COMPAS NEWSLETTER

June 2026

May's Supersized Sessions Offered Extra Helpings of CORE Payroll Knowledge 

Throughout May, future CORE Payroll users joined us for a series of Supersized Office Hours and Study Halls focused on Position Control, Personnel Administration, and Paycheck processes. Rather than our traditional project update and question-and-answer format, these sessions offered a deeper dive into Position Control, Personnel Administration, and Paycheck content areas.

During these sessions, we went through the activity folders, transactions, fields, and more! If you were unable to attend these sessions, you can rewatch them on our office hours page under “2026 Session Slide Decks and Recordings”. 

If you’re still hungry for more knowledge you can also check out our End User Training page for more information on the resources, tools, and job-aids that exist so far!

Based on the response to these sessions, the COMPAS team will be serving up more opportunities for supersized learning in the future. We cannot wait to see you there!

Beyond Transactions: How CORE Payroll Supports End-to-End Processes 

End users who will be completing tasks in CORE Payroll were invited to participate in the project’s first wave of end user training earlier this year. While our training courses focused on how to complete individual transactions, many users have expressed interest in understanding how those transactions fit together within larger business processes. The COMPAS team is developing resources to help connect those dots and provide a clearer picture of future-state operations. 

Many CORE Payroll processes involve multiple roles working together across HR, Payroll, and management teams. Understanding how each step contributes to the overall process helps ensure accurate employee records and payroll outcomes. Deceased pay processing is a perfect example. The COMPAS training team is hard at work designing support resources to help users understand how to execute processes like processing deceased pay processing. Successfully completing this process requires multiple transactions performed by several stakeholders The Deceased Pay Checklist (built in collaboration with CPU and DHR partners) was designed to help state entity professionals complete all the steps in this process. Other examples of end-to-end processes include online checks (formerly known as CHOP checks), external transfers, labor allocation, and time and leave corrections. 

The COMPAS training team will continue to create similar resources to support the execution of end-to-end processes like this one and to provide end users with clarity and insight into future state operations. These resources will be shared through the CORE Operations page under the Human Resources, Pay Management, and Time and Leave topic headings.

In addition to written job aids and checklists, the COMPAS team is exploring opportunities to provide process-focused learning sessions and workshops that walk participants through common end-to-end scenarios. Stay tuned to learn more.

As CORE Payroll moves closer to go-live, we will continue expanding these resources to help users understand not only how to complete transactions, but also how those transactions fit into the broader payroll process. Together, these tools will help build confidence and support a smooth transition to CORE Payroll.

Word Wise

This month’s featured words: Net Pay Distribution

This month’s featured word is Net Pay Distribution (NPD). This is the term that CORE Payroll uses for an employee’s direct deposit instructions. With the Net Pay Distribution transaction, employees can decide how their pay is distributed across one or more bank accounts and establish schedules that meet their individual needs. For example, an employee could direct a percentage of each paycheck to a savings account while depositing the remaining balance into a checking account.Users can submit their distribution preferences as either a percentage or a fixed amount of net pay. They can also choose when those distributions occur. For example, an employee could direct a fixed amount from the first paycheck of each month into a savings account while depositing the remaining pay into a checking account. Employees can create and manage their direct deposit instructions through the new Employee Self-Service (ESS) application. When assistance is needed, Payroll Professionals can also create and manage an employee’s Net Pay Distribution information. This flexibility helps reduce manual effort, supports employee self-service, and makes it easier to keep payroll information accurate and up to date. 

Want to learn more? Visit the COMPAS Crosswalk for a helpful glossary of terms with mappings from CPPS to COMPAS. The COMPAS Acronyms page is also a great resource for decoding the many abbreviations you will see and hear as you explore CORE Payroll.

Did you know that User Acceptance Testing (UAT) launched on June 8? As the COMPAS team continues preparing for go-live, stakeholders have emphasized the importance of system readiness and confidence in future-state operations. UAT is a key step in that journey, providing an opportunity to validate functionality, test business processes, and help ensure CORE Payroll is ready to support day-to-day operations.

Over the next few months, the COMPAS team will be joined by approximately 180 testers from across the state who will be participating in UAT.. This group includes 55 Trail Rangers, who coordinate testing efforts for their entities, and more than 130 Hikers, who execute Position, Personnel, Paycheck, and Reporting scripts and share feedback on their testing experiences.

The testing journey will unfold in three phases:

Phase 1: Integrated System Testing - testers are validating that the basic workflows and functionality are operating correctly. 

Phase 2: End to End Testing - Testers validate that the full Hire-to_retire workflpw is operating as expected and that 3rd party data transactions are funcional.

Phase 3: Blaze Your Own (BYO) Scenario Testing - Agencies bring existing workflows to validate processes unique to specific entity needs and gain system confidence. 

During June, participants will follow pre-scripted test scenarios designed to validate core system functionality. In Phase 2, testing will expand to include end-to-end processes, interfaces, and integrations, introducing additional complexity and helping ensure CORE Payroll works smoothly with connected systems. By Phase 3, Hikers will venture off the beaten path to explore their own real-world business scenarios and confirm that CORE Payroll supports the day-to-day work performed across state entities.

The feedback gathered throughout UAT will play a critical role in helping the COMPAS team identify configuration improvements, validate system readiness, and prepare for a successful implementation. We are grateful to our Trail Rangers and Hikers for helping chart the path forward. If you have questions about UAT or other project activities, please contact the COMPAS team at SoC_COMPAS@state.co.us.

Important Reminder If you plan to attend any upcoming COMPAS Study Hall for Position Control, Personnel Administration, Paycheck Management, or Deduction Management, please register using this form.

We'd Love to Hear From You

Have ideas for future newsletter topics or office hours? Is there something you'd like to hear more about?  We are all ears.  Your feedback helps shape content that matters to you. corepayroll.help@state.co.us