Payroll system rollout left hundreds unpaid across Navajo Nation

A new payroll system implemented by the Navajo Nation left roughly 600 employees out of nearly 5,000 with missed, under, or overpayments following a Jan. 8 rollout, officials said. The disruption has prompted immediate correction efforts and a promise of additional training as leaders move to modernize long-standing paper-based procedures.

Officials acknowledged the pain caused by the transition. "Change is rarely comfortable, especially when it touches something as personal and essential as payroll," the Nation's statement said, and added that teams were "working as quickly and efficiently as possible with each of our divisions to process payroll for individuals who did not get paid, were underpaid, or overpaid." Some checks were disbursed the day after the rollout while fixes for others remained underway.

Teams from the Department of Personnel Management, the Division of Human Resources, the Payroll Office within the Office of the Controller, and external Dayforce consultants were mobilized to address root causes and restore operations. Planned actions include payroll corrections such as off-cycle payroll and adjustments, updates to organizational structures so reporting lines are accurate, restored manager and employee visibility in the system, strengthened support processes to improve response times, and clearer, consistent communication to employees.

Leaders framed the shift as necessary to replace unsustainable paper time sheets and bring transparency and accountability. "Dayforce was implemented to improve payroll accuracy, transparency, and accountability across the Nation," the statement said, and officials stressed the long-term benefits despite current growing pains. "This is a major step forward, and the remaining issues will be fixed so no employee is left behind."

For Apache County residents who work for the Navajo Nation or depend on its services, the immediate impact is financial and operational. Missed paychecks affect household bills and local spending at businesses in towns such as St. Johns and Springerville, and payroll errors can slow county-facing services that rely on predictable staffing. Officials said DPM will continue to provide Dayforce training to help employees and supervisors with time entry, approvals, and payroll processes, and that information and training materials are available on the DPM website under the ERP tab.

The Nation reported that while 600 affected employees is significant, the system worked for the vast majority of the workforce. Officials also acknowledged shortcomings in the rollout. "I recognize that this rollout has fallen short of what our employees deserve," the statement said, and thanked staff for their patience.

The takeaway? If you were affected, document your time records, contact your supervisor, and check the DPM ERP page for updates and training. Modernizing payroll is necessary for long-term efficiency, but the transition must be managed so people do not bear the cost of system change. Our two cents? Hold officials to clear timelines for corrections and keep copies of your timesheets until the new system proves reliable.