The Path of a Payment
1
Employer Funds Their Shor Account
When an employer approves a payroll or payment, Shor debits their connected bank account (ACH in the US, equivalent rails elsewhere) and moves the funds into the employer’s Shor account.
2
Currency Conversion on the Employer Side (If Needed)
The contract specifies the currency the worker is paid in. If the employer’s Shor account doesn’t hold enough of that currency, Shor converts from their funding currency at a disclosed rate, shown before approval. The margin is a flat 2% above the interbank rate, disclosed on every receipt, no hidden spread.
3
Credit to the Worker's Account
For most workers, the Shor account is credited in the contract currency, typically within a couple of minutes. For employees on employment contracts in countries that use bank-direct pay, the funds are deposited straight to the worker’s linked bank account at this step instead, with no Shor balance involved.
4
Worker Withdraws to Their Bank (wallet model only)
For workers whose pay lands in their Shor account: separately, on their own schedule, they initiate a withdrawal to an external bank account they’ve linked. This step uses the destination country’s local banking rail: ACH, SEPA, UPI, FPS, PIX, etc. Workers on bank-direct pay contracts skip this step.
Employer-to-worker credits typically land in a couple of minutes. Workers on the wallet model can hold balances in multiple currencies and withdraw on their own schedule. Workers on bank-direct pay contracts receive funds straight to their bank at the same speed.
Shor Accounts
Every user on Shor (employer or worker) has a Shor account with multi-currency balances. For employers: a dedicated account that holds funds between the bank debit and the worker payout. Gives you clean float separation between operating cash and payroll cash, real-time visibility, and a single source of truth for reconciliation. Managed from Finance → Accounts. For workers: a per-currency balance where their earnings land within minutes. Workers can hold the balance, withdraw to their own bank, or receive payments from multiple employers in different currencies without forced conversion. Managed from Finance → Accounts on their side.Payment Rails
Shor is a fintech platform, not a reseller of other payment services. We operate on the banking rails directly at two touchpoints:- Employer funding: debiting the employer’s bank account into their Shor account
- Worker withdrawals: moving the worker’s Shor balance to their own bank account
- ACH in the United States
- SEPA (and SEPA Instant where available) in the Eurozone
- FPS in the United Kingdom
- UPI / IMPS / NEFT in India
- PIX in Brazil
- Interac in Canada
- And equivalent rails in every other country Shor operates in
FX and Currency Conversion
Every contract specifies the currency the worker is paid in. Shor credits the worker’s Shor account in that currency, with no conversion at credit time. FX is charged only when a conversion actually happens. There are two possible conversion points:Employer funding side
If the employer needs to pay in a currency their Shor account doesn’t hold, Shor converts from their funding currency at a disclosed rate before approval. The employer sees the rate in the payroll run.
Worker withdrawal side
If the worker withdraws from a currency balance into a bank in a different currency, Shor converts at that moment at a disclosed rate. Same-currency withdrawals involve no FX. A small flat fee may apply depending on the destination rail, shown before the worker confirms.
- Shor shows the rate before the action (approval for employers, withdrawal for workers)
- The margin above the interbank rate is a flat 2%, disclosed and constant, not dynamically widened
- The full breakdown (gross amount, FX rate, margin, net) appears on every receipt
If the worker’s bank is in the same currency as their Shor balance, the withdrawal has no FX at all. Same-currency flows are common when the worker holds in their local currency or when the contract is denominated in their local currency.
Timing
Two separate timings to think about: Employer → worker (payment): typically a couple of minutes. Worker → bank (withdrawal): depends on the worker’s country rail.
Shor shows the estimated arrival date before each withdrawal, so there are no surprises.
Employer funding (bank → Shor account) also follows the source country’s rail: typically 1–3 business days for ACH, or same day to next business day if you send a wire directly to your Shor virtual account. Wire details (routing number, account number, bank info) are available under Finance → Accounts → Add Money. Employers can use auto-funding to debit the day before payday so funds are in place on time.
What Happens If Something Fails
Every payment is tracked with retries, idempotency, and monitoring:- Transient failures (e.g., banking system temporarily down) are retried automatically
- Hard failures (e.g., wrong account number) pause the payment and notify both sides
- Idempotency guarantees you won’t accidentally pay the same thing twice, even if a retry happens
Reconciliation
For the employer, the Finance tab gives a clean double-entry view:- Every debit from the connected bank has a matching credit into the employer’s Shor account
- Every debit from the employer’s Shor account has a matching credit into a worker’s Shor account
- FX legs are recorded as their own transactions
Next Steps
Security
How Shor keeps your money safe.
KYC / KYB
Why verification matters for money movement.