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New poll: Millions of Americans are making difficult decisions due to avoidable payroll errors

OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 16, 2022) — Payroll errors cause nearly 1 in 5 American adults to take drastic financial actions, according to a poll conducted by Morning Consult for Paycom Software Inc. (NYSE:PAYC), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software.

Additionally, the polling of 2,210 U.S. adults found nearly 6 in 10 Americans would have difficulty paying bills and making purchases if just $100 were missing from their check.

“Many Americans find themselves financially stretched, especially around the holidays, and this data underpins the importance of perfect payrolls,” said Chad Richison, Paycom’s founder and CEO. “Workers should not have to choose between food and medicine because of an unnecessary payroll error, which is why it is important they have access to find and fix errors before their payroll is ever run.”

Payroll challenges negatively impact Americans’ ability to stay afloat 

According to the poll, 1 out of 5 Americans has experienced at least one payroll error in the last year, and 80% were forced to take action, including those who had to:

  • skip utility bill payments
  • overdraw their checking accounts
  • forgo groceries
  • miss rent, mortgage, loan and/or credit card payments

Finances of the vast majority of Americans are impacted negatively by errors

The vast majority of Americans (86%) would feel detrimental effects if they lost one check, and:

  • 82% of Americans say they would have difficulty paying bills if more than $500 were missing from their check.
  • 58% would struggle paying bills and making purchases if just $100 were missing.
  • 40% are vulnerable to poverty if they miss one check, meaning they would experience two high-impact results, such as the inability to pay for groceries, missing bills/rent or overdrawing accounts.

Imperfect payrolls sour employee-employer relationships

With employers looking to improve retention, the polling offered a sobering figure: 7 out of 10 workers said missing a check impacts job satisfaction.

The good news: nearly all workers polled said the ability to check and fix errors before payday would positively affect them personally and/or professionally.

Paycom’s Beti®, the self-service payroll solution, guides employees to find and fix payroll errors before submission.

Methodology page: https://www.paycom.com/resources/

About Paycom
Paycom Software, Inc. (NYSE: PAYC) is a cloud-based human capital management software provider that allows organizations of all sizes across the U.S. and internationally to set numerous HR and payroll tasks to “automatic” through employee-first technology. Built on a truly single database, Paycom’s full-solution automation manages the entire employment life cycle, helping organizations streamline processes and improve data accuracy. With its industry-first AI engine, IWant™, Paycom provides instant access to accurate employee data without requiring users to navigate or learn the software. For over 25 years, Paycom has been repeatedly recognized by third party reviewers as a leading payroll and HCM solution.