New year, new payroll schedule! Whether your business opts for weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly pay cycles (or the less common semi-monthly schedule), it makes good business sense to know how many pay periods there are in a year. Knowing this can help you plan in advance to ensure you have the administrative and monetary resources available to get your employees’ paychecks to them on time.
What you’ll learn
What you’ll learn
Updated: May 8, 2025
Key takeaways
- You may process payroll as many as 52 times a year if you adopt a weekly schedule
- Processing payroll too often may cut into your time for other responsibilities
- Some states set rules on pay frequency, so check those before committing to a schedule
But to truly understand how many pay periods there are will depend on what schedule your company decides to follow. In this employer’s guide, we break down the different pay period options, what to think about when picking one, and we also share a free calendar download to keep track of it all.
Types of pay periods
There are four main types of pay periods used by businesses. Let’s walk through each one.
Weekly pay
Under a weekly pay schedule, your employees get a check for every seven-day earning period. This type of schedule is typically used by retail, hospitality, and manual labor companies. Employees working in those areas usually earn an hourly rate.
Frequent paychecks may be a welcome benefit among workers with short-term cash needs. But it does place a higher administrative burden on your organization, so you’ll want to carefully balance your team’s preferences with your ability to regularly fund weekly paychecks.
You can set weekly pay schedules for any day, but most companies opt for Fridays.
Bi-weekly pay
Next up, a bi-weekly schedule puts a paycheck in the hands of employees every other week on a set day. This type of schedule nicely balances workers’ expectations with company resources. Employees don’t have to wait too long for a paycheck, and employers aren’t constantly stuck processing payroll.
Monthly pay
A monthly pay cycle is the least burdensome for employers. It requires a single paycheck to employees once monthly, on a set day of the month (like the 15th).
Since you’ll only run payroll once a month, this schedule works well for businesses with limited administrative resources. But employees may find it harder to manage their funds with fewer paychecks coming in.
Semi-monthly pay
Another option is to set pay periods on two different days of the month, such as the 1st and the 15th. This type of pay schedule is common in the US military and for government entities. But private companies can select a semi-monthly pay schedule, too.
A semi-monthly schedule can cause administrative hassles, since paydays won’t always fall on a business day. When that happens, your team may need to process payroll a day or two earlier than normal.
Download our payroll calendar
See the key payroll and tax deadlines for 2025 to keep your business ahead — and on track throughout the year.
Total pay periods in 2025
Once you know the type of payroll schedule your company plans to follow, you can outline paydays for the year. Here’s how many you’ll have based on the pay schedule you follow.
- Weekly: 52 paydays
- Bi-weekly: 26 paydays
- Monthly: 12 paydays
- Semi-monthly: 24 paydays
How many bi-weekly pay periods are there in 2025?
If you run a bi-weekly payroll, you’ll have 26 pay periods. Employers that run payroll every other Wednesday may notice there’s a potential extra pay period in 2025, which was caused by the year starting on Wednesday, January 1. However, that likely didn’t impact you because that day was a holiday, so you probably paid your workers on December 30th or 31st, 2024.
Bi-weekly pay schedules can get a little confusing, so it’s worth using a bi-weekly payroll calendar template to track pay periods and paydays.
Factors influencing pay period choices
So why don’t employers all use the same pay schedule? While that might make the headache of managing payroll a bit easier, companies need to consider their budget, resources, and other elements, too. Let’s look at a few factors that may impact pay period decisions.
Employee preferences
Most workers count on their paychecks to cover their living expenses. If they’re stuck waiting too long for their pay, it may create a negative employee experience. Companies may consider their team’s preferences when establishing a pay schedule.
As an example, say you’re considering a monthly paycheck schedule. If you get a lot of complaints from employees concerned about long paycheck intervals, it might be worth selecting a bi-weekly or semi-monthly schedule instead.
Company size and budget
Not all businesses have the resources to run a weekly payroll or haven’t considered using a payroll service provider. If you don’t have a dedicated payroll team or payroll software, a longer payroll cycle may be less costly and more advantageous for your organization.
Larger companies with dedicated payroll departments usually have no problem ramping payroll cycles up or down. But smaller companies may find it a hassle to run payroll every week, especially if they have more than a handful of workers.
