New payroll system at State Dept causing diplomats in war zones to go unpaid: report

A payroll system adopted by the State Department last year is causing diplomats overseas — including some employees in war zones — to go unpaid, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Last year, the State Department transitioned its payroll system from mainframe computers to the cloud, leading many staffers to say they are now spending time tracking down payments instead of doing their jobs. Employees around the world have reported missing paychecks, missing vacation times and pay differentials failing to go through.

Former department staffer Patrick Ellsworth told the Journal that his first paycheck failed to be deposited after he completed a tour of Pakistan, almost causing him to miss his mortgage payments. Ellsworth quit the State Department this year, with many payment issues still outstanding.

“Russia is at war and people are wasting time on making sure they’re getting paid,” said Ellsworth.

The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.

According to the Journal, the new payment system being used by the State Department was developed by an outside contractor named SOS International LLC.

“We understand how sensitive the issue of pay is and are deeply committed to supporting CGFS to provide the quality service that our diplomats and their families serving in distant and often challenging environments deserve,” SOS International Chief Executive Julian Seitan told the Journal in a statement.

One senior State Department official told the newspaper that the department regretted the issues that employees have experienced due to the payroll system.

“We don’t want to be creating any additional stress for colleagues in war zones and deeply regret if that’s happening,” they said.