Record two weeks of hours on one sheet, with each workweek totaled separately so overtime is calculated correctly.
Biweekly pay is common in the US, with 26 pay periods a year. The trap is overtime: under federal rules it is calculated per workweek, not per pay period, so 50 hours in week 1 and 30 in week 2 still include 10 overtime hours.
This sheet keeps the two weeks apart so that mistake is hard to make. Some states also have daily overtime rules, so check yours.
16 items. Keep it on a tablet, or print a copy for the clipboard.
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | 44 hours: 40 regular, 4 overtime |
| Week 2 | 36 hours: 36 regular, 0 overtime |
| Pay period | 80 hours: 76 regular, 4 overtime |
A warehouse associate works 44 hours in week 1 and 36 in week 2, 80 hours in total. Payroll pays 4 overtime hours for week 1 even though the pay period total is exactly 80, because overtime is counted per workweek.
The FLSA requires overtime to be calculated by each workweek and does not allow averaging across two weeks. Employers must also keep records of daily and weekly hours, so a timesheet that totals each week separately meets both needs.
| Employee | Grace, ID 307, Hilltop Veterinary Clinic, Eugene OR |
|---|---|
| Pay period | Nov 15 to Nov 28, workweek Sun to Sat |
| Week 1 worked | 42 hours |
| Week 1 overtime | 2 hours |
| Week 2 worked | 30 hours |
| Week 2 holiday | 8 hours Thanksgiving, not counted as worked |
| Pay period total | 72 worked, 8 holiday, 80 paid |
Week 1 has 2 overtime hours even though the period total is 80, because overtime is counted per workweek. The Thanksgiving hours are listed separately so they are not mistaken for time worked.
No. Biweekly is every two weeks (26 periods); semi-monthly is twice a month (24).
Under federal rules, no; it is per 40-hour workweek.
Federal rules require keeping time records for a set period; check current rules and your state.
Yes, and many systems split workweeks automatically.
Enter the hours worked each day as normal, and list holiday pay hours on a separate line rather than adding them to hours worked. Under federal rules, paid holiday hours that were not worked do not count toward the 40 hours for overtime. Keep both weeks totaled separately.
Any day the company chooses, as long as it is a fixed, recurring 168-hour period. Many businesses use Sunday to Saturday, but a store might choose a different day to match its schedule. Write the start day in the header so both weeks are totaled the same way each period.
More for the same job
Once the biweekly timesheet template is in place, the next question is usually about shifts and hours. Book a demo to see how EZTime handles scheduling and time tracking.