Administrative workflow
How does payroll fit into your administrative processes? Do you benefit from a dedicated payroll software tool that quickly tallies your team’s earnings and deductions? Or are you doing things the old-fashioned way, with spreadsheets and calculators?
Using the right software can cut down on payroll processing time. Even so, you’ll still need to factor payroll accounting tasks into your workflows.
So we covered the usual suspects, but are there other items to consider? To find out, we spoke with David Kindness, a certified public accountant with over a decade of experience working with small business owners.
Is a pay period and pay date the same thing?
“The short answer is no, pay periods and pay dates are not the same thing – but they are related. Let’s describe each one below, and explain the differences between the two:
- Pay period: A pay period is the timeframe during which an employee works and earns income. As we mentioned above, pay periods can be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or semi-monthly, depending on a number of factors.
- Pay date: A pay date, on the other hand, is the specific date on which employees receive the pay they earned for work they completed during the related pay period. The pay date typically occurs a few days after the pay period ends, which allows time for the employer to run payroll and process payments.”
— David Kindness, CPA and OnPay contributor
For example, if the pay period is from January 1st to January 15th, which is when the work was performed and the income was earned, then the pay date might occur on January 20th, which is when the employees actually receive payment for their work.
It’s important that employers choose a pay period schedule that works for their budget, their employees, their payroll department, and their business. They must also choose pay dates that give them time to run payroll accurately and process payments.
Payroll processing deadlines
Employees who don’t handle payroll may not realize how much work goes into configuring their paycheck. There’s usually a short period between the end of a pay cycle and the employee’s pay date. Companies use those few days to total employee earnings and calculate deductions. If you offer direct deposit (like most organizations), you may need an extra day for bank processing.
You’ll decide on the payroll processing timeline based on your administrative resources. Also, factor in any bank deadlines. For example, if your bank requires funds by 2 pm to support next-day direct deposits, you’ll need to make sure the transfer occurs on time. Otherwise, your team’s paychecks may be late.
Let’s take an example of a company that adopts a semi-monthly payroll schedule. It might set up two earnings periods for the 1st through the 15th, and the 16th to the last day of the month. If the team needs at least five days to calculate earnings, plus one day to transfer funds to the bank, it might set payday for the 21st and the 6th of every month. The extra time between the end of the pay period and payday gives the company the time it needs to take care of all payroll tasks.
Compliance considerations
Before you implement a payroll calendar, also consider any state and/or federal laws applicable to your organization.
Legal regulations
Some states take a more rigorous role in setting payroll standards than others. For instance, Connecticut requires employers to pay workers weekly, with exceptions only available if a labor commissioner approves it. On the other end of the spectrum are states such as Kansas and Washington, which mandate monthly payrolls at a minimum.
The US Department of Labor provides a summary of state payday requirements that can help you determine whether any payroll frequency laws apply to your business.
Pro tip:
“It’s important to remember that missing a payroll deadline could result in penalties, interest, or even legal repercussions. The federal government’s Department of Labor (DOL) can impose penalties under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and state governments may impose penalties for missed payroll deadlines as well. Additionally, if you miss too many deadlines, employees may become frustrated and may take legal action against you in order to protect their income.”
— David Kindness, CPA
The takeaway is that even a single missed deadline can have a negative effect on employee morale and could erode trust in your business and reputation.
Tax implications
Calculating your team’s paychecks is only one part of running payroll. Another is withholding the right payroll taxes and submitting them to federal, state, and local tax authorities. Most companies must submit federal withholdings on a quarterly basis, but state requirements vary. You’ll also need to provide employees with a W-2 statement of earnings at the end of the tax year. They’ll use the document to complete their income tax returns.
Consider using a payroll calendar to pinpoint payroll tax due dates. Knowing when they’re due can help you avoid late submissions and penalties.
Takeaway: Make it a point to manage your payroll calendar
Payroll can be complex, but with a little know-how and some planning, it’s a task many small businesses can manage effectively. From getting up to speed on different pay periods to ensuring employees are paid on time, having a solid plan in place just makes good business sense. With numerous federal and state regulations to keep on top of, payroll software can be a smart investment to automate tax calculations and make sure all bases are covered. Best of luck growing your team and staying ahead of your payroll obligations!
Take a tour to see how easy payroll can be.
Jon Davis is the Sr. Content Marketing Manager at OnPay. He has over 15 years of experience writing for small and growing businesses. Jon lives and works in Atlanta.