Booz Allen and PagerDuty Lead 2026 Payroll Excellence Awards

Booz Allen Hamilton took the top prize for Overall Payroll Best Practices after automating 98% of its data flow, a shift that cut the company’s processing cycle from five days to three and reduced overpayments by 60%. This shift away from arrears-based pay resulted in $700,000 in annual savings. Other winners focused heavily on global modernization, with PagerDuty streamlining operations across five countries to reduce processing hours by 45%.

Technological innovation defined the remaining category winners. Lithia & Driveway earned recognition for automating its reconciliation process, a move expected to reclaim 5,000 work hours and save $130,000 yearly. Meanwhile, GCE Global Solutions overhauled its management model, lowering payroll escalation cycles by 45%. Executive director Dan Maddux noted that these wins emphasize the measurable impact of cross-departmental collaboration in an era of tightening compliance demands. TFI International received an honorable mention for its contributions to the field during the Payroll Leaders Conference.