
Instacart does process the full-service shoppers’ payments early Wednesday morning, meaning that they’re released to banks to be dispensed.
However, some banks take longer than others to process different kinds of payments.
Some banks process immediately, and you receive your funds the same day Instacart released them.
Others might hold onto them for a day or two. With those delays, when the funds are finally released to your account, most banks do so in the early morning hours.
Do You Get Paid Instantly with Instacart?
Full-service shoppers are set up to receive pay weekly on Wednesdays, but they can access these funds at any time using the Instant Cashout feature.
Instant Cashout releases whatever accrued funds they have earned to their debit card for immediate use (much like PayPal).
Unlike PayPal, Instacart only charges 50 cents per Instant Cashout, but do beware.
While that doesn’t sound like much, 50 cents per transaction adds up pretty quickly. If you’re using Instant Cashout just twice a week, that’s already $1.
So, note that if you use Cashout for an entire year, you have given Instacart back $52 of your hard-earned cash.
Nevertheless, to use Instant Cashout, you can find it in your shoppers’ app.
However, you will have to complete five batches before you are eligible to take advantage of the feature, and you must have at least $5 in your account when you cash out.
You can cash out up to five times per day, up to $3,000 per day.
As mentioned further above, your earnings from batches tend to appear in your account up to 45 minutes after completion.
Therefore, an experienced full-service shopper only has to wait about an hour at the most to complete a batch, and then withdraw their funds if they so choose.
Note, however, because customers can change tips up to 24 hours later, any earned tips are not eligible for Instant Cashout.
Can You Get Paid Same Day with Instacart?
You can opt to “pay yourself” daily with instacart’s Instant Cashout feature.
However, Instacart sets up its direct deposit payments weekly on Wednesdays.
Note, though, that full-service shoppers who prefer daily payment can wait until the end of their “shift” (however many batches they choose to take) and then use Instant Cashout.
This is a decent and not-too-costly feature, as Instacart charges a 50-cent fee for every Instant Cashout transaction.
However, while that doesn’t sound like a lot, it adds up, especially if you look at it from a yearly perspective:
Say you use Instant Cashout just one time a day, and you shop five days a week- that comes out to $2.50 per week.
Now, multiply $2.50 by 52 weeks, and you end up with $130 in Instant Cashout fees per year.
Fifty cents never sounds like much on its own, but over-use it, and you’re just handing money right back to Instacart.
Do You Get Paid Weekly with Instacart?
Instacart does set up its direct deposit payment system to remit payment once per week for both full-service and in-store shoppers.
For starters, in-store shoppers are different from full-service ones; the former are actually part-time employees of Instacart.
They get paid an hourly wage and are eligible for benefits, whereas full-service shoppers are contract workers.
In-store Instacart shoppers still get paid weekly, though, through direct deposit.
These direct deposits can also take a few days to go through, depending on your bank.
In-store Instacart shoppers don’t have access to Instant Cashout, though, and must wait for each weekly payment.
If you want to learn more, you can also read our posts on how late does Instacart delivers, how does Instacart makes money, and why is Instacart so expensive.
Conclusion
As shoppers become more and more adept at handling batches, Instacart makes it easier for them to access their money faster.
While shoppers can wait for the weekly payout that occurs on Wednesdays, many take advantage of Instant Cashout, which costs 50 cents per transaction.
