Q: Installing macOS Sierra results in the error message "The installer payload failed signature check"

I was having similar issue with 'The installer payload failed signature check'. SHA1 & MD5 checksums were okay, and even re-downloaded & recreated flash drive again. Still a problem. I reviewed the install logs and noticed two things:

1. Date/time was incorrect in the logs.

2. Errors referencing 'cert expired' - implying date problem, too.

• If you get the error, exit the installer and open up a Terminal window (from Utilities menu, if I recall).
• Type 'date' to check you system date/time.
• If incorrect, change it by typing 'date <month><day><hour><minute><two digit year>' e.g. date 0923110616.
• You'll get a prompt with new system date/time.
• Quit Terminal and restart the macOS Sierra installation.

This worked for me. Hope it solves problem for others.

I have gotten this error while trying to install Sierra, and similar ones while trying to install older versions of macOS/OSX, the issue is rarely hardware related. The easiest thing to try is to open terminal and check the date. Often times the reason it is failing the signature check is because the date is incorrect. You can open terminal from within the recovery partition or the bootable installer and type date to see the system time. If its off, follow this pattern to set the time correctly.

date {month}{day}{hour}{minute}{year}  e.g. date 0923115416

This has worked for me most of the time, if not hardware diagnostics are needed. 

I have the same issue. MacBook Pro 15 Mid 2015/512/16GB . I have tried every method including the online recovery, install from USB, Erase all partitions and Setup New Partitions, Boot into a USB drive on which I had installed Sierra before and run the setup from there. Nothing is helping. For me I do get Disk not ejected properly for my internal flash drive when I install on that. If I push in a second USB drive and install on that the OS installs just fine. I am guessing for me the Flash SSD or North bridge is failing (Hardware Issue). If you are seeing this too, maybe take it in for repairs at Apple.

Screenshot attached.

Well, my checksum's are different from each other. Can't install Sierra. Don't know what to do anymore. Time didn't solve my problem.

you can go to terminal and reset time machine .

Thank you, the issue has got resolved in my MBp 15" by correcting the date

Hello, all:

If you get that installer payload failed signature check error, open Terminal, and type the following before installing:

date 0201010016

This worked for me when I had this issue with an OS X El Capitan USB install flash drive I created some time ago, and now, it also works with the macOS Sierra USB install flash drive I prepared for a Late 2009 Unibody MacBook earlier today. It should work with your install methods, as well.

Hope this helps!

EDIT - Noticed someone else posting a similar solution on here earlier!

In my case > Dutch Belgian

iMac-****:SharedSupport ***$ shasum InstallESD.dmg

ff59036a9f8ea86b414942860bfdfd2111539988  InstallESD.dmg

iMac-****:SharedSupport ****$ md5 InstallESD.dmg

MD5 (InstallESD.dmg) = f7908f8838dc725fb82297250883397c

Thanks for your advice waiting untill start-up problems will be resolved