Relay Review 2026

Yes. Relay holds deposits at Thread Bank, Member FDIC. Deposits are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per depositor per insured bank — the same federal protection as Chase or Bank of America. Important nuance: Relay's 20 sub-accounts all sit at the same banking partner (Thread Bank), so the $250,000 limit applies to your total deposits at Thread Bank across all sub-accounts combined, not $250,000 per sub-account. Verify Thread Bank's FDIC status at banks.data.fdic.gov/bankfind-suite/bankfind.

The free Relay tier supports up to 20 individual checking accounts and 50 virtual debit cards. Each account can be named, assigned to a team member, and used for a specific spending category — which makes Relay purpose-built for Profit First methodology (revenue, taxes, owner pay, operating expenses, profit as separate envelopes). The Pro tier ($30/month) adds AP automation and additional controls.

No — the Relay business checking accounts earn no APY on checking balances. If you want to earn interest on operating reserves held at Relay, the platform offers access to a high-yield savings option separately. For most SMBs the trade-off is intentional: the multi-account structure and integration ecosystem is the value proposition, not deposit rates. Businesses needing competitive APY on operating reserves should consider pairing Relay for cash management with a separate HYSA at a bank like Mercury or Bluevine.

Relay Pro adds accounts payable (AP) automation — pay vendors by check, ACH, or wire directly from the platform with team-based approval workflows. It also adds API access for custom integrations and advanced reporting. For a business that processes multiple vendor payments monthly and wants to consolidate bill pay with banking, Pro can save meaningful admin time. The free tier covers most core checking needs for businesses that don't need AP automation at scale. Verify current Pro pricing and features at relayfi.com.

Yes. Each Relay sub-account has a unique routing number and account number (Thread Bank routing) so you can receive incoming ACH transfers, direct deposits from payroll processors, and domestic wire transfers. Outbound ACH and wire transfers are also supported on both the free and Pro tiers. This means Relay sub-accounts can function as dedicated collection accounts for specific revenue streams — for example, a Profit First revenue account that receives all client payments. International wire (SWIFT) capabilities vary — verify at relayfi.com for the latest on international payment support.

Yes — Relay integrates natively with Gusto for payroll. Businesses can connect a Relay sub-account as the Gusto funding source so payroll draws from a dedicated account, which aligns with Profit First methodology (a separate payroll envelope funded per pay cycle). Relay also integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, and Stripe. The Pro tier adds API access for custom integrations beyond the native partner list. For ADP and other payroll providers, verify current integration depth at relayfi.com — integration coverage expands regularly.

Your FDIC coverage at Relay is $250,000 total across all sub-accounts combined — not $250,000 per sub-account. All Relay checking accounts are held at Thread Bank, Member FDIC. The FDIC insures deposits per depositor per insured bank, not per account within the same bank. So whether you have 1 or 20 sub-accounts at Relay, your aggregate coverage at Thread Bank is $250,000. If your business holds more than $250,000 in cash, spread deposits across separate FDIC-insured institutions to extend coverage. Verify Thread Bank's FDIC status at banks.data.fdic.gov/bankfind-suite/bankfind.