In the implementation of the study, we ensured that workers assigned to receive an account always had access to a bank or mobile money representative who could assist with problems accessing the account and resolve any technical issues. Such assistance was not available outside the workplace, which makes outside transactions a meaningful indicator of having learned to navigate the financial technology sufficiently to use it without assistance.

Our second outcome of interest is an indicator for performing a financial transaction through one’s account rather than an intermediary. We focus on send-money transactions which, in our setting, only occur in mobile money accounts and are particularly relevant because of their potential use as a low-cost means of sending remittances. Making a send-money or payment transaction requires the customer to navigate the English language mobile money interface, enter their PIN, the transaction amount (inclusive or exclusive of cash-out fees), and the recipient’s phone number. This opens up many possibilities for error, so the norm is for inexperienced consumers to perform sendmoney transactions through a mobile agent who typically charges between 2-6% of the transaction amount for providing this service in addition to any fees charged by the mobile money provider.<sup>33</sup> These added fees are formally prohibited by the mobile money platform, but are commonplace. We thus measure learning using the outcome variable _direct transactions_ , which measures to what extent customers learn to make transactions directly through their own account, thereby sidestepping intermediaries and avoiding illicit fees altogether. This is the key indicator for evaluating any consumer protection benefits of payroll accounts and learning.

While not our main focus, we can also measure whether payroll accounts affect other real outcomes of interest, including total savings, remittances sent to friends and family, consumption, and the ability to smooth shocks.

# **3.4 Balance and Attrition**

Table 1, columns (2) to (4) present tests of balance and confirms that the randomization was successful. The tests show that the treatment groups are balanced along pre-treatment observables.

Given the high rates of worker turnover we observe in our setting, one potential concern is the possibility of differential attrition by treatment.<sup>34</sup> In order to reduce the overall level of attrition, we collected additional contact data for all study participants and complemented field surveys with phone interviews of workers that either left the factory after the initial treatment assignment or couldn’t be reached in-person. Table 2 tests for differential survey attrition and worker turnover. The results show that there is no indication of differential attrition or worker turnover by treatment. While the absence of differential attrition is reassuring, we can also validate a subset of our survey

> 33In our setting, send-money transactions are free of charge. The recipient is charged a fee of 1.9% of the transaction amount only when cashing out.

> 34If workers thought the payroll account was a useful perk, treatment could reduce turnover. On the other hand, if workers were better able to meet their savings goals in treatment arms in which they received an account, treatment could hasten turnover.

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