Payroll Cutoff Date Calculator
Work out the timesheet or payroll cutoff date before a pay date, using working days or calendar days of lead time.
How it works
cutoff = pay date − lead time (working days or calendar days) · calendar cutoffs are pulled back off weekends
Payroll needs a few days between the cutoff — when timesheets, new hires, terminations and pay changes must be finalised — and the actual pay date, to validate, approve and transmit the run to the bank. This calculator subtracts your processing lead time from the pay date. Counting in working days is usual because payroll teams and banks only operate Monday to Friday; the calendar option pulls a weekend cutoff back to the preceding Friday so nothing is due on a day no one is working.
Worked example
For a pay date of Wednesday, September 30, 2026 with 3 working days of lead time, the cutoff is Friday, September 25, 2026 — the last day to submit hours and changes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a payroll cutoff exactly?
It is the deadline for all inputs that affect a pay run — hours worked, overtime, new starters, leavers, salary changes and expense claims. Anything submitted after the cutoff usually rolls to the next pay period.
How many days before pay day is typical?
Two to five working days is common, depending on how much manual approval and banking lead time your provider needs. Weekly payrolls tend to have tighter cutoffs than monthly ones.
Why avoid a weekend cutoff?
If no one processes payroll on Saturdays and Sundays, a weekend cutoff is effectively the previous Friday. The calendar-days option makes that explicit by moving the cutoff back to the last working day.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.