A biweekly pay period usually covers 14 days. A standard year usually has 26 biweekly pay periods, although an occasional payroll calendar can produce 27 paychecks.
A pay period is the time covered by a paycheck
A pay period is the span of time during which earnings are tracked for a paycheck. It has a start date and an end date, and payroll uses the work and compensation in that period to prepare payment.
The pay period is not necessarily the same day the employee receives the money. The date the payment is issued is the payday.
Pay period vs payday
Pay period answers 'what dates does this paycheck cover?' Payday answers 'when is the paycheck paid?' A pay period can end several days before payday because payroll needs time to process hours, earnings, deductions, and approvals.
For example, a biweekly pay period might cover October 5 through October 18, while the related payday is October 23. The exact lag depends on the employer's payroll calendar.
Common pay-period schedules
Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, and monthly schedules are among the most common payroll structures. The schedule determines how often payroll closes and how annual salary or recurring earnings are divided.
| Schedule | Typical period | Standard periods/year |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 7 days | 52 |
| Biweekly | 14 days | 26 |
| Semimonthly | Usually twice each calendar month | 24 |
| Monthly | One calendar payroll period | 12 |
Biweekly vs semimonthly pay periods
Biweekly payroll repeats every 14 days, so the weekday of payday is usually consistent. Semimonthly payroll pays twice per calendar month, often around fixed dates, producing 24 standard pay periods.
Because 26 and 24 are different, the gross amount per paycheck can differ even when annual salary is the same. See Biweekly vs Semimonthly Pay for a full comparison.
Can a year have an extra pay period?
Yes. A calendar year can occasionally contain 53 weekly paydays or 27 biweekly paydays depending on where the recurring payday falls. That is why the actual payroll calendar should be checked when exact annual paycheck counts matter.
Semimonthly payroll is generally structured around two payments per month, so the standard count is 24. Monthly payroll uses 12.
Does overtime reset with the pay period?
Not necessarily. Under the federal FLSA, overtime is generally measured by a fixed workweek for covered nonexempt employees, not by averaging hours across a longer pay period.
A biweekly paycheck can contain two separate workweeks. The Department of Labor states that averaging hours over two or more workweeks is not permitted for the federal overtime calculation.
How pay periods affect gross pay
For a salary, a simple scheduled gross amount per pay period is annual salary divided by the number of scheduled pay periods. A $60,000 annual salary divided by 26 standard biweekly periods is about $2,307.69 per period.
For hourly workers, gross pay depends on the applicable hours and rates in the period, including any overtime or other compensation that applies.
Use the pay calculators
Use the Weekly Pay Calculator for a weekly gross estimate, the Biweekly Pay Calculator for a two-week estimate, and the Monthly Salary Calculator for an annual-salary-to-monthly conversion.
For the yearly count itself, see How Many Pay Periods Are in a Year?
Continue with a calculation