# Federal Agencies Experience Payroll Delays for Transferring Employees

Federal employees transferring between agencies serviced by the National Finance Center (NFC) face delays in receiving pay due to differing payroll processing schedules and settlement dates. NFC agencies typically have a direct deposit settlement day on Monday and an official pay date on Thursday, causing paychecks to arrive 9 to 12 days after the pay period ends. As a result, transferred employees often receive payment from their previous agency for several weeks before payments from the new agency begin, creating potential cash flow challenges.

- Procurement and HR professionals should account for these payroll timing discrepancies when managing employee transfers to avoid financial disruptions.
- Agencies may need to coordinate with NFC and Treasury to explore options for streamlining payroll processing or mitigating payment delays.
- Contractors providing payroll or financial management services should consider solutions that address inter-agency transfer payment timing to improve employee satisfaction.
- Understanding these delays is critical for budgeting and workforce planning, especially in agencies with frequent personnel movements.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Professional Services
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 26, 2026

### Government Entities
- National Finance Center (NFC)
- Department of Labor
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Department of the Treasury (Treasury)

### Key Quotes
> I've never gotten paid the week immediately after a pay period ended (for that pay period). It's always 1-2 weeks later. So it should still be your old agency unless your pay timeline works differently.
> — Commenter

> Every agency and their respective payroll provider have their own official direct deposit/EFT settlement date and official pay date.
> — Original poster

### Sources
- [Pay after transferring](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1wqccb0/pay_after_transferring) - reddit-fedemployees