Arizona Tribune - Lumber Partners with Branch to Give Construction Crews Early Access to Earned Wages

PALO ALTO, CA / ACCESS Newswire / October 6, 2026 / Lumber, the AI-powered construction workforce management platform, today announced a partnership with Branch, a leading provider of embedded financial services, to bring construction crews across the country early access to wages. Beginning this month, workers can use On-Demand Pay powered by Branch, right inside the Lumber app, to access money they've already earned ahead of their next payday.

Construction crews are often paid weekly or biweekly, but expenses don't wait for payday. A truck repair, a rent deadline, or a kid's back-to-school costs can hit mid-cycle, pushing workers toward overdraft fees or high-interest payday loans just to bridge the gap. Early access to wages gives them another option: a way to access wages they've already worked for, on their own terms.

"Crews shouldn't have to take out a loan against money they've already earned," said Oleg Pravdin, Head of Product at Lumber. "This isn't credit, and it isn't a loan; it's pay that's already been worked for, made available a little earlier. We built this feature directly into the app crews are already using every day."

How it works

Employees opt in directly from the Lumber mobile app. After giving consent, they're guided through a short onboarding process with Branch. Workers can then choose to receive funds instantly* to an existing debit card for a small fee or within two business days at no cost.

Early access to wages is available directly within the Lumber app for both payroll and non-payroll customers. The feature is rolling out in stages, with availability expanding to additional customers over time.

"Construction workers keep this industry moving, often under real financial pressure between paychecks," said Branch founder and CEO Atif Siddiqi. "Partnering with Lumber puts earned wage access directly in the hands of crews who've historically had limited options for managing cash flow, right inside a platform they already use."

Built for how construction actually works

Early access to wages is the latest step in Lumber's push to extend its platform beyond payroll and compliance into the everyday financial tools construction workers and companies need.

About Lumber

Lumber is the industry's leading all-in-one construction workforce management platform, built for construction from the ground up. Lumber streamlines payroll, time tracking, safety, compliance, HR, and field productivity for specialty contractors and general contractors across the US and Canada, backed by AI-driven automation and a support crew of real compliance experts. Learn more at www.lumberfi.com.

About Branch

Branch is the leading provider of embedded financial services for workforces. Bringing together program management, technology, and compliance, Branch builds and maintains the systems required for businesses and platforms to offer faster access to pay and engaging financial experiences that help Americans earn, spend, and grow. Branch's award-winning infrastructure is embedded within many of the nation's leading companies and platforms across hospitality, staffing, healthcare, logistics, marketplaces, vertical software, and financial institutions. To learn more about Branch, visit https://www.branchapp.com and follow us on Twitter/X and LinkedIn.

Branch is not a bank. Banking services, including money transmission, are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. FDIC insurance only applies for eligible accounts should the bank holding your funds fail. The Branch Mastercard Debit Card is issued by Lead Bank pursuant to a license from Mastercard and may be used everywhere Mastercard debit cards are accepted.

*Most instant transfers are usually completed within 30 minutes but may be delayed by service disruptions or connection issues.

Media Contact

Matt Siegler
[email protected]

Adrianne Ho from Branch
[email protected]

SOURCE: Lumberfi

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

K.Hill--AT