Summary and recommendation
Workday supports SCIM, but with a crucial caveat: it's designed primarily as an HR source system that provisions to other applications, not as a destination for inbound provisioning. While Workday does support inbound SCIM for specific use cases like Strategic Sourcing, the integration requires Enterprise-level pricing ($100-200/employee/year, typically $100K-500K annually) and mandates SSO configuration—without SSO, SCIM requests return 403 Forbidden errors.
This creates a complex identity architecture challenge. Most organizations use Workday as their authoritative HR system, meaning employee data flows from Workday to their IdP and other applications. When you need to provision users into Workday (for contractors, vendors, or non-employee access), you're working against the typical data flow, requiring expensive bidirectional sync capabilities and extensive integration work that can take months to implement properly.
The strategic alternative
Stitchflow provides SCIM-level provisioning through resilient browser automation for Workday without the architectural complexity or enterprise pricing requirements. We handle the bidirectional sync challenges and work with any IdP configuration. Flat pricing under $5K/year, regardless of employee count or Workday edition.
Quick SCIM facts
| SCIM available? | Yes |
| SCIM tier required | Enterprise |
| SSO required first? | Yes |
| SSO available? | Yes |
| SSO protocol | SAML 2.0 |
| Documentation | Official docs |
Supported identity providers
| IdP | SSO | SCIM | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okta | ✓ | ✓ | OIN app with full provisioning |
| Microsoft Entra ID | ✓ | ✓ | Gallery app with SCIM |
| Google Workspace | ✓ | JIT only | SAML SSO with just-in-time provisioning |
| OneLogin | ✓ | ✓ | Supported |
The cost of not automating
Without SCIM (or an alternative like Stitchflow), your IT team manages Workday accounts manually. Here's what that costs:
The Workday pricing problem
Workday gates SCIM provisioning behind premium plans, forcing significant cost increases for basic user management.
Tier comparison
| Plan | Price | SSO | SCIM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | $100-200/employee/year (custom quote) |
Plan Structure
| Plan | Price | SCIM |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise | $100-200/employee/year (custom quote) | ✓ |
Note: Workday operates on custom enterprise pricing with no standardized tiers. SCIM API access requires SSO to be configured first - without SSO, SCIM requests return 403 Forbidden errors.
What this means in practice
For organizations needing Workday provisioning capabilities:
| Employee Count | Annual Cost Estimate |
|---|---|
| 500 employees | $100,000 - $250,000/year |
| 1,000 employees | $200,000 - $400,000/year |
| 2,000 employees | $400,000 - $500,000/year |
The wide pricing range reflects Workday's complex, customized implementation and licensing model.
Additional constraints
Summary of challenges
- Workday supports SCIM but only at Enterprise tier ($100-200/employee/year (custom quote))
- Google Workspace users get JIT provisioning only, not full SCIM
- Our research shows teams manually provisioning this app spend significant hidden costs annually
What the upgrade actually includes
Workday doesn't sell SCIM as a standalone feature. It's part of their enterprise HR platform with custom pricing:
Here's the reality: Workday is typically the source system that provisions users TO other applications, not the destination. Most organizations use Workday to manage employee lifecycles and push that data to their IdP and other business apps.
Stitchflow Insight
If you just need inbound SCIM provisioning to Workday (rare), you're paying $100K-500K annually for an enterprise HR platform. We estimate ~90% of Workday's capabilities are irrelevant for teams that only need user provisioning into the application.
What IT admins are saying
Community sentiment on Workday's SCIM implementation reflects confusion about its role and high implementation costs. Common complaints:
- Complex enterprise pricing that requires custom quotes starting at $100K+/year
- Confusing bi-directional provisioning setup where Workday is often the source, not destination
- SCIM API access requiring SSO to be configured first, creating chicken-and-egg problems
- Extensive integration effort needed to get provisioning workflows working correctly
Workday's integration complexity is next level - you need a dedicated team just to figure out which direction the data should flow.
The pricing conversation alone takes months, and then you find out you need professional services on top of the license fees.
The recurring theme
Workday's enterprise-only SCIM access comes with massive complexity and cost barriers, making it accessible only to large organizations with dedicated integration teams and six-figure budgets.
The decision
| Your Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Need provisioning TO Workday from your IdP | Use Stitchflow: avoid enterprise pricing and complex SSO prerequisites |
| Already paying enterprise Workday pricing | Evaluate native SCIM: but expect significant integration complexity |
| Workday is your HR source, provisioning FROM it | Focus on outbound integrations: SCIM TO other apps is the priority |
| Small HR team, occasional new hires | Manual provisioning may work: but monitor for compliance gaps |
| Need bidirectional sync with multiple systems | Use Stitchflow: we handle the complex data flows and API requirements |
The bottom line
Workday's SCIM requires enterprise pricing ($100K-500K/year) plus mandatory SSO configuration, creating a high barrier for inbound provisioning. For organizations that need to provision users INTO Workday without the enterprise commitment, Stitchflow delivers the automation at a fraction of the cost.
Automate Workday without the tier upgrade
Stitchflow delivers SCIM-level provisioning through resilient browser automation, backed by 24/7 human in the loop for Workday at <$5K/year, flat, regardless of team size.
Technical specifications
SCIM Version
2.0
Supported Operations
Create, Update, Deactivate, Groups
Supported Attributes
Not specifiedPlan requirement
Enterprise
Prerequisites
SSO must be configured first
Key limitations
- SCIM API requires SSO to be configured
- Without SSO, SCIM requests get 403 Forbidden
- Complex integration - often Workday is the HR source, not destination
Configuration for Okta
Integration type
Okta Integration Network (OIN) app with SCIM provisioning
Prerequisite
SSO must be configured before enabling SCIM.
Where to enable
Required credentials
SCIM endpoint URL and bearer token (generated in app admin console).
Configuration steps
Enable Create Users, Update User Attributes, and Deactivate Users.
Provisioning trigger
Okta provisions based on app assignments (users or groups).
Workday often serves as HR source, provisioning TO Okta and other apps. Supports bi-directional sync.
Native SCIM is available on Enterprise. Use Stitchflow if you need provisioning without the tier upgrade.
Configuration for Entra ID
Integration type
Microsoft Entra Gallery app with SCIM provisioning
Prerequisite
SSO must be configured before enabling SCIM.
Where to enable
Required credentials
Tenant URL (SCIM endpoint) and Secret token (bearer token from app admin console).
Configuration steps
Set Provisioning Mode = Automatic, configure SCIM connection.
Provisioning trigger
Entra provisions based on user/group assignments to the enterprise app.
Sync behavior
Entra provisioning runs on a scheduled cycle (typically every 40 minutes).
Supports inbound provisioning from Workday to Entra ID/AD for employee lifecycle management.
Native SCIM is available on Enterprise. Use Stitchflow if you need provisioning without the tier upgrade.
Unlock SCIM for
Workday
Workday gates automation behind Enterprise plan. Stitchflow delivers the same SCIM outcomes for a flat fee.
See how it works


