Type · algorithmic
Implement a rate limiter for API requests. Assume requests come in as a stream of (user_id, timestamp). The rate limiter should allow at most N requests per user per minute. Return true if the request is allowed, false otherwise.
How to Pass the Payhawk Software Engineer Interview in 2026
The Payhawk DNA (TL;DR)
At Payhawk, the interview process scrutinizes a candidate's ability to navigate complex financial workflows and contribute to a rapidly evolving global product. Interviewers look for evidence of precise execution and strategic thinking, particularly how one would enhance features like Global Payments.
The Payhawk Interview Loop
Your onsite loop will typically consist of 5 rounds.
- 1
Round 1
Recruiter ScreenMotivation, role fit, logistics. - 2
Round 2
Coding ScreenLeetCode-medium algorithmic problems under time pressure. - 3
Round 3
System DesignDistributed systems, trade-offs at scale, architecture under constraints. - 4
Round 4
Onsite CodingLeetCode-hard, debugging, code clarity, edge cases. - 5
Round 5
Behavioral / LeadershipPast evidence of ownership, influence, resolving conflict.
The Danger Zone: Top Reasons Candidates Fail
Based on our database of Payhawk interview outcomes, avoid these common traps:
- Failing to address how to handle evolving definitions of 'duplicate' or new types of data.
- Describing a task that was part of their job description.
- Inefficiently calculating total spending per user.
- Assuming perfect OCR accuracy and not planning for error correction or manual review.
Get the full Payhawk playbook, free
Every round, the exact grading rubric interviewers score against, all the questions, and unlimited mock-interview practice. Free account, no credit card.
Test Yourself: Real Payhawk Questions
Three real prompts pulled from our database.
Type · design
Design a system to detect duplicate expense reports. Assume expense reports can contain text descriptions, amounts, dates, and attached receipts (which we can treat as unique IDs for now). Consider scalability and potential for false positives/negatives.
Type · code-quality
Refactor this piece of code [provide a moderately complex, poorly written function related to financial calculations, e.g., currency conversion with potential precision issues] to improve its readability, maintainability, and robustness. Explain your changes and the trade-offs involved.
+ many more questions, signals, and worked examples
Sign up to unlock the full Payhawk grading rubric
Payhawk Interview Question Bank
A sample from our database, grouped by round. Sign up to see the full set.
9 of 14 questions shown
1
Recruiter Screen
1- 1
Type · motivation
What interests you about Payhawk specifically, and how do you see your skills in software engineering contributing to our mission of simplifying business spending for SMEs?
2
Coding Screen
3- 2
Type · algorithmic
Given a list of transactions, each with a timestamp, amount, and category, write a function to calculate the total spending per category within a given time range. Optimize for performance if the list of transactions is very large. - 3
Type · algorithmic
Implement a rate limiter for API requests. Assume requests come in as a stream of (user_id, timestamp). The rate limiter should allow at most N requests per user per minute. Return true if the request is allowed, false otherwise. - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
3
System Design
3- 4
Type · design
Design a system to detect duplicate expense reports. Assume expense reports can contain text descriptions, amounts, dates, and attached receipts (which we can treat as unique IDs for now). Consider scalability and potential for false positives/negatives. - 5
Type · design
Design a notification service for Payhawk. Users should receive notifications for various events like 'card limit reached', 'new invoice received', 'payment due soon'. Consider different channels (in-app, email, SMS) and user preferences. - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
4
Onsite Coding
3- 6
Type · algorithmic
Implement a function that takes a list of user IDs and their associated transaction amounts, and returns the top K users by total spending. Handle cases where users have multiple transactions. Ensure the solution is efficient for large K and large numbers of users. - 7
Type · code-quality
Refactor this piece of code [provide a moderately complex, poorly written function related to financial calculations, e.g., currency conversion with potential precision issues] to improve its readability, maintainability, and robustness. Explain your changes and the trade-offs involved. - + 1 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
5
Behavioral / Leadership
4- 8
Type · ownership
Tell me about a time you encountered a significant technical challenge or bug in a production system that was impacting users. What steps did you take to diagnose, resolve, and prevent recurrence? - 9
Type · collaboration
Describe a situation where you had a technical disagreement with a colleague or team lead regarding a design decision or implementation approach. How did you handle it, and what was the outcome? - + 2 more questions in this round (sign up to unlock)
Unlock all 14 Payhawk questions, free
No credit card. Every question with its framework, the grading signals interviewers score against, and a worked answer for each.
Interview tracks at Payhawk
How Payhawk's DNA translates across functions. Pick your role.
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Practice Payhawk interviews end-to-end
Payhawk Mock Interview
Run a live mock interview with our AI interviewer using Payhawk-style prompts. Get scored on structure, signal, and answer length - exactly how the real loop grades you.
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STAR Stories for Payhawk Behavioral Rounds
Build a Story Bank of your past wins, mapped to the leadership signals Payhawk interviewers grade on. Reuse them across every behavioral round.
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Payhawk Interview Prep Hub
The frameworks behind every Payhawk round: CIRCLES for product sense, hypothesis-driven debugging for analytical, STAR for behavioral. Learn each one in 10 minutes.
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Interview Frameworks
CIRCLES, STAR, AARRR, RICE, MECE. The exact frameworks that make Payhawk interviewers nod instead of frown. Step-by-step playbooks with the moves and the pitfalls.
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Sample answers
What a strong answer to these Payhawk interview questions shows.
Implement a rate limiter for API requests. Assume requests come in as a stream of (user_id, timestamp). The rate limiter should allow at most N requests per user per minute. Return true if the request is allowed, false otherwise.
A strong answer shows: Uses appropriate data structures (e.g., hash map of lists/queues) to store user request timestamps.; Correctly implements logic to check request count within the time window.; Addresses potential concurrency issues (e.g., using locks or atomic operations).; Includes a mechanism for pruning old entries to manage memory..
Design a system to detect duplicate expense reports. Assume expense reports can contain text descriptions, amounts, dates, and attached receipts (which we can treat as unique IDs for now). Consider scalability and potential for false positives/negatives.
A strong answer shows: Proposes a multi-stage approach (e.g., initial filtering, then more detailed comparison).; Considers different similarity metrics for text (e.g., fuzzy matching, embeddings) and amounts.; Discusses strategies for handling receipts (e.g., hashing, metadata comparison).; Addresses scalability concerns (e.g., indexing, distributed processing).; Considers trade-offs between precision and recall..
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