With no warning and an internal email that offered little clarity, the City’s handling of the July 4th payday raises new questions about operations inside City Hall — and Mayor Wu’s ability to manage it.

City of Boston employees are bracing for missed paychecks on Friday, July 4 — a scheduled payday that now appears delayed. Sources tell Mass Daily News that employees have been informed their pay will not arrive until Monday, July 7, leaving many frustrated and caught off guard ahead of the holiday weekend.

Instead of acknowledging the disruption directly, the City issued a vague internal email on Wednesday that appeared to shift responsibility onto the banks.

A Preventable Disruption

Friday, July 4 is a scheduled payday for City workers. Because banks will be closed for the holiday, direct deposits will not go through as expected. Unlike other municipalities that processed payroll early to avoid this exact scenario, Boston did not issue a clear plan in advance.

City's Email Offers No Clarity

The internal email, sent to employees today, July 3, downplayed the issue and offered no direct explanation for the delay. Instead, it framed the disruption as dependent on “your bank’s processing schedule,” stating:

“With the July 4th holiday falling on a pay day, we are aware that the availability of funds may vary according to your bank’s processing schedule.”

It continued:

“If you receive direct deposit, this may affect when funds are available in your account, depending on your bank’s policies. Some banks are processing direct deposits ahead of July 4th. Please contact your bank directly to confirm their policy on federal holiday payment processing.”

At no point did the message confirm that deposits would be delayed or when they would arrive. No specific timeline was offered. Instead, the burden appeared to be placed on employees to chase down answers themselves.

Frustration Inside City Hall

According to inside sources, many City Hall employees are deeply frustrated after being told they will not receive pay until Monday, July 7. Some have called the situation a “huge error.” The lack of a clear timeline in the email only added to the confusion, with some staff unsure whether they’d be paid late — or not at all — heading into the long weekend.

Payroll experts note that when holidays fall on standard paydays, these issues are predictable — and typically addressed through early processing or clear preemptive communication.

A Pattern of Dysfunction?

This payroll disruption comes just 1day after Mass Daily News revealed that a senior City Hall official had been quietly placed on leave following a felony assault and battery arrest — a case that was kept from the public for nearly three months. In both instances, the City’s response has raised serious concerns about transparency and competence inside the Wu administration.

The absence of any public-facing statement about the pay delay only adds to the growing scrutiny over how Mayor Wu is managing operations at City Hall.

With morale already strained, some staff are privately questioning whether leadership failures are becoming routine — not isolated.

Mass Daily News has reached out to City Hall for comment and will update this story as more information becomes available.