How Many Pay Periods Are in a Year? The 4 Most Common Schedules Explained

Most employees know when payday is. Fewer stop to think about why, and most payroll managers don’t revisit the math until something unusual forces the question. In 2026, something unusual is forcing the question.

Here’s a clear breakdown of the four most common pay period schedules, what each one means for your team, and why this particular year deserves a closer look.

The Four Pay Period Schedules

1. Weekly (52 pay periods/year)
   Employees receive a paycheck every week, typically on the same day. This is most common in industries with hourly workforces — construction, restaurants, retail — where workers often live paycheck to paycheck and appreciate the faster cash flow. For HR and payroll teams, however, weekly processing is the most resource-intensive option, requiring 52 separate payroll runs annually.
2. Bi-weekly (26 pay periods/year — usually)
   The most widely used schedule in the U.S., biweekly payroll means employees are paid every other week, landing on the same day each cycle. It’s popular because it balances employee predictability with manageable processing frequency. Two months out of the year typically produce a “third paycheck” month, which employees tend to appreciate — and which payroll teams need to plan around carefully.

Here’s the catch in 2026: the calendar math doesn’t divide cleanly. A year has 365 days. Twenty-six biweekly pay periods only cover 364. That one-day gap accumulates quietly year over year. Every 11 to 12 years, it grows large enough to produce a 27th pay period, and 2026 is one of those years for many employers. If your first 2026 payday fell on January 2, the 26th payday lands December 18, and the final payment for December 31 creates a 27th cycle. Organizations that calculated employee salaries by dividing annual pay by 26 may find themselves roughly 4% over payroll budget if they haven’t already adjusted their approach.

The fix isn’t complicated, but it does require proactive communication: review whether your biweekly salary calculations need to be updated, confirm how payroll deductions for benefits will be handled across 27 cycles, and notify affected employees clearly and in advance. Some states (Missouri, for example) require 30 days’ notice before implementing a pay reduction, so timing matters.

3. Semi-monthly (24 pay periods/year)
   Semimonthly payroll runs on fixed calendar dates — most commonly the 1st and 15th, or the 15th and last day of the month. The fixed-date structure integrates smoothly with monthly accounting cycles and eliminates the 27th-pay-period problem entirely, since the calendar always delivers exactly 24 pay periods. The tradeoff: payday falls on different days of the week each cycle, which can be disorienting for hourly employees. Overtime calculations also require extra care when a workweek straddles two pay periods.
4. Monthly (12 pay periods/year)
   The least common option for regular employees, monthly pay is more typical for senior executives or certain salaried professionals. It’s administratively simple and budget-friendly from a processing standpoint, but it puts more cash flow pressure on employees — waiting up to 31 days between paychecks is a strain for many workers, and it can make recruiting and retention harder in competitive labor markets.

Looking Ahead to 2027

For employers currently on a biweekly schedule, 2027 returns to the standard 26 pay periods for most, though the specific payday calendar depends on your chosen pay day and when your cycle started. Organizations that postpone their December 31, 2026 payment to January 1, 2027 (a holiday) should verify that this doesn’t simply shift the 27th-period problem into the following year. Confirm your 2027 schedule now and document it before open enrollment communications go out.

The Bottom Line

Choosing a pay schedule isn’t a one-time decision, it shapes employee satisfaction, administrative workload, benefit deduction logistics, and annual budget planning. In a year like 2026, where biweekly employers face an extra payroll cycle, the downstream effects of a decision made years ago can surface quickly. The organizations that handle it smoothly are the ones who started planning in December.

Of course, the deeper question the 27th pay period raises isn’t just about accounting, it’s about what your employees need between paydays.

Earned Wage Access

Whether your team is paid weekly, bi-weekly, or semi-monthly, a fixed pay schedule still means employees are waiting, sometimes up to two weeks or more, to access wages they’ve already earned. For hourly workers especially, that gap creates real financial stress: overdraft fees, predatory payday loans, and the kind of money anxiety that follows people onto the floor.

That’s where earned wage access comes in. Tesseon partners with Tapcheck to give employees on-demand access to up to 70% of their earned wages. After any shift, with nothing changing on your end. Same payroll cycle. No added cost. No new systems to manage.

Your people already earned it. They shouldn’t have to wait two weeks to prove it. In a tight labor market, that’s not a small thing.