Eligibility is automatically determined using information from your Chime account, your linked external account via Plaid, and your income activity. Because income and account activity can change, eligibility may be re-evaluated regularly.
What determines initial eligibility?
Initial Eligibility: To become eligible for a MyPay Account, you must meet all of the following requirements:
- Are eighteen (18) years of age or older.
- Live in a state where MyPay is offered.
- Are a member of Chime with a Chime Checking Account in good standing.
- Have downloaded the Chime App.
- Your Chime Checking Account balance is not negative.
You must also fulfill the following:
- Have linked an external checking account for access to MyPay through Plaid.
- Have provided Chime with your external debit card information tied to the External Account.
- Have received one Qualifying Direct Deposit of $200 or more per deposit in the preceding thirty-six (36) days, as verified through Plaid.
Continued eligibility
For continued access to the MyPay External Account Depositors, you must:
- Continue to live in a state where MyPay is offered.
- Have received at least one Qualifying MyPay Direct Deposit of $200 or more per deposit into your External Account in the preceding thirty-six (36) days, as verified through Plaid.
Important: If the external account connection via Plaid is removed or expires, eligibility may be paused until it is relinked.
Debit card requirements
You must link a valid, active external debit card that:
- Is tied to the same external checking account connected through Plaid.
- Is not a prepaid card.
- Is not a credit card.
- Is not a Chime card.
- It is not expired/blocked/frozen.
- Allows both deposits and debit transactions.
This debit card is used to facilitate repayment. If the card expires, is removed, or becomes invalid, access to MyPay may be restricted until you’ve updated it.
What is a Qualifying Direct Deposit?
A qualifying deposit is used to confirm your income and determine eligibility.
- A Qualifying Direct Deposit is a direct deposit of $200 or more from a qualifying source within 36 days.
- Qualifying Direct Deposits can include different types of recurring income, such as:
- Payroll from employers
- Gig economy earnings
- Government benefits
- Cash-based business income (if deposited via ACH/OCT)
- Check deposits (if processed as eligible Qualifying Direct Deposits)
What does not count as a qualifying deposit
The following do not qualify:
- Bank-to-bank ACH transfers
- Pay Anyone transfers
- Peer-to-peer payments (Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, etc.)
- Trial or verification deposits
- One-time deposits (such as tax refunds)
- Transfers between your own accounts
Deposits are automatically classified by system detection and cannot be overridden manually.
When you link your external account, we evaluate:
- Whether the eligibility requirements are met.
- Whether a Qualifying Direct Deposit of $200 or more has been received.
- Deposit consistency and cadence.
- External account activity and stability.
- External debit card validity.
- Internal risk-based criteria.
If all requirements are met, you’ll be able to start using MyPay in the Chime app.
How and when eligibility is re-evaluated
Eligibility may be re-evaluated when:
- A new Qualifying Direct Deposit is detected in the external account, as verified by Plaid.
- A Qualifying Direct Deposit was not received in the last 36 days.
- Your external account is relinked.
- An advance is fully repaid.
- Your account is no longer in good standing.
- Periodic system reviews occur.
If eligibility changes, you’ll receive an email and push notification. Updates will also appear in the MyPay tile within the Chime app.