Steady Income Passport Enables Gig Workers to More Easily Qualify for Social Services

ATLANTA, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Steady, an app used by three million hourly and 1099 workers to better understand their earning trends and potential, today announced the launch of a new Income Passport that will enable workers to seamlessly prove eligibility for government benefits. Data from Steady already provides government officials with a real-time understanding of wage data for the one-third of Americans who are contingent workers.

"Growing up, I experienced firsthand the challenges that some families face as they work to make ends meet," said NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal and Co-Founder of Steady, who now serves as an advisor to the company. "This is about giving people the tools they need to earn a more stable income for themselves and their families."

Mixed-earners and 1099 workers, who typically collect income from multiple sources, often face complex paperwork requirements and lengthy processing times to prove eligibility of safety net benefits like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid & Child's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML). That paperwork-intensive, manual process puts a burden on workers who often need benefits most, which can result in under-funding or ineligibility altogether. Manual verification processes also create significant administrative costs for states, and can increase the risk of benefits fraud.

"The best way to build tools that support workers is to include those workers in the development process," said Angela Vogel of the Philadelphia Drivers Union, which collaborated closely with Steady on the development of the income passport. "By listening to the insights, perspectives, and recommendations of workers, Steady has created a tool that will help millions of people take control of their own data and access critical benefits to support themselves and their families."

"The past year has revealed the profound misalignment between the realities of the labor market, and outdated infrastructure that the government uses to verify benefits eligibility," said Adrian Haro of the nonprofit The Workers Lab, which provided input and feedback to inform the development of the income passport. "By putting data in the hands of workers, we can modernize the process to boost payment accuracy and better serve a growing and critical segment of the economy."

To automate the onerous task of manually collecting and reviewing paperwork, Steady's Income Passport allows workers to share real-time earnings with government agencies, and even submit benefit claims, directly from their smartphone. By streamlining the process of income verification, the passport will enable 1099 workers and mixed-earners to more easily qualify for social services, as well as other financial products like auto loans.

"Empowering workers and reducing the burden on the government are two sides of the same coin. We're trying to flip the entire paradigm for determining benefits eligibility by putting actionable, accurate data directly into the hands of workers," said Adam Roseman, CEO and Founder of Steady. "The data that we unlock in the process will provide an unprecedented view into a massive and poorly understood segment of the American workforce. We know that our automated data and insights can help policymakers on both sides of the aisle administer and design more targeted, efficient and effective programs."

To access Income Passport, individuals can go to https://passport.steadyapp.com, and follow the prompts to connect gig employers and bank accounts.

About Steady

Steady is the leading income intelligence platform for America's hourly and 1099 workers. We remove the barriers to earn by harnessing AI and income insights from over 3 million workers.  Our income intelligence supports government leaders who design programs that are informed by earning trends and empowers workers.  Steady's mobile app, launched in 2017, helps American 1099 and mixed earners increase their incomes by an average of $5,500 per year. For more information, please visit https://steadyapp.com.

About The Workers Lab

At The Workers Lab, our purpose is to give new ideas about increasing worker power a chance to succeed and flourish, and new ideas about workers need a chance now perhaps more than ever before. Share your ideas with us. Subscribe and be one of the first to learn about our 2022 application cycle.

SOURCE Steady

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https://steadyapp.com/