What is a pay date?

A pay date, or payday, is the day employees actually receive their wages for a pay period. It is usually several days after the period ends, so payroll has time to process hours.

In shortA pay date is the scheduled day wages are paid, as opposed to the pay period the wages cover. A biweekly pay period might run Sunday to Saturday, two weeks at a time, with the pay date on the Friday after it ends. The gap gives time to approve timesheets, fix missed punches and run payroll. Federal wage law does not set a pay frequency, but overtime pay must generally be paid on the regular payday for the period in which it was earned; it can be delayed only as long as reasonably necessary to compute it, and not beyond the next payday after that. State laws set most of the rules: how often employees must be paid, how many days can pass between the end of a period and the pay date, and when final pay is due. For direct deposit, payroll has to be submitted early enough for funds to arrive on the pay date, so bank holidays matter.

Pay frequency and pay dates

Common pay schedules
Frequency	Pay dates a year	Typical pay date
Weekly	52	Friday after the week ends
Biweekly	26	Friday after the two-week period ends
Semi-monthly	24	15th and last day of the month
Monthly	12	Last business day of the month

A year sometimes has 27 biweekly or 53 weekly pay dates, depending on the calendar. See pay period types.

To total hours with breaks and overtime, use our time card calculator.

The pay date follows the period; on a holiday, it moves earlier.

Worked example: a pay date on a bank holiday

Payroll moves earlier, not later

A restaurant pays biweekly. The pay period ends on a Saturday and the pay date is the following Friday. This time, that Friday is a bank holiday, so no direct deposits settle that day.

The payroll lead moves the timeline up: timesheets are approved Monday instead of Tuesday, missed punches are fixed the same day, and payroll is submitted a day early so deposits arrive Thursday. An announcement goes to all staff on Monday saying pay will arrive a day early.

Two servers worked overtime in the period. Their overtime is paid on the same Thursday as their regular wages, not held for the next cycle, because the hours were approved in time to compute it.

Mistakes that are specific to pay dates

Moving payday later when it falls on a holiday instead of earlier.
Holding overtime for a later pay date when it could be computed on time.
Changing the pay date without checking the state’s pay frequency rules.
Approving timesheets so late that missed punches cannot be fixed before payroll runs.
Not telling employees in advance when the pay date changes.

Setting a payroll calendar for the year

A yearly payroll calendar prevents most pay date surprises. For each period, list the period end, the timesheet approval deadline, the payroll submission date and the pay date. Mark bank holidays and move deadlines earlier where they fall, then share the calendar with every manager who approves time.

Publish the employee version too: just the pay dates and any that move because of holidays. Employees plan rent and bills around payday, and a pay date that moves without notice causes more stress than almost any other payroll issue.

Second example: a missed approval deadline

A cleaning company’s payroll runs Tuesday for a Friday pay date. One site manager is off sick on Monday and nobody approves her 22 employees’ timesheets.

Payroll pays the site from scheduled hours, then corrects the differences on the next check, which leaves 6 employees short until then. The company names a backup approver for each site, and sends an automatic reminder to both the manager and the backup on Monday afternoon. The next time a manager is out, the backup approves on time.

Put next year’s holidays in the payroll calendar nowList every pay date for next year and check each one against bank holidays. Moving the few that clash, before the year starts, avoids late deposits and last-minute announcements.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a pay date and a pay period?

The pay period is the span of days the wages cover. The pay date is the day those wages are paid.

What happens if payday falls on a holiday?

Most employers pay on the business day before, so wages are not late. Check your state’s rules.

How often do employers have to pay employees?

Federal law does not set a frequency. Most states set their own pay frequency rules, which can differ by type of employee.

When must overtime be paid?

Generally on the regular payday for the period. It can be delayed only as long as needed to compute it, and not beyond the next payday after that.

Can an employer change the pay date?

Generally yes, with notice and within state pay frequency and timing rules. Give employees advance written notice and avoid a gap that delays pay.

What is the difference between a pay date and a check date?

They are usually the same thing: the date wages are paid or made available to the employee.

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Disclaimer: This explanation of pay date is general information, not legal, payroll or tax advice; rules differ by state and city and change over time, and the examples are fictional.