Dayforce
by Dayforce, Inc. · HCM Extensions
Unified global HCM platform for HR, payroll, workforce management and talent.
Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral.
- Works with
NetSuite
Microsoft Dynamics 365
SAP- Deployment
- Cloud
- Company size
- Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
- Pricing
- Quote-based / per-employee subscription
- Founded
- 1992
- Headquarters
- Minneapolis, United States (co-headquartered in Toronto, Canada)
Overview
Dayforce (formerly Ceridian, rebranded in February 2024) is a cloud human capital management platform that combines HR, payroll, workforce management, talent management and people analytics on a single application and data model. Its signature technical feature is continuous payroll calculation, which recalculates pay as time and other inputs are captured rather than in a single batch run, so payroll data stays current throughout the pay period.
The platform covers global payroll and tax filing in more than 200 countries and territories, employee scheduling and labor forecasting, time and attendance, absence management, recruiting and onboarding, performance and compensation management, learning, and advanced reporting. Dayforce Wallet, an embedded on-demand pay feature, lets employees access earned but unpaid wages before payday; Dayforce reports it has delivered more than $4 billion in payroll through on-demand pay, early direct deposit and paycard since launch. Dayforce has been named a Leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Cloud HCM Suites for six consecutive years (through 2025).
Dayforce targets organizations from roughly 100 employees up through large multinational enterprises (12,000+ employees), across retail and hospitality, manufacturing, financial services, public sector, professional and business services, and sports and entertainment. It connects to finance/ERP systems for GL posting and employee-lifecycle sync through Dayforce Integration Studio (a low-code, API/event-based integration builder) and published apps on the Dayforce Exchange partner marketplace, including listings for NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and SAP SuccessFactors/SAP Payroll.
Screenshots & demo
Demo video from the vendor's YouTube channel. Screenshots sourced from Dayforce, Inc..
Features & capabilities
Global Payroll
Continuous-calculation payroll and tax filing across 200+ countries and territories.
- Continuous pay calculation as time and pay-affecting data are entered
- Payroll and tax filing coverage in 200+ countries and territories
- Built-in compliance rules engine with dedicated regulatory monitoring
- Compliance risk assessment and error reporting
- General ledger reporting and tax documentation
- Managed Payroll Services option
- Dayforce Wallet on-demand pay, early direct deposit and paycard
HR & People Management
Core HR system of record with employee self-service.
- HR information management and employee records
- Document management
- People Experience employee self-service hub
- Employee and managed benefits administration
- Mobile app for employees and managers (iOS and Android)
- People Directory and organizational data
Workforce Management
Scheduling, time tracking and labor planning tied directly to payroll.
- AI-assisted scheduling weighing demand, labor budget, employee preferences and rules
- Predictive labor forecasting from historical, trend and seasonal data
- Time and attendance tracking with physical and virtual time clocks
- Absence management
- Shift bidding, shift trades and self-service availability updates
- Labor planning and task management
- Real-time labor budget and net-pay visibility tied to the schedule
Talent Management
Attract, develop and retain talent within the same platform.
- Recruiting and applicant tracking
- Onboarding
- Performance management with development plans and goal tracking
- Compensation management
- Succession planning
- Learning management
- Career Explorer internal-mobility tool
- Employee engagement surveys
Analytics, AI & Integration
Reporting, AI-assisted automation and integration tooling.
- Advanced/custom reporting
- People Analytics workforce dashboards
- Dayforce AI automation and insights features
- Dayforce Integration Studio low-code integration builder (pre-built and custom connectors)
- Dayforce Exchange partner/app marketplace
- APIs and event-driven data feeds (Dayforce HCM Anywhere API)
Common use cases
- Consolidating global payroll for a multinational workforce onto a single continuous-calculation engine across 200+ countries
- Building AI-assisted, demand-driven shift schedules for a multi-location retail, hospitality or manufacturing workforce
- Giving hourly and shift employees on-demand access to earned wages via Dayforce Wallet to improve retention
- Running HR, benefits administration and employee self-service from one system of record instead of siloed point tools
- Managing recruiting, onboarding, performance and succession planning inside the same platform used for pay and time
- Posting payroll and employee-lifecycle data into NetSuite or Microsoft Dynamics 365 through a published Dayforce Exchange connector
- Using the low-code Dayforce Integration Studio to build custom feeds into benefits carriers, GL systems or other third-party platforms
Strengths & considerations
Strengths
- Continuous payroll calculation that recalculates pay as time and other inputs are captured, rather than only in a discrete batch run
- Single data model spanning HR, payroll, workforce management, talent and analytics rather than acquired, loosely-joined modules
- Dayforce Wallet on-demand pay is natively embedded in payroll and has delivered more than $4 billion in payroll to date
- Named a Leader in Gartner's Magic Quadrant for Cloud HCM Suites for six consecutive years (through 2025)
- Dayforce Integration Studio and the Dayforce Exchange marketplace provide low-code and pre-built routes to connect finance/ERP systems
ERP integrations
Dayforce Payroll and HCM app published through Oracle NetSuite's SuiteCloud Developer Network; syncs the employee lifecycle between Dayforce and NetSuite.
Dayforce-published integration listed on the Dayforce Exchange partner marketplace.
Standard Dayforce-built connector syncing employee HR data from SAP SuccessFactors to Dayforce; a separate connector routes SAP Payroll output to Dayforce/Ceridian Tax Services for tax filing.
Pricing
Dayforce does not publish pricing on its own marketing site (demo/contact-sales only). A per-user monthly price range was published in Dayforce's UK Government Digital Marketplace (G-Cloud) supplier listing; actual pricing depends on modules selected, employee count and services. Data extract fees apply on contract termination. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.
Technical & security
- Hosting
- SaaS (multi-tenant)
- Compliance
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001
- Mobile app
- Yes
- Languages
- English
About the vendor
- Founded
- 1992
- Headquarters
- Minneapolis, United States (co-headquartered in Toronto, Canada)
- Employees
- ~9,600
- Ownership
- Private (acquired by Thoma Bravo, with a minority investment from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, in a deal that closed February 4, 2026 for approximately US$12.3 billion; previously publicly traded as NYSE/TSX: DAY)
- Notable customers
- Danone, Gannett, BlackRock, Costa Coffee, Spirit AeroSystems, Caleres, City of Columbus
Alternatives to Dayforce in HCM Extensions
Dayforce — frequently asked questions
Does Dayforce integrate with NetSuite?
Yes. Dayforce publishes a NetSuite integration app, built through Oracle NetSuite's SuiteCloud Developer Network, that syncs employee-lifecycle data between the two systems.
Does Dayforce integrate with Microsoft Dynamics 365 or SAP?
Dayforce lists a Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration app and SAP SuccessFactors / SAP Payroll connectors on its own Dayforce Exchange partner marketplace. Custom finance/ERP feeds can also be built with the low-code Dayforce Integration Studio.
How is Dayforce priced?
Dayforce does not publish pricing on its main website; the standard route is a demo or sales quote. Its UK Government G-Cloud supplier listing shows a published range of roughly £12.75 to £30.00 per person per month, with no free trial offered.
Who owns Dayforce now?
Dayforce is privately owned by Thoma Bravo, which completed a roughly US$12.3 billion acquisition (with a minority investment from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority) on February 4, 2026. It previously traded publicly on the NYSE and Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker DAY.
Is there a Dayforce mobile app?
Yes. The Dayforce mobile app lets employees clock in/out, view schedules and pay, request time off and access Dayforce Wallet, while managers can approve timesheets, shift trades and time-off requests from the same app.
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