A system is described allowing the transfer of funds, for example, from an employer to a third-party intermediary which can distribute the funds via a payroll card to an employee. The system allows a portion of the population such as that which does not use traditional bank accounts to receive funds via a payroll card at a variety of locations without the necessity of visiting the bank location of the employer to cash a check. Other embodiments of the invention allow funds to be distributed from a first party to a second party via an intermediary party.