Semi-Monthly Pay Schedule 2026
24 paydays, two a month. On the 15th-and-last-day schedule, eight 2026 paydays fall on a weekend and move to the Friday before: Jan 30, Feb 13, Feb 27, Mar 13, May 29, Aug 14, Oct 30 and Nov 13. None of the 24 dates is a bank holiday. Employers that pay on the next business day instead push four month-end checks into the following month, so January, May and October get one payday and March, June and November get three.
24 paydays in 2026
Every month has two paydays.
| # | Payday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Jan 15, 2026 | |
| 2 | Fri, Jan 30, 2026 | moved from Sat, Jan 31, 2026 (weekend) |
| 3 | Fri, Feb 13, 2026 | moved from Sun, Feb 15, 2026 (weekend) |
| 4 | Fri, Feb 27, 2026 | moved from Sat, Feb 28, 2026 (weekend) |
| 5 | Fri, Mar 13, 2026 | moved from Sun, Mar 15, 2026 (weekend) |
| 6 | Tue, Mar 31, 2026 | |
| 7 | Wed, Apr 15, 2026 | |
| 8 | Thu, Apr 30, 2026 | |
| 9 | Fri, May 15, 2026 | |
| 10 | Fri, May 29, 2026 | moved from Sun, May 31, 2026 (weekend) |
| 11 | Mon, Jun 15, 2026 | |
| 12 | Tue, Jun 30, 2026 | |
| 13 | Wed, Jul 15, 2026 | |
| 14 | Fri, Jul 31, 2026 | |
| 15 | Fri, Aug 14, 2026 | moved from Sat, Aug 15, 2026 (weekend) |
| 16 | Mon, Aug 31, 2026 | |
| 17 | Tue, Sep 15, 2026 | |
| 18 | Wed, Sep 30, 2026 | |
| 19 | Thu, Oct 15, 2026 | |
| 20 | Fri, Oct 30, 2026 | moved from Sat, Oct 31, 2026 (weekend) |
| 21 | Fri, Nov 13, 2026 | moved from Sun, Nov 15, 2026 (weekend) |
| 22 | Mon, Nov 30, 2026 | |
| 23 | Tue, Dec 15, 2026 | |
| 24 | Thu, Dec 31, 2026 |
Bank holidays follow the Federal Reserve calendar, the one direct deposit settles on. Last updated: October 2026.
Both schedules, paid the business day before
Most payrolls that hit a weekend pay on the Friday before. That keeps every check inside its own month on the 15th-and-last schedule. A star marks a moved payday.
| # | 15th & last day | 1st & 15th |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Jan 15 | Thu, Jan 15 |
| 2 | Fri, Jan 30 * | Fri, Jan 30 * |
| 3 | Fri, Feb 13 * | Fri, Feb 13 * |
| 4 | Fri, Feb 27 * | Fri, Feb 27 * |
| 5 | Fri, Mar 13 * | Fri, Mar 13 * |
| 6 | Tue, Mar 31 | Wed, Apr 1 |
| 7 | Wed, Apr 15 | Wed, Apr 15 |
| 8 | Thu, Apr 30 | Fri, May 1 |
| 9 | Fri, May 15 | Fri, May 15 |
| 10 | Fri, May 29 * | Mon, Jun 1 |
| 11 | Mon, Jun 15 | Mon, Jun 15 |
| 12 | Tue, Jun 30 | Wed, Jul 1 |
| 13 | Wed, Jul 15 | Wed, Jul 15 |
| 14 | Fri, Jul 31 | Fri, Jul 31 * |
| 15 | Fri, Aug 14 * | Fri, Aug 14 * |
| 16 | Mon, Aug 31 | Tue, Sep 1 |
| 17 | Tue, Sep 15 | Tue, Sep 15 |
| 18 | Wed, Sep 30 | Thu, Oct 1 |
| 19 | Thu, Oct 15 | Thu, Oct 15 |
| 20 | Fri, Oct 30 * | Fri, Oct 30 * |
| 21 | Fri, Nov 13 * | Fri, Nov 13 * |
| 22 | Mon, Nov 30 | Tue, Dec 1 |
| 23 | Tue, Dec 15 | Tue, Dec 15 |
| 24 | Thu, Dec 31 | Thu, Dec 31 * |
The 1st-and-15th column runs one check ahead from the start. Its January 1, 2026 payday is New Year's Day; paid early it lands on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, in last year. The year still ends at 24 because January 1, 2027, also a holiday, is paid on Thursday, December 31, 2026. The same early rule pulls the February 1, March 1, August 1 and November 1 checks back into the month before, so on this schedule March, August and November get one payday and July, October and December get three.
