Delivering a modern, accurate and secure payroll solution to professionals who serve the employees of the State of Colorado
Modernizing the Payroll System for the State of Colorado
Project Overview and Mission
We aim to replace the state's legacy mainframe payroll system with a modern cloud-based solution.
Through this effort, the Payroll Implementation Team strives to:
Reduce manual processes and increase task efficiency for payroll, finance, and HR professionals in state agencies
Improve data integrity and increase data security
Standardize business processes across agencies and departments, aligning processes with HR best practices and law statewide
Continue to provide the state's 36,000+ employees with accurate and timely pay
Environment Status
The COMPAS test environment (MA1) is available for use today. The data is from 10/27/2025 (103) which is in FY26.
When creating transactions, please use effective dates between 07/01/2025 and 10/01/2025 for best results.
Important notes regarding data within COMPAS transactions:
Employee Status Maintenance - Pay Parameter From date must match or be later than the transaction From date
Position Status Maintenance - transaction From date must match or be later than the associated Labor Distribution Profile; Home Department must match Home Department of associated LDPR
Labor Distribution Profile - transaction From date must match or be earlier than the associated position Position Status Maintenance date; Home Department must match Home Department of associated PSMT
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Note: The 'Forgot Password' link in the COMPAS Test Environment will not generate an email at this time. Please send password reset requests to corepayroll.help for assistance.
Current Work Overview
The COMPAS team continues to make steady progress toward implementation, with several important activities taking place this summer. Here’s a look at what’s happening now:
Go-Live Timing – The number one question we hear is: “When is go-live?” The payroll modernization team is actively working with our vendor and state leadership to identify a realistic implementation window. While a final date has not been announced, we are currently evaluating timing that allows for thorough testing and avoids peak workload periods for our partners across the state. As soon as a date is confirmed, we will share it broadly.
Summer Training Is in Progress – Interested in learning more about CORE Payroll? Join one of our study halls or refresher training sessions taking place throughout the summer. Check the COMPAS Project Calendar for upcoming dates. New sessions will be added each month. Training is designed to continue building confidence and readiness for go-live, with topics becoming increasingly detailed as implementation approaches and future-state business processes are finalized.
UAT Testing Under Way – In early June, 180 Hikers (testers) from all impacted entities across the state joined the COMPAS team to begin User Acceptance Testing (UAT). UAT allows future users to validate system functionality, test business processes, and help ensure CORE Payroll is ready to support day-to-day operations. During the current phase, participants are executing Position, Personnel, Paycheck, and Reporting test scenarios and providing feedback. Future rounds of testing will include end-to-end processes, integrations, and more complex real-world business scenarios. Feedback gathered during UAT plays a critical role in validating system readiness and identifying opportunities for refinement before go-live.
Mock Cutover Drills Are Taking Place – Before go-live, the COMPAS team must successfully convert payroll data from the State’s current systems into CORE Payroll. Mock cutover drills serve as dress rehearsals for this process. During each drill, the team practices converting data, validating results, testing system processes, and identifying improvements to the overall conversion approach. The team is currently completing its third mock cutover exercise, which includes testing how payroll functions operate within the current CORE application following conversion. Each drill helps refine the process, reduce implementation risk, and build confidence that the transition to CORE Payroll will be as smooth as possible.
Questions? Reach out to us at corepayroll.help@state.co.us. We’re here to help!
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