Sorbet PTO cash advance review

How does Sorbet PTO cash advance work?

Based on details you provide on your application including your job, salary, PTO-accrued and employer policies, Sorbet determines if you are eligible for a PTO advance. If you are, it uses algorithms to calculate the cash value of your PTO and offers a percentage of that value, which you can take as an advance.

Once the advance is disbursed, Sorbet notifies you of your monthly pay schedule and interest rate. Rates range from around 9.99% to 36%, and the loan term is 24 months or when you leave the company, whichever comes first.

For the first 23 months of the term, you’ll make interest-only payments and then pay off the principal on the 24th month. For example, if you’ve taken a $1,000 advance with an APR of 12%, you’ll pay $10 a month for the first 23 months. The final payment covers your final interest payment plus your principal balance with Sorbet ($10 + $1,000 = $1,010). And, you’ll have paid about $230 in interest payments over the 24 months.

If you leave the company before the loan term is up, you can repay the loan in full from your PTO payout. To reduce interest charges, you can make larger monthly payments or pay off the whole advance at any time with no penalties. Either way, regardless of the payout you receive, your loan will need to be repaid in full.

What makes Sorbet shine

We love that Sorbet found a way to harness unused PTO and allow workers to cash in on an important part of their total compensation package. Most employees don’t use all their PTO, so they often don’t get the full benefit until they leave the company.

The long loan term is a nice feature as well. It gives workers the option to enjoy small monthly payments or pay off the loan early if they choose. Sorbet also offers a referral program that waives one monthly payment for each approved referral.

Where Sorbet falls short

Sorbet charges interest on its PTO advances, which fails to make it competitive if you compare it to cash advance apps. Sorbet also doesn’t reveal your interest rate until you’ve already been approved. Sorbet could be more transparent about your rate before you’ve agreed to the advance. Plus, it charges late fees, another downside that most cash advance apps don’t have. However, considering the amount of money you can potentially borrow, this product compares more to a personal loan.

But, Sorbet’s business model is geared towards people who have a W-2 job with a specific PTO policy in place. This may make it hard for people that are self-employed, do gig work, have unlimited time off or workers whose PTO doesn’t carry over to get a loan.

Finally, at the time, Sorbet is only available online via desktop or mobile web, but we would love to see a mobile app!

Sorbet details

How to qualify for Sorbet PTO advance

Not every employee is eligible for PTO cash advances, and it’s unclear how much unused PTO you need banked or how long you need to have been with your company. But here are the basic requirements to qualify:

• Be at least 18 years old or age of majority in your home state
• Annual income of $30,000
• Proof of income may be required
• Have a bank account supported by Sorbet
• Available in the United States and US territories only (excluding Puerto Rico)

For best chances at approval:

• Have PTO that carries over from year to year
• Have an employer who pays out PTO upon termination
• Be a W-2 employee
• Accrued PTO balance

Other features

Sorbet also partners with employers to offer PTO advances as a voluntary benefit to its workforce. At no cost, companies that partner with Sorbet can offer their employees the option to cash out a percentage of their PTO whenever needed.

This feature provides an alternative to waiting for the PTO as a payout when workers leave the company. The benefit can help lower the financial stress of employees.

Is Sorbet PTO legit?

Sorbet is a legitimate company, but it’s a startup fintech company that only rolled out its PTO cash advance in 2023. As a result, it is not yet rated by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and has not been widely reviewed by users.

Sorbet was selected as one of the most promising startups in 2021 and is known as an advocate for employees to have better access and use of their unused PTO. Sorbet’s co founder and CEO, Veethal Eilat-Raichel, has been featured in publications such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Wired and Forbes, among others.

Sorbet PTO reviews and complaints

Sorbet is a fairly new company, so it’s not super surprising that they aren’t yet rated and don’t have reviews on well-trusted sites like the BBB or Trustpilot. While this isn’t a red flag, it makes it hard to gauge customers’ experience thus far.

Although Sorbet doesn’t have many reviews, the few customer reviews it shares on its website are almost entirely positive.

