Biweekly Pay Period Calculator
From one known payday, map your biweekly pay schedule — the current pay period, your next payday, pay period numbers, 26- or 27-paycheck years, three-paycheck months and a full payday calendar. Also handles weekly, semimonthly and monthly pay, holidays and per-check pay.
How it works
biweekly paydays repeat every 14 days from the anchor payday (weekly: every 7) · next payday = the earliest anchor + 14 × n that is on or after your date · pay period = the 14 days ending on its payday, or ending “lag” days before it · semimonthly = two fixed days a month (24 paychecks), monthly = one (12) · a payday on a listed holiday (or a weekend, for semimonthly and monthly) moves to the business day before or after · pay per check = annual salary ÷ paychecks per year, or hourly rate × hours per week × weeks per period
A biweekly schedule pays every second week, so once you know one payday the whole calendar is fixed: every payday is 14 days after the last. From an anchor payday and the date you care about, the calculator finds the pay period that contains that date, the next payday on or after it and the pay period number within the year, then lists as many upcoming paydays as you want. Because a year is 52 weeks and one or two days, biweekly pay gives 26 paychecks in most years and 27 in roughly one year in eleven; two months a year hold three paydays. The calculator counts both for the calendar year of your date and shows them month by month. Many payrolls close the period several days before the check is issued, so you can set that lag, and you can list bank holidays to see paydays moved to the business day before or after. Switch the frequency to compare weekly, semimonthly (for example the 15th and the last day) or monthly pay, and add an annual salary, hourly rate or per-check amount to see gross pay per paycheck, the average per month and what a 27-paycheck year means for you.
Worked example
With an anchor payday of Friday, January 9, 2026 and looking from September 15, 2026: 249 days have passed, 249 ÷ 14 = 17.79 cycles, so the next payday is January 9 + 18 × 14 days = Friday, September 18, 2026, covering the pay period September 5–18 (pay period 19 of 26 in 2026). 2026 has 26 biweekly paydays, with three-paycheck months in May and October. On a $60,000 salary each check is $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69 gross, and May and October each bring one extra check.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between biweekly and semimonthly pay?
Biweekly pays every 14 days, giving 26 paychecks in most years (27 in some) and occasional three-payday months. Semimonthly pays twice a month on fixed dates, such as the 15th and the last day, giving exactly 24 paychecks that always fall in the same month. Each semimonthly check is a little larger: $60,000 ÷ 24 = $2,500 versus $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69.
Why are there sometimes three paydays in a month?
Twenty-six paydays across twelve months averages just over two a month, so two months each year catch a third payday (three in a 27-paycheck year). Which months depends on your anchor date; the month table and chart show them for the year of your date.
What is a 27-paycheck year?
A year has 365 or 366 days — one or two more than 52 weeks — so the payday drifts a day or two earlier each year. About every 11 years a biweekly schedule fits 27 paydays into one calendar year. Salaried staff are either paid the usual amount 27 times or have the salary divided by 27; the calculator shows both when you enter an annual salary.
What date should I use as the anchor?
Any single payday you know for certain — past or future. The 14-day cycle is the same whichever real payday you pick, so the schedule matches your actual paychecks.
My pay period ends before payday. Can I model that?
Yes. Under More options, set the days from the end of the pay period to payday — for example 6 when the period ends on Saturday and you are paid the following Friday. The calculator then shows the work period that contains your date and the date it is paid.
What happens when payday falls on a holiday?
List the bank holidays under More options. A payday on one of them moves to the business day before (the most common rule) or after, as you choose. Semimonthly and monthly paydays on a Saturday or Sunday move the same way.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.