AbstractIn this paper, we propose delay‐universal or ‘anytime’ code design for multiple access channels. The anytime characteristics of the proposed coding scheme are investigated asymptotically over two different multiple access channels. For the simplest multiple access channel, we derive the analytical delay‐exponent of the proposed code by using mathematical induction technique. Through comparison, we show that the analytical delay‐exponent matches with the delay‐exponent obtained from numerical results. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.