Compare Sorbet to other apps

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Finder Score	Loan amount	Turnaround time	Requirements
Promoted 9.5 Excellent EarnIn	9.5 Excellent	Up to $150/day, with a max of $1000 between paydays	1–2 business days standard; minutes with Lightning Speed	At least 18 and a US resident, Valid Social Security number, At least 60 days of banking history, Proof of consistent income, Positive bank balance, Get paid by direct deposit.	Access up to $150 per day, with a max of $1000 between paydays. Not available to CT or Washington, D.C. residents. Subject to EarnIn terms & conditions.	Important information EarnIn is not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit EarnIn.com for full details. Expedited transfers available for a fee. Visit Earnin.com for full details.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Promoted 8.2 Great Cleo	8.2 Great	$20 to $250	3 to 4 days or instant for a fee.	Not stated	Automatically monitor your spending plus access cash advances up to $100 at a time.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
Promoted 9.4 Excellent Chime® MyPay®	9.4 Excellent	Up to $500	Instant transfers: 3% of the advance amount ($2 minimum, $5 maximum)	Chime checking account, direct deposits of $200+ and only available in some states	Access up to $500 of your pay before payday fee-free within 24 hours. See Chime terms and conditions. MyPay is only offered in select states.	Important information MyPay® line of credit provided by The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A. MyPay services provided by Chime Capital, LLC (NMLS 2316451). MyPay eligibility: You must receive qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account in the preceding 36 days as set forth in the MyPay Agreement. A qualifying direct deposit is a deposit from an employer, payroll provider, gig economy payer, government benefits payer, or other permitted source of income by Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) or Original Credit Transaction (“OCT”). MyPay is currently only available to eligible Chime members in certain states. Other restrictions apply. MyPay is a line of credit and available limits are based on estimated income and risk-based criteria. Eligible members may be offered a $20 - $1000 Credit Limit per pay period. Your Credit Limit and Maximum Available Advance will be displayed to you within the Chime app. Your MyPay Credit Limit and Maximum Available Advance may change at any time. See Bancorp MyPay Agreement or Stride MyPay Agreement for details. Instant funds: Option to get funds instantly for a fee of 3% of the advance amount ($2 minimum, $5 maximum) per advance, or get funds for free within 24 hours. See Bancorp MyPay Agreement or Stride MyPay Agreement for details. SpotMe: SpotMe® on Credit is an optional, no interest/no fee overdraft line of credit tied to the Secured Deposit Account. SpotMe on Debit is an optional, no fee service attached to your Chime Checking Account (individually or collectively, "SpotMe"). Eligibility for SpotMe requires $200 or more in qualifying direct deposits to your Chime Checking Account each month. Qualifying members will be allowed to overdraw their Chime Checking Account and/or their Secured Deposit Account up to $20 in total, but may be later eligible for a higher combined limit of up to $200 or more based on member’s Chime account history, direct deposit frequency and amount, spending activity and other risk-based factors. Your SpotMe Limit will be displayed to you within the Chime mobile app. You will receive notice of any changes to your SpotMe Limit. SpotMe for Credit and SpotMe on Debit share a single SpotMe limit. Your SpotMe Limit may change at any time, at Chime or its banking partners’ discretion. Although there are no overdraft fees, there may be out-of-network or third-party fees associated with ATM transactions or OTC cash withdrawal fees at retailers. SpotMe won’t cover non-card transactions, including ACH s, Pay Anyone s, or Chime Checkbook transactions. SpotMe terms and conditions. Early Pay: Early access to direct deposit funds depends on the timing of the submission of the payment file from the payer. We generally make these funds available on the day the payment file is received, which may be up to 2 days earlier than the scheduled payment date. Savings: Chime® Checking Account is required to be eligible for a Savings Account. The 3.75% Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is only available to members with Chime Prime status, otherwise, either the 3.00% APY for members with Chime Plus status or the standard rate of 0.75% APY will apply. The APYs are effective as of 02/26/2026, are variable and may change at any time. No minimum balance required. Must have $0.01 in savings to earn interest. See Chime Membership Tiers Terms and Conditions for more details. Credit Builder: Based on a representative study conducted by Experian® in Sept 2025, the top 10% of members who made their first purchase with Credit Builder, an earlier version of Chime Card, between April and August 2024, observed a FICO® Score 8 increase of 71 points after approximately 8 months. Average increase of 28 points across all participants in the study. Credit score improvement not guaranteed. Paying on time may increase your score, while late payment may decrease your score. Other credit activity can impact your score. Credit score is one of many factors creditors may consider in evaluating credit applications.