Are Branch Accounts Available to Minors?

Yes! Branch recently started allowing users under the age of 18 sign up for our services. However, this function is currently rolling out and not all organizations will allow minors to open an account. If you are unsure if your organization will be allowing minors to sign up for a Branch account, we would suggest reaching out to your leadership, and they should be able to provide you with more information. 

Please note: although we are now allowing users under the age of 18 to sign up, there is a minimum age requirement of 14. In addition, minors with primary residence in DC or ID will not be permitted to open Branch wallets at this time.

There are a few key differences between a minor account and an adult account.

1) Only your employer will be able to add funds to your account

2) Funds on the account can only be used by making direct purchases or ATM withdrawals with your debit card. Transfers to external accounts are not allowed for Minor accounts.

3) Minors can not request advances

This means that your employer will be the only one with access to the account and routing numbers associated with your wallet. This gives them the ability to deposit your paychecks directly into the account, but also means that you will be unable to deposit other funds into your account. Also, as a minor you will not be able to take advantage of our Earned Wage Access feature and will not be allowed to request advances. However, as soon as you turn 18 your account will be automatically upgraded to include all the functionality of an adult account!

Why am I being asked to send in additional documents?

For users under the age of 18 the identity verification process can be a bit more difficult. When you sign up for Branch we need to verify your personal information, and sometimes we need some extra documentation to do so. In the past we would only accept a Driver License, State ID, Passport, Military ID, Passport Card, Permanent Resident Card, Work Permit as valid forms of ID, but we have expanded to allow some alternate forms of ID that minors may be more likely to have. We will now accept alternate forms of ID such as a Student ID, Driver's Permit, Social Security Card or Birth Certificate. Our system will automatically ask for additional documents if needed.

Important: Please make sure you take a clear photo of your identification document, and make sure the information you are entering matches the information on the document exactly. 

After the documents have been uploaded, this will trigger a manual review of the information. At this point you will see the below screen:

Once our team reviews and approves the documents you will be sent a notification through the app letting you know that your account is now active! 

If you have any further questions, you can reach out to us here or call us at 956-625-9896 Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm CST.