WASHINGTON â€" Everyone looks forward to payday. But for about 40,000 federal employees, Friday’s regular payroll deposits never materialized.
A mistake by the payroll center that serves 23 federal agencies meant that paychecks were not deposited into bank accounts on Friday as they usually are. Officials at the Interior Business Center, a part of the Interior Department, apologized in a statement and assured employees that their paychecks would appear in their accounts on Tuesday.
“I.B.C. knows that this is a serious matter for those affected and sincerely regrets any inconveniences the error may have caused,†Michael Fernandez, a spokesman for the Interior Business Center, said in the statement.
The biggest problems for the employees are likely to be bounced checks or other overdrafts from automatic withdrawals. The payroll center’s statement acknowledged those issues but said federal rules limited what officials could do to help.
“The federal government may not compensate employees for overdraft or other financial institution fees,†Mr. Fernandez wrote, “but I.B.C. can provide written confirmation that the errors occurred outside of the employee’s control and make requests on behalf of the employee that the financial institutions waive any resulting fees.â€
