Bi-Weekly Paycheck
Divide your annual salary by 26 for a bi-weekly paycheck: $60,000 a year is $2,307.69 per check before taxes. In a year with 27 paydays, it is $2,222.22 if your employer divides the salary by 27, or you get one extra $2,307.69 check if it does not. Enter your payday below to see which years your cycle has 27.
Your bi-weekly paycheck
$2,307.69 gross per check
26 paydays: $2,307.69 per check.
27 paydays, salary divided by 27: $2,222.22 per check.
Each check is $85.47 less, and the year's total stays the same, within a few cents.
27 paydays, check stays at $2,307.69: the year pays $2,307.69 more.
Cycle used: every other Friday. If this date was moved for a holiday, enter the regular payday instead.
This pay cycle has 27 paydays in 2032 and 2043 (checked 2026 to 2050).
Gross pay before taxes and deductions. The year count uses the calendar year each check is paid in.
A bi-weekly check at 26 and 27 paydays, by salary
The columns show the two simple ways to handle a 27-payday year on a salary; ask your payroll office which yours uses. Other formulas exist. Federal employees' hourly rate is the annual rate divided by 2,087 (5 U.S.C. 5504(b)), so $60,000 comes to about $2,300 for 80 hours, in any year. An employer that budgets by fiscal year may also count 27 paydays in a different year.
| Annual salary | 26 paydays: each check | 27 paydays, divided by 27: each check | Each check is less by | 27 paydays, check unchanged: extra for the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,538.46 | $1,481.48 | $56.98 | $1,538.46 |
| $50,000 | $1,923.08 | $1,851.85 | $71.23 | $1,923.08 |
| $60,000 | $2,307.69 | $2,222.22 | $85.47 | $2,307.69 |
| $65,000 | $2,500.00 | $2,407.41 | $92.59 | $2,500.00 |
| $70,000 | $2,692.31 | $2,592.59 | $99.72 | $2,692.31 |
| $75,000 | $2,884.62 | $2,777.78 | $106.84 | $2,884.62 |
| $80,000 | $3,076.92 | $2,962.96 | $113.96 | $3,076.92 |
| $90,000 | $3,461.54 | $3,333.33 | $128.21 | $3,461.54 |
| $100,000 | $3,846.15 | $3,703.70 | $142.45 | $3,846.15 |
| $120,000 | $4,615.38 | $4,444.44 | $170.94 | $4,615.38 |
| $150,000 | $5,769.23 | $5,555.56 | $213.67 | $5,769.23 |
Hourly pay works differently. A check is your rate times the hours worked, so a 27-payday year does not shrink it: it adds one more check. At $25 an hour and 40 hours a week, each check is $2,000.00, and the year pays $52,000.00 at 26 paydays and $54,000.00 at 27.
Which years have 27 bi-weekly paychecks
The answer depends on your own cycle, not just the year. Each row is one of the ten weekday cycles, named by its payday in early January 2027; the tool above does the same for any payday. Years run from 2026 to 2050.
| Payday | Cycle includes | 27 paydays, paid the day before | 27 paydays, paid the day after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Jan 4, 2027 | 2028, 2039, 2050 | 2029, 2040 |
| Monday | Jan 11, 2027 | 2033, 2044 | 2035, 2046 |
| Tuesday | Jan 5, 2027 | 2029, 2040 | 2030, 2041 |
| Tuesday | Jan 12, 2027 | 2035, 2046 | 2036, 2047 |
| Wednesday | Jan 6, 2027 | 2030, 2041 | 2031, 2042 |
| Wednesday | Jan 13, 2027 | 2036, 2047 | 2036, 2048 |
| Thursday | Jan 7, 2027 | 2031, 2042 | 2032, 2043 |
| Thursday | Jan 14, 2027 | 2036, 2048 | 2026, 2037, 2048 |
| Friday | Jan 1, 2027 | 2026, 2037, 2048 | 2027, 2038, 2049 |
| Friday | Jan 8, 2027 | 2032, 2043 | 2032, 2044 |
Why the holiday rule changes the year. Friday, January 1, 2027 is New Year's Day. Paid the business day before, that check lands on December 31, 2026, which gives 2026 its 27th payday. Paid the business day after, it lands on January 4, 2027, and 2027 has the 27 instead. Same cycle, same salary, different year.
Why it happens at all. 26 two-week periods cover 364 days, so paydays drift a day or two earlier each year until a 27th fits. Most cycles get a 27-payday year about every 11 years.
Questions
How much is $20 an hour bi-weekly?
$1,600.00 before taxes at 40 hours a week: $20 × 40 × 2.
Is bi-weekly the same as twice a month?
No. Bi-weekly is every two weeks, 26 checks a year. Twice a month is semi-monthly, 24 checks: $60,000 a year is $2,500.00 per check, against $2,307.69 bi-weekly. See the semi-monthly paycheck, the weekly paycheck and the monthly paycheck.
What dates do I get paid?
Every 2027 date is on the biweekly pay schedule 2027. Counts for every pay frequency are on how many pay periods in a year. Hours over 40 in a workweek are on overtime pay.
Amounts are computed in your browser. Paydays follow the Federal Reserve holiday schedule. Sources: 5 U.S.C. 5504(b). Gross pay only; this is not tax or payroll advice. Last updated: November 4, 2026 (U.S. Central time).