List upcoming weekly or biweekly pay dates from your first pay date, and count paydays in the year.
Next pay date = previous pay date + 7 or 14 days.
Paydays in a year = count of pay dates that fall in that calendar year.
A company pays biweekly on Fridays starting Friday, January 2, 2026. The next dates are January 16 and 30, February 13 and 27, and March 13. Counting from January 2, 2026 has 26 biweekly paydays.
Payroll calendars matter for budgeting and for salaried employees, whose salary is divided by the number of paydays. A 27th biweekly payday every few years catches many employers out.
States set rules on how often employees must be paid; check yours before choosing a frequency.
A small manufacturer pays weekly on Wednesdays, starting Wednesday, January 7, 2026. The six dates listed are January 7, 14, 21 and 28 and February 4 and 11. Counting from January 7, 2026 gives 52 weekly paydays in the year.
The payday count runs from the date you enter to the end of that calendar year, so starting in March gives a count for the rest of the year only. Dates are fixed 7 or 14-day steps and do not move for bank holidays or weekends. Semi-monthly and monthly schedules are not supported, because their dates do not fall on fixed day steps.
| Frequency | Usual count | Occasional count | Paid on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | 53 | The same weekday each week |
| Biweekly | 26 | 27 | Every other same weekday |
| Semi-monthly | 24 | 24 | Two set dates, such as the 15th and the last day |
| Monthly | 12 | 12 | One set date |
A year has 52 weeks plus one day, or two in a leap year. Those extra days add up, so every so often a 27th biweekly payday or a 53rd weekly payday lands in a calendar year.
A fictional office manager earns $65,000 a year, paid biweekly: $2,500 a check in a normal year. In a 27-payday year, dividing by 27 gives $2,407.41 a check, while keeping $2,500 pays $67,500 for the year. Either approach can work, but tell employees in advance. For non-exempt salaried staff, check that the smaller check still covers overtime and minimum wage.
States set how often employees must be paid. New York, for example, requires manual workers to be paid weekly under Labor Law section 191, unless the employer has state authorization to pay less often, and California requires most employees to be paid at least twice a month under Labor Code section 204. Check your state labor department before choosing a schedule.
Usually 26, sometimes 27.
Semi-monthly pays 24 times a year on set dates.
Most employers pay the business day before.
State law sets minimum pay frequencies.
Enter the first actual payday. The list steps forward 7 or 14 days from that date, so a wrong starting day shifts every date after it.
Yes, it lists up to 26 dates and carries into the next year if needed. The payday count, though, only counts dates in the year of the first payday.
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