Enter one payday and the calculator lists every pay date this year and next, moved off weekends and bank holidays. A year has 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semi-monthly or 12 monthly pay periods; about every 11 years a biweekly schedule gets 27.
Pay periods in a normal year: weekly 52, biweekly 26, semi-monthly 24, monthly 12. A weekly schedule has 53 paydays, and one of the two biweekly schedules 27, in a year where your payday weekday occurs 53 times (see the table below).
Your own pay dates appear here once the calculator has loaded.
Direct deposit runs through the banking system, so the default calendar is the Federal Reserve’s. Today is Thursday, October 22, 2026; The next United States (Federal Reserve and banks) holiday is Veterans Day on , 20 days from today. All US bank holidays are listed on their own page.
How many pay periods are in a year?
| Pay frequency | Pay periods in a normal year | Occasional extra | Hours per period at 40 h/week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | 53 in some years | 40 |
| Biweekly (every other week) | 26 | 27 in some years | 80 |
| Semi-monthly | 24 | Never | 86.67 on average |
| Monthly | 12 | Never | 173.33 on average |
When does a year have 27 biweekly pay periods?
26 two-week periods cover 364 days, one day short of a year (two in a leap year). That spare day moves your payday one weekday later in the calendar every year, so roughly every 11 years a payday lands on January 1 (or January 2 in a leap year) and the year holds 27 of them. Which years depends on your payday weekday and on which of the two alternating weeks you are paid:
| Year | Weekday that occurs 53 times | 27 biweekly paydays on the calendar if one payday is |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Wednesday | Wed, Jan 1, 2025 |
| 2026 | Thursday | Thu, Jan 1, 2026 |
| 2027 | Friday | Fri, Jan 1, 2027 |
| 2028 (leap year) | Saturday and Sunday | None on a weekday |
| 2029 | Monday | Mon, Jan 1, 2029 |
| 2030 | Tuesday | Tue, Jan 1, 2030 |
| 2031 | Wednesday | Wed, Jan 1, 2031 |
| 2032 (leap year) | Thursday and Friday | Thu, Jan 1, 2032 or Fri, Jan 2, 2032 |
| 2033 | Saturday | None on a weekday |
| 2034 | Sunday | None on a weekday |
The January 1 catch: 27 on the calendar, often 26 in your bank account
In most of those years the 27th payday is New Year’s Day, a bank holiday. Most employers then pay a day early, on December 31, so the extra paycheck lands in the year before. Take a Friday biweekly schedule that pays on January 1, 2027: No. is not a business day for United States (Federal Reserve and banks): New Year's Day. That payday usually moves to Thursday, December 31, 2026, which gives the schedule 27 paychecks in 2026 and 26 in 2027. Wages count for tax purposes in the year they are paid, so the W-2 follows the pay date.
The last payday of that schedule in 2027 is Friday, December 31. Federal offices are closed that day (New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday), but banks are open: Yes. is a business day for United States (Federal Reserve and banks). So it stays in 2027. A Friday schedule that pays on January 2, 2032 is a true 27-paycheck year, because January 2 is a normal business day. The calculator above applies these rules to your own schedule; the biweekly pay schedule page shows both Friday schedules month by month.
What a 27th paycheck means
- Hourly employees are paid for the hours worked, so the extra payday simply covers two more weeks of work.
- Salaried employees are paid an annual salary. Some employers divide it by 26 and pay 27 times (a little more for the year); others divide it by 27, so each check is smaller. Ask payroll which one applies.
- Budgets and deductions: monthly bills paid from biweekly checks get two “free” months in a normal year and three in a 27-paycheck year. Per-paycheck deductions such as 401(k) contributions may need a check so the annual total does not overshoot.
How paydays move for weekends and holidays
Direct deposits settle only on days the Federal Reserve is open, so a payday that lands on a weekend or bank holiday is usually paid the business day before. Some employers pay the business day after instead; the calculator has both options. Semi-monthly and monthly pay dates move most often: the 15th and the last day of the month each fall on a weekend in about two months out of seven. Biweekly and weekly paydays move only for holidays on the payday weekday, such as a Friday Christmas.
Bank business days per month, which is what payroll processing runs on:
| Month | Weekdays | Holidays on weekdays | Business days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 2 | 19 |
| February | 20 | 1 | 19 |
| March | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| April | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| May | 21 | 1 | 20 |
| June | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| July | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| August | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| September | 22 | 1 | 21 |
| October | 21 | 1 | 20 |
| November | 22 | 2 | 20 |
| December | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Total | 261 | 9 | 252 |
Military pay dates
Active-duty military pay is semi-monthly, on the 1st and 15th of each month. When either date falls on a weekend or holiday, pay arrives on the business day before. To list them, choose Semi-monthly, 1st and 15th and Day before above. Confirm your own pay dates with DFAS.
Pay period FAQ
How many pay periods are in a year if I’m paid biweekly?
26 in most years. About once every 11 years your payday weekday falls on January 1 (or January 2 in a leap year) and the schedule has 27 paydays. Enter a payday above to see the count for this year and next.
Are there 27 pay periods in 2027?
Only for a Friday biweekly schedule with a payday on Friday, January 1, 2027, and only on paper. January 1 is a bank holiday, so that payday is usually paid on Thursday, December 31, 2026. The schedule then pays 27 times in 2026 and 26 times in 2027. The other Friday schedule has 26 paydays in both years.
What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly pay?
Biweekly is every other week on the same weekday: 26 paychecks, sometimes 27. Semi-monthly is twice a month on fixed dates such as the 15th and the last day: always 24 paychecks, on varying weekdays.
Is a pay period the same as a payday?
No. A pay period is the span of days you are paid for; the payday is when the money arrives, often a few days after the period ends. The count is the same: one payday per pay period.
What happens if payday falls on a holiday?
Most employers pay the business day before, so the money is in your account on time. Banks follow the Federal Reserve calendar, which has 11 holidays a year. A few employers pay the next business day; check your payroll calendar.
Related: biweekly pay schedule, PTO calculator (accrual per pay period), how many business days are in a year, working hours in a year, US bank holidays, business days in Excel (NETWORKDAYS for payroll sheets), Net 30 calculator (invoice due dates), business days calculator.