Stormont Education Minister Michelle McIlveen has pressed the Education Authority to process emergency payments to substitute teachers.
An estimated 300 substitute teachers in Northern Ireland have had issues with pay amid difficulties around the implementation of a new system.
A joint letter from the Department of Education and the Education Authority (EA) to schools on Wednesday evening noted a "number of issues recently regarding the implementation of a new NISTR system and the timely payment of temporary teachers".
READ MORE: Cost of living: NI's most vulnerable pupils are 'facing a crisis this winter'
It said the department and the EA are working intensively with stakeholder groups to ensure immediate steps are taken to ensure staff are paid as a matter of urgency.
The letter said: "In the current exceptional circumstances, particularly in light of the cost-of-living crisis, the minister has asked the EA to process interim emergency payments to all of the individual teachers impacted and, if any subsequent adjustments are necessary, these will be made within future payrolls when the bookings are included in the file."
Ms McIlveen said: "I am conscious of a number of issues recently regarding the implementation of a new NISTR system and the timely payment of temporary teachers.
"Given the current exceptional circumstances, particularly in light of the cost-of-living crisis, I have asked the Education Authority to process interim emergency payments to all of the individual teachers impacted."
Justin McCamphill, NASUWT national official for Northern Ireland, said the move "while overdue is nevertheless welcome".
"Hundreds of substitute teachers have endured misery over the past few weeks not knowing if they will get paid for the work which they carried out in September while many weren't paid for their work in August," he said.
"It is important that these teachers are paid the full amount due as many have not received any income since July and are struggling during the cost-of-living crisis.
"The NASUWT have been warning for weeks that we were heading for disaster after many teachers were not paid last month.
"Substitute teachers have been treated abysmally during this episode. They have had to spend endless hours waiting to get through to EA and DE staff only to find out that one was blaming the other. Many couldn't get through on the phone lines at all.
"The letter from EA and DE appears to lay the blame at schools while there is little acknowledgement of their own failures.
"It is important that after the payments are made that an independent investigation examines the introduction of the new NISTR system and the interactions with the DE pay team so that substitute teachers and schools can have a system that has their full confidence."
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