Here’s the bill: What financial stress is costing you

TOGETHER WITH

Financial stress costs employers $183 billion in productivity every year—that’s not a problem that financial literacy pamphlets can solve. Stream’s Workplace Finance gives your people real tools to take control of their money, so they can stay focused at work. Workplace Finance is more than a paycheck and pension. Learn more.

Financial stress is equivalent to losing a full night’s sleep.

Princeton researchers found that financial strain knocks 13 IQ points off cognitive performance, roughly the same as going a full night without sleep. Except it doesn’t resolve after a nap. For millions of people, it’s not a rough patch. It’s a Tuesday.

Financial stress is a workforce-wide structural problem. Even the most dedicated employees carry personal stress through the door with them. Financial stress is different. It doesn’t clock out when your employees clock in: It compounds. This isn’t a financial literacy problem—when childcare, healthcare, housing, and education costs consistently outpace wages, no budgeting workshop can help employees get ahead.

Your people suffer from financial stress. This makes your bottom line suffer, too. So, what can help? We teamed up with Stream to learn what causes employees to feel financial strain and what employers can do about it.

The productivity drain: Stress on the clock

When employees feel physically or mentally unwell, they might call in sick. What about when they are financially unwell? They show up for work but they’re not fully there. Researchers call it presenteeism: physically present, cognitively elsewhere.

Let’s look at the numbers: Workers lose over seven hours of productivity per week to financial stress, costing US employers $183 billion annually (SHRM, 2024).

Financial stress is an invisible drain on employee performance. So, what would make the difference? In Stream’s research, 71% of workers reported that having a single, real-time view of their finances would make them feel more in control. Employers that provide genuine financial agency stand to unlock significant competitive advantage.

The costs you’re already paying

You might not include financial stress as a line item in your budget, but you’re paying for it anyway:

• Healthcare: Financially stressed employees cost employers roughly $400 more per year in healthcare utilization. (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 2014)
• Retention: Financially stressed employees are twice as likely to be actively job hunting (PwC, 2023), and 73% say they’d leave for an employer that actually does something for their financial wellbeing. (Stream, 2025)
• Delayed retirement: When employees can’t afford to retire on time, the cost to employers adds up to an estimated 1%–1.5% of payroll annually. (Prudential, 2017)

These aren’t hypothetical risks. They’re line items hiding inside your existing turnover, benefits, and workforce planning costs.

Why traditional solutions fall short

Employers are the only people positioned to help alleviate financial stress at its root. You control the single most important variable in your people’s financial lives: how and when they get paid. That’s real leverage. The question is whether you’re using it.

To support your team through financial stress, traditional methods won’t cut it. Traditional financial services and banks have pivoted toward wealth management and serving affluent customers. Fintech has mirrored that bias by building for affluent users, which isn’t helpful for employees currently experiencing financial stress or strain. That’s where Stream comes in.

A different model: Workplace Finance

Stream’s Workplace Finance is an employer-enabled ecosystem of financial tools designed to meet employees where they actually are, not just where traditional finance assumes they should be.

Workplace Finance 101 is simple: An employer’s responsibility doesn’t end when the payroll file is sent. By offering tools that help employees plan, save, and stay in control of their finances, businesses can turn the cost-of-living crisis into an opportunity for loyalty and growth.

From managing day-to-day financial needs to navigating life events and income volatility, Stream helps employees build long-term stability, resilience, and security.

Stream’s platform spans the full spectrum of employee financial needs:

• Save: Members can auto-save into an easy-access account with a market-leading 5.13% APY, no minimum deposit, and no fees.
• Pay: Earned Wage Access allows workers to access their money as they earn it rather than wait for payday.
• Track: Members can track what they’ve earned to date and see a live view of their daily work’s value.
• Score: Members receive detailed credit reports.
• Achievements: Members build better financial habits with badges, achievement levels, and daily goals.
• Claim: Members can find and claim federal, state, and county benefits they’re entitled to.
• Budget: Real-time tracking of spending, evaluation of subscriptions, nudges, and reminders help members budget better.
• Coach: A personalized AI money coach answers members’ financial questions and suggests ways to save.
• Education: Members receive financial literacy content powered by Visa.
• Rewards: Exclusive discounts and cash back from hundreds of brands help members’ money go further.

The result is a system designed to help employees plan ahead, not just catch up.

The bottom line

Financial stress costs you and your employees. Supporting your employees’ financial wellbeing pays dividends, in both satisfaction and your bottom line. By going beyond outdated financial literacy articles and pamphlets, you can help set your employees up for success—and help alleviate stress while they’re on the clock.

Learn how Stream’s Workplace Finance solutions can help you boost productivity and take financial pressure off your employees.

*Stream Platforms, Inc. is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking Services associated with Stream’s Save product are provided by Piermont Bank, Member FDIC. The funds in your account are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per depositor for each account ownership category in the event of a bank failure. *Annual Percentage Yield (“APY”) refers to the total amount of interest you can earn. APY of 5.13% is accurate as of October 2, 2025, is variable, and may be subject to change after the account is opened. The minimum amount to open an account and earn the APY is $5.00.