Both schedules, paid the business day after
Some employers pay on the Monday after a weekend payday. Here the effect flips: the 1st-and-15th schedule stays two a month, and the 15th-and-last schedule spills over.
| # | 15th & last day | 1st & 15th |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Jan 15 | Fri, Jan 2 * |
| 2 | Mon, Feb 2 * | Thu, Jan 15 |
| 3 | Tue, Feb 17 * | Mon, Feb 2 * |
| 4 | Mon, Mar 2 * | Tue, Feb 17 * |
| 5 | Mon, Mar 16 * | Mon, Mar 2 * |
| 6 | Tue, Mar 31 | Mon, Mar 16 * |
| 7 | Wed, Apr 15 | Wed, Apr 1 |
| 8 | Thu, Apr 30 | Wed, Apr 15 |
| 9 | Fri, May 15 | Fri, May 1 |
| 10 | Mon, Jun 1 * | Fri, May 15 |
| 11 | Mon, Jun 15 | Mon, Jun 1 |
| 12 | Tue, Jun 30 | Mon, Jun 15 |
| 13 | Wed, Jul 15 | Wed, Jul 1 |
| 14 | Fri, Jul 31 | Wed, Jul 15 |
| 15 | Mon, Aug 17 * | Mon, Aug 3 * |
| 16 | Mon, Aug 31 | Mon, Aug 17 * |
| 17 | Tue, Sep 15 | Tue, Sep 1 |
| 18 | Wed, Sep 30 | Tue, Sep 15 |
| 19 | Thu, Oct 15 | Thu, Oct 1 |
| 20 | Mon, Nov 2 * | Thu, Oct 15 |
| 21 | Mon, Nov 16 * | Mon, Nov 2 * |
| 22 | Mon, Nov 30 | Mon, Nov 16 * |
| 23 | Tue, Dec 15 | Tue, Dec 1 |
| 24 | Thu, Dec 31 | Tue, Dec 15 |
Saturday, January 31 becomes Monday, February 2; Saturday, February 28 becomes Monday, March 2; Sunday, May 31 becomes Monday, June 1; Saturday, October 31 becomes Monday, November 2. If you budget by the month, those are the months to plan for: one check in January, May and October, three in March, June and November.
The one holiday that matters in 2026
No 15th and no last day of a month in 2026 is a federal or bank holiday, so on the usual schedules only weekends move paydays. There is one exception. Sunday, February 15 is a payday on both schedules. Paid the business day after, it would land on Monday, February 16, Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day), when the Federal Reserve is closed and direct deposits don't settle. The check comes on Tuesday, February 17.
The 1st-and-15th schedule also meets New Year's Day at both ends of the year: January 1, 2026 (Thursday) and January 1, 2027 (Friday). Paid after, the first check of 2026 comes on Friday, January 2.
Schedules on other days can hit more holidays. A 1st-and-16th or 10th-and-25th payroll runs into different dates; pick it in the tool above to see each move.
Why it is always 24
A semi-monthly schedule is tied to dates, not to a count of days, so every year has 24 scheduled paydays. A biweekly schedule pays every 14 days and gets 26, sometimes 27, which is why the two can't share a calendar; see the biweekly pay schedule 2026. Moving a payday across New Year can shift one check into the year before or after, but for both schedules above, paid early or late, the gain and the loss cancel out in 2026.
Questions
How many semi-monthly paydays are in 2026?
24, on either the 15th and last day or the 1st and 15th, whether weekend paydays are paid early or late.
What if the 15th falls on a weekend?
In 2026 the 15th is a Saturday or Sunday in February, March, August and November. Paid early, those checks come on Friday, February 13, March 13, August 14 and November 13. Paid late, on Tuesday, February 17 (after Presidents Day), and Monday, March 16, August 17 and November 16.
Is December 31, 2026 a payday?
Yes on the 15th-and-last schedule: it's a Thursday and banks are open. On the 1st-and-15th schedule it is the January 1, 2027 check paid a day early, if your employer pays before holidays.
Which months have three paychecks?
None, if your employer pays the 15th and last day and moves weekend paydays earlier. March, June and November, if it moves them later. On the 1st and 15th paid early: July, October and December.
Paydays are computed in your browser from the two days of the month you choose, using the Federal Reserve Financial Services 2026–2027 holiday schedule 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.