Pay Schedule: When a Payday Falls on a Holiday or Weekend
Federal rules don't say whether a payday that falls on a holiday or weekend moves earlier or later, but some states do: Connecticut requires the preceding workday, and Maine requires payment no later than the following business day. Where no state rule applies, the employer's written pay policy decides. The calendar sets one more limit: direct deposit settles only on days the Federal Reserve is open, so a payday on a Federal Reserve holiday is paid on the banking day before or after it.
The federal timing rule, 29 CFR 778.106, says overtime earned in a workweek is generally due "on the regular pay day for the period in which such workweek ends." It says nothing about a payday that lands on a holiday. Connecticut's rule is in Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-71b(b): "if such regular pay day falls on a nonwork day, payment shall be made on the preceding work day." Maine's is in 26 M.R.S. §621-A(1): "Payments that fall on a day when the business is regularly closed must be paid no later than the following business day."
How often each pay schedule has to move in 2027
| Pay schedule | Paydays | Moved for a bank holiday | Moved for a weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly, Friday | 53 | 1 | 0 |
| Weekly, Monday | 52 | 6 | 0 |
| Biweekly, Friday from Jan 1 | 27 | 1 | 0 |
| Biweekly, Friday from Jan 8 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Biweekly, Monday from Jan 4 | 26 | 4 | 0 |
| Biweekly, Monday from Jan 11 | 26 | 2 | 0 |
| Semi-monthly, 15th and last | 24 | 2 | 6 |
| Semi-monthly, 1st and 15th | 24 | 2 | 4 |
| Monthly, last day | 12 | 1 | 4 |
| Monthly, 1st | 12 | 1 | 2 |
Weekday schedules move only for holidays. A weekly or biweekly payroll always pays on the same weekday, so it never lands on a weekend. Friday schedules meet just one 2027 bank holiday, New Year's Day on January 1; Monday schedules meet up to six.
Date schedules move mostly for weekends. A semi-monthly or monthly payday is a date, and dates fall on Saturdays and Sundays. The 15th-and-last schedule moves 8 of its 24 paydays in 2027, six of them for a weekend.
Paydays are counted by the date they are scheduled, including the January 1, 2027 check that moves into 2026 when paid early. Bank holidays are the weekdays the Federal Reserve is closed. Last updated: November 3, 2026 (U.S. Central time).
Every moved payday in your pay schedule
8 of 24 paydays in 2027 move: 2 for a bank holiday, 6 for a weekend
Each line shows both choices, because your employer's policy picks one. Bank holidays follow the Federal Reserve.
Who decides, by employer
- Private employers: state law first, where it sets the direction, as in Connecticut and Maine; otherwise the written pay policy. Many states also set how often wages must be paid.
- Federal agencies: the payroll provider's published calendar. The GSA 2027 payroll calendar pays Thursday, June 17 and Thursday, December 30 for the Friday paydays of June 18 and December 31, when federal offices close. That is a federal payroll provider's choice, not a rule for private employers.
- Payroll software calendars: they vary. One payroll software company's 2027 calendar keeps those two Fridays; the Federal Reserve is open those days, so direct deposits can settle.
Those calendars were checked on October 27, 2026 (U.S. Central time); the full comparison is on the 2027 payroll calendar. Each holiday and the settlement days around it are on 2027 bank holidays.
How often states require a payday
The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state payday requirements lists, for each state, the frequencies allowed. Some examples from it: in Massachusetts, hourly employees must be paid weekly or biweekly; in California, most wages must be paid at least twice each calendar month; in Maine, pay is due at regular intervals not over 16 days; New Hampshire requires weekly or biweekly pay unless the state labor department gives written permission for semi-monthly or monthly. Alabama and Florida have no rule. The table covers frequency only; for the direction of a holiday payday, check your state's wage law, as the Connecticut and Maine rules above show.
Earlier or later: what each choice changes
- Paid the business day before: a payday on the 1st can move into the previous month: Saturday, May 1, 2027 is paid Friday, April 30. The January 1, 2027 check paid on Thursday, December 31, 2026 counts in 2026, so a Friday weekly payroll paid early has 52 paydays in 2027, not 53.
- Paid the business day after: the check can move into the next month. A last-day payroll's Monday, May 31, 2027 check, on Memorial Day, is paid Tuesday, June 1.
Questions
What are the four pay schedules?
The four schedules are weekly (52 paydays, 53 in some years), biweekly (26), semi-monthly (24) and monthly (12). The counts for each, and the years with 27 biweekly paydays, are on how many pay periods in a year.
Where is the full paycheck calendar for my schedule?
For 2027: weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly and monthly. For any year from 2026 to 2030, the pay period calculator lists every payday.
Can my employer pay late because of a holiday?
Not everywhere. Connecticut requires the preceding workday, so a later payday isn't allowed there; Maine allows the following business day at the latest. Elsewhere, check your state's wage law and your employer's written pay policy.
Sources: 29 CFR 778.106 (Fair Labor Standards Act interpretation); Conn. Gen. Stat. §31-71b(b); 26 M.R.S. §621-A(1); U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, State Payday Requirements; Federal Reserve holiday schedule; GSA 2027 payroll calendar (checked October 27, 2026). This page explains pay schedule timing; it is not legal or payroll advice.