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.4 Excellent OppLoans Installment Loans	9.4 Excellent	$500 to $5,000	As soon as the same business day	+18 years old, Receive paychecks through direct deposit, $1,500 minimum monthly income, Live in eligible state	Not available in: CO, CT, GA, IA, MD, MA, NY, SD, VT, WV. Comes with the option to change your due date so you won’t fall behind on repayments.	Important information The advertised APR is an estimate based on currently available information, is not final, and is subject to change. If approved, your actual rate will be determined and assigned based on your creditworthiness, income, application information, and other relevant factors. Applications submitted on the OppLoans platform will be originated by one of our bank partners and serviced by OppLoans. Please see the Rates and Terms for details regarding the availability of products in your state of residence. Subject to credit approval and verification. Actual approved loan amount and terms are dependent on our bank partners’ standard underwriting guidelines and credit policies. Funds may be deposited for delivery to your bank via ACH as soon as the same business day if verification is completed and final approval occurs before 12:00 PM CT on a business day. If approval occurs after 12:00 PM CT on a business day or on a non-business day, funds may be delivered as soon as the next business day. Availability of the funds is dependent on how quickly your bank processes the transaction. Installment loan amounts typically range from $500 to $5,000. Annual percentage rate (APR) ranges from 129% to 195%. Installment loan lengths range from 9 to 18 months. Example: A $2,000 installment loan repayable in 9 monthly payments with an APR of 160% would have monthly payments of $394.58. Loan amount, APR, and repayment terms may vary by state, please see https://www.opploans.com/rates-and-terms for additional information. Approval is not guaranteed. If approved, your actual rate will fall within the marketed range of rates, and will be determined and assigned based on your creditworthiness, income, application information, and other relevant factors. Not all applicants will qualify for the lowest available rates. This is an expensive form of credit and you should determine whether the offered product(s) meets your financial needs. OppLoans’ Bank Partners may use credit report information provided by Clarity Services and Experian as part of the application process to determine your creditworthiness. The credit inquiry will appear as a soft credit inquiry on your Experian credit report and a hard credit inquiry on your Clarity report. Therefore it will not affect your FICO credit score. OppLoans and its Bank Partners report customer payment history to the three major credit bureaus. On-time payments may improve credit score.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading
9.4 Excellent Varo Cash Advance	9.4 Excellent	Up to $250 today. Build up to $700 over time with direct deposit at Varo. Average loan: $195. Qualifications Apply.	Instant, once qualified	You must have an active Varo Bank Account with a positive balance, no delinquent Varo Line of Credit or charged off Believe account in prior 6 months. Varo Advance qualification is subject to evaluation of consumer reports and Varo account activity.	Important information Varo Advance qualification is subject to evaluation of consumer reports and Varo account activity. If approved, initial limits range from $20- $250. Unlock higher limits up to $700 over time when you bring your qualifying direct deposit to Varo and build a positive history with us. Negative repayment history may impact credit. Fees range from $1.60 - $100 based on loan amount, and deposits to your Varo Bank Account. Your current limit and applicable fees can be viewed in the Varo App. Qualifying direct deposits are electronic deposits of your paycheck, pension or government benefits (such as Social Security or unemployment) from your employer or government agency to the extent that can be identified. Tax refunds and government stimulus payments, Person-to-Person payments (such as Venmo or Varo to Anyone), and funds deposited using a Varo routing number are not considered a direct deposit.	Go to siteView details Compare product selection Compare	loading

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The Finder Score crunches 3+ types of short-term loans across 65+ lenders. It takes into account the product's interest rate, fees and features, as well as the type of loan eg investor, variable, fixed rate - this gives you a simple score out of 10.

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Frequently asked questions

How does my PTO Balance from Sorbet affect my PTO balance at work?

Sorbet doesn’t technically deduct from your PTO balance at work, but it assumes you’ll most likely repay your loan from your PTO payout when you leave the company. It simply calculates the value of your future PTO payout and allows you to advance a percentage of that amount based on what it thinks you can comfortably pay back.

Does Sorbet get in touch with my employer about my PTO advance?

Sorbet doesn’t contact your employer about your PTO advance. However, it requires you to submit proof of your current PTO balance to be eligible for an advance, usually in the form of your most recent pay stubs.

How can I contact Sorbet if I need help?

Sorbet has multiple communication methods, including chatbot, email and live customer service members. You can chat from the website, email at support@getsorbet.com or call 424-383-5610. This is not a toll-free number.

Can I receive my PTO advance faster?

Funding by ACH transfer is free but could take a few days. If you opt for Sorbet’s expedited transfer, you should receive the funds in minutes, but it’ll cost you 5% of the advance amount.