Visa has launched a program with PayActiv to provide early access to earned wages through the Visa Direct push payments platform, according to a company press release.

The program allows participating companies to send earned wages directly to their workers through direct deposit to a Visa Debit or reloadable prepaid card, including the PayActiv Visa Prepaid Card.

Workers can use the PayActiv mobile app to see the hours they have worked and their earned wages, officials told Mobile Payments Today. They can then use Visa Direct to transfer the funds to their accounts.

"Currently more than 50 million Americans struggle to pay bills, and over 78 percent struggle paycheck to paycheck," a Visa spokesperson said. "This trend is leading to productivity loss at work as 1 in 3 U.S. employees say they are distracted by personal finance."

The PayActiv system provides several features, including access to wages, tips and commissions and free financial wellness information. There are no fees for loading earned wages more than once during a pay period or for using the card at retailers.

The PayActiv Visa card is issued by Central Bank of Kansas City, an FDIC-insured institution. Transactions are processed by Silicon Valley-based i2c Inc.