Employees of luxury retailer Barneys New York got a jolt on Friday when their paychecks failed to hit their bank accounts.

As speculation swirls around the swanky retailer’s financial woes, rank-and-file workers say they feared the worst when they didn’t get paid last week.

“Barneys did not pay employees Friday,” a tipster told The Post. “I think it’s almost over for @BarneysNY,” another observer tweeted. “I heard none of their managers received their direct deposits today.”

As it turns out, employees were paid — but with paper checks, a spokesperson for the troubled department store chain said in a statement.

“On Friday, Barneys New York’s payroll provider experienced a technical issue as it attempted to deliver employee payroll. Barneys New York provided all employees hard paychecks,” the company said.

Barney’s payroll company, ADP, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The payroll snafu comes as industry insiders predict that the retailer — whose rent at its Madison Avenue flagship tripled this year to $46 million — will file for bankruptcy as soon as this week as vendors stop shipping merchandise to the cash-strapped company.

Controlled by hedge-fund mogul Richard Perry, Barneys has been struggling to pay its expenses after its Big Apple rent skyrocketed in January, leading the company to publicly acknowledge that it’s “evaluating opportunities” to strengthen its balance sheet.

As The Post reported last week, Barneys boss Daniella Vitale has been meeting with potential buyers in hopes of staving off bankruptcy, but other big retailers have largely said no thanks, including Macy’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue owner Hudson’s Bay, according to two sources.