Biweekly pay usually means 26 paychecks per year; semimonthly pay means 24 paychecks per year.
Biweekly vs semimonthly in one sentence
Biweekly pay means getting paid every two weeks, while semimonthly pay means getting paid twice per month. That difference typically produces 26 biweekly paychecks versus 24 semimonthly paychecks in a year.
Because the number of paychecks differs, the gross amount of each paycheck can differ even when annual salary is the same.
Biweekly vs semimonthly pay at a glance
The main difference is frequency: biweekly follows a 14-day rhythm, while semimonthly follows two pay dates in each calendar month. ADP lists 26 typical biweekly paychecks, 24 semimonthly paychecks, 52 weekly paychecks, and 12 monthly paychecks.
| Schedule | Typical paychecks/year | Timing | Paycheck size on same annual salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biweekly | 26 | Every 2 weeks | Smaller per check |
| Semimonthly | 24 | Twice per month | Larger per check |
Example with a $60,000 annual salary
With a $60,000 annual salary, a simple biweekly gross-pay estimate is $60,000 ÷ 26 = about $2,307.69 per paycheck. A semimonthly estimate is $60,000 ÷ 24 = $2,500 per paycheck.
The annual gross amount is the same in this simplified example. The difference is how that amount is distributed across the year.
| Schedule | Annual salary | Pay periods | Gross per period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biweekly | $60,000 | 26 | $2,307.69 |
| Semimonthly | $60,000 | 24 | $2,500.00 |
How the pay dates feel different
Biweekly employees are typically paid on the same weekday every two weeks. Because months are not exactly four weeks long, some months can contain three biweekly paydays.
Semimonthly employees receive two paychecks each month, often on fixed or near-fixed calendar dates. The spacing between semimonthly paydays is not always exactly the same number of days because month lengths vary.
Why biweekly pay can create a 27th paycheck
A calendar year contains slightly more than 52 exact weeks, so a biweekly schedule can occasionally place 27 pay dates inside a calendar year depending on the employer's schedule and the calendar. ADP notes that some years can have 27 biweekly pay periods.
Do not assume every employee or employer will have an extra paycheck in a particular year. The actual payroll calendar determines the count.
Which schedule is easier for budgeting?
Semimonthly pay is predictable at two checks per month, which can align neatly with monthly bills. Biweekly pay follows a consistent two-week rhythm and can produce months with three paychecks, which some people treat as extra room for savings or irregular expenses.
Neither schedule changes an agreed annual salary by itself. It changes the timing and size of the installments used to deliver that salary.
Biweekly is not the same as twice a month
Biweekly means every two weeks. Semimonthly means twice per month. Those sound similar, but 26 and 24 typical annual pay periods are not the same.
The word bimonthly can be ambiguous in everyday language, so payroll documentation is clearer when it uses biweekly or semimonthly explicitly.
Use the calculators for the pay math
Use the Biweekly Pay Calculator to estimate gross pay for a two-week period from an hourly rate and weekly schedule. Use the Weekly Pay Calculator when you want a one-week estimate.
For a broader reference covering weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly counts, see How Many Pay Periods Are in a Year?
Continue with a calculation