Quick answer: biweekly pay means 26 paydays in most years and 27 in some; semi-monthly is always 24, weekly 52 or 53, monthly 12. Enter any one of your paydays to list every date for the year and the months that get a third check.
Paydays per year, 2025 to 2030
Weekly and biweekly counts depend on the date of your first payday. In 2027, a biweekly schedule whose first payday is Friday, January 1 has 27 paydays, because Friday, December 31, 2027 is exactly 26 two-week periods later.
| Year | Weekly paydays | Biweekly paydays | Semi-monthly | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52 or 53 | 26 or 27 | 24 | 12 |
| 2026 | 52 or 53 | 26 or 27 | 24 | 12 |
| 2027 | 52 or 53 | 26 or 27 | 24 | 12 |
| 2028 | 52 or 53 | 26 or 27 | 24 | 12 |
| 2029 | 52 or 53 | 26 or 27 | 24 | 12 |
| 2030 | 52 or 53 | 26 or 27 | 24 | 12 |
Pay period, workweek and payday
The pay period is the span of work a check covers; the workweek is the fixed 7-day period overtime is counted in; the payday is when the money arrives, usually a few days after the period ends. On a semi-monthly schedule the pay period and the workweek do not line up, so overtime from a workweek that straddles the 15th may be paid on the later check.
How many pay periods are in a year?
- Weekly: 52 (sometimes 53)
- Biweekly: 26 (sometimes 27)
- Semi-monthly: 24
- Monthly: 12
Biweekly and semi-monthly are not the same: biweekly is every other week, so two months a year usually have three paydays. On the same salary, each biweekly check is smaller (salary / 26) than a semi-monthly one (salary / 24).
Each payday shows the period it pays for, using the gap between period end and payday that you set. Add a salary to see the gross pay per check, and download every payday to your phone calendar.
Turn a salary into the amount per check with the hourly rate and wage calculator; for the hours on a biweekly check, use the biweekly time card.
Formula and examples checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
Which months have 3 paychecks?
It depends on your first payday. Enter any one of your paydays and the year, and the calendar lists them.
Why do some years have 27 pay periods?
A year is 52 weeks and 1 day (2 in a leap year). Those extra days build up until a 27th biweekly payday falls inside the year, roughly every 11 years.
How many pay periods are in a year?
52 for weekly pay (53 in some years), 26 for biweekly (27 in some years), 24 for semi-monthly and 12 for monthly.