Pay Period Calculator
Pick a schedule and a year to get every payday, counted three ways. The count can change with the rule your employer uses for a weekend or bank holiday payday. A biweekly Friday payroll that starts on January 1, 2027 has 27 paydays on the calendar, but January 1 is New Year's Day. Paid early on Thursday, December 31, 2026, that check counts in 2026 and 2027 gets 26. Paid late on Monday, January 4, 2027 gets all 27.
26 paydays in 2027
On the calendar 27 · paid early 26 · paid late 27
The Fri, Jan 1, 2027 check (New Year's Day) is paid Thu, Dec 31, 2026, so it counts in 2026.
Months with 3 paydays: Jul, Dec.
| # | Payday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, Jan 15, 2027 | |
| 2 | Fri, Jan 29, 2027 | |
| 3 | Fri, Feb 12, 2027 | |
| 4 | Fri, Feb 26, 2027 | |
| 5 | Fri, Mar 12, 2027 | |
| 6 | Fri, Mar 26, 2027 | |
| 7 | Fri, Apr 9, 2027 | |
| 8 | Fri, Apr 23, 2027 | |
| 9 | Fri, May 7, 2027 | |
| 10 | Fri, May 21, 2027 | |
| 11 | Fri, Jun 4, 2027 | |
| 12 | Fri, Jun 18, 2027 | |
| 13 | Fri, Jul 2, 2027 | |
| 14 | Fri, Jul 16, 2027 | |
| 15 | Fri, Jul 30, 2027 | |
| 16 | Fri, Aug 13, 2027 | |
| 17 | Fri, Aug 27, 2027 | |
| 18 | Fri, Sep 10, 2027 | |
| 19 | Fri, Sep 24, 2027 | |
| 20 | Fri, Oct 8, 2027 | |
| 21 | Fri, Oct 22, 2027 | |
| 22 | Fri, Nov 5, 2027 | |
| 23 | Fri, Nov 19, 2027 | |
| 24 | Fri, Dec 3, 2027 | |
| 25 | Fri, Dec 17, 2027 | |
| 26 | Fri, Dec 31, 2027 |
Counted by the date each check is paid, the year it goes on your W-2. Bank holidays follow the Federal Reserve calendar, the one direct deposit settles on. Last updated: October 2026.
Where another calculator counts differently
The WebWork Time Tracker pay period calculator, ranked near the top for this search, moves weekend paydays but treats weekly and biweekly paydays as never moving for a holiday. These four settings give a different count there than here.
| Setting | WebWork gives | This calculator gives |
|---|---|---|
| Biweekly, cycle paying Fri, Jan 1, 2027; year 2027; paid the business day before | 27 | 26: the Jan 1 check (New Year's Day) is paid Thu, Dec 31, 2026 |
| Same cycle; year 2026; paid the business day before | 26 | 27: the same check counts in 2026 |
| Semi-monthly, 15th and last day; year 2028; paid the business day after | 24 | 23: the Sun, Dec 31, 2028 check is paid Tue, Jan 2, 2029 |
| Monthly, last day; years 2028 and 2029; paid the business day after | 12 and 12 | 11 and 13: the same Dec 31, 2028 check moves into 2029 |
Checked on webwork-tracker.com/pay-period-calculator on October 25, 2026 (U.S. Central time), on the version of the page live that day. Settings where both calculators agree, such as the 2027 cycle paid the business day after (27 in both), are left out.
Which years have 27 biweekly paychecks
A biweekly year has 27 paydays when one cycle's first and last dates both fall inside it, and which cycle that is depends on the rule for the New Year's Day check. The year-by-year list, 2026 to 2030, is on how many pay periods in a year.
Full schedules
Every payday with each holiday move, by schedule and year:
- Biweekly pay schedule 2026 and 2027
- Weekly pay schedule 2026 and 2027
- Semi-monthly pay schedule 2026 and 2027
- Monthly pay schedule 2027
- How many pay periods in a year, every schedule side by side
Which way a payday moves when it lands on a holiday or weekend, by employer and pay frequency, is on pay schedule.
Computed in your browser using the Federal Reserve holiday schedule (Federal Reserve Board K.8, 2026–2030) and U.S. federal holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103. A payday set for the 29th, 30th or 31st falls on the last day of shorter months. Your employer's written payroll policy decides which way a payday moves.