Weekly Pay Schedule 2026
52 Friday paydays, January 2 to December 25. Two land on a bank holiday: Juneteenth (June 19) and Christmas Day (December 25). Paid the business day before, those checks come on Thursday, June 18 and Thursday, December 24, and the first payday of 2027, New Year's Day, comes on Thursday, December 31, 2026. That makes 53 paydays in calendar 2026. Paid the business day after, they come on Monday, June 22 and Monday, December 28, and 2026 has 52. Friday, July 3 is not moved: the Federal Reserve is open that day.
53 paydays in 2026
| # | Payday | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri, Jan 2, 2026 | |
| 2 | Fri, Jan 9, 2026 | |
| 3 | Fri, Jan 16, 2026 | |
| 4 | Fri, Jan 23, 2026 | |
| 5 | Fri, Jan 30, 2026 | |
| 6 | Fri, Feb 6, 2026 | |
| 7 | Fri, Feb 13, 2026 | |
| 8 | Fri, Feb 20, 2026 | |
| 9 | Fri, Feb 27, 2026 | |
| 10 | Fri, Mar 6, 2026 | |
| 11 | Fri, Mar 13, 2026 | |
| 12 | Fri, Mar 20, 2026 | |
| 13 | Fri, Mar 27, 2026 | |
| 14 | Fri, Apr 3, 2026 | |
| 15 | Fri, Apr 10, 2026 | |
| 16 | Fri, Apr 17, 2026 | |
| 17 | Fri, Apr 24, 2026 | |
| 18 | Fri, May 1, 2026 | |
| 19 | Fri, May 8, 2026 | |
| 20 | Fri, May 15, 2026 | |
| 21 | Fri, May 22, 2026 | |
| 22 | Fri, May 29, 2026 | |
| 23 | Fri, Jun 5, 2026 | |
| 24 | Fri, Jun 12, 2026 | |
| 25 | Thu, Jun 18, 2026 | moved from Fri, Jun 19, 2026 (Juneteenth National Independence Day) |
| 26 | Fri, Jun 26, 2026 | |
| 27 | Fri, Jul 3, 2026 | |
| 28 | Fri, Jul 10, 2026 | |
| 29 | Fri, Jul 17, 2026 | |
| 30 | Fri, Jul 24, 2026 | |
| 31 | Fri, Jul 31, 2026 | |
| 32 | Fri, Aug 7, 2026 | |
| 33 | Fri, Aug 14, 2026 | |
| 34 | Fri, Aug 21, 2026 | |
| 35 | Fri, Aug 28, 2026 | |
| 36 | Fri, Sep 4, 2026 | |
| 37 | Fri, Sep 11, 2026 | |
| 38 | Fri, Sep 18, 2026 | |
| 39 | Fri, Sep 25, 2026 | |
| 40 | Fri, Oct 2, 2026 | |
| 41 | Fri, Oct 9, 2026 | |
| 42 | Fri, Oct 16, 2026 | |
| 43 | Fri, Oct 23, 2026 | |
| 44 | Fri, Oct 30, 2026 | |
| 45 | Fri, Nov 6, 2026 | |
| 46 | Fri, Nov 13, 2026 | |
| 47 | Fri, Nov 20, 2026 | |
| 48 | Fri, Nov 27, 2026 | |
| 49 | Fri, Dec 4, 2026 | |
| 50 | Fri, Dec 11, 2026 | |
| 51 | Fri, Dec 18, 2026 | |
| 52 | Thu, Dec 24, 2026 | moved from Fri, Dec 25, 2026 (Christmas Day) |
| 53 | Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | moved from Fri, Jan 1, 2027 (New Year's Day) |
Counted by the day the money is paid. Bank holidays follow the Federal Reserve calendar, the one direct deposit settles on. Last updated: October 2026.
Every holiday a weekly payday meets in 2026
A weekly payroll meets every holiday that falls on its weekday, not every other one. So the list depends only on which day you are paid. Here is each one, with the date the money arrives under either rule.
| Payday | Scheduled | Holiday | Paid the day before | Paid the day after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Mon, Jan 19 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Fri, Jan 16 | Tue, Jan 20 |
| Monday | Mon, Feb 16 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) | Fri, Feb 13 | Tue, Feb 17 |
| Monday | Mon, May 25 | Memorial Day | Fri, May 22 | Tue, May 26 |
| Monday | Mon, Sep 7 | Labor Day | Fri, Sep 4 | Tue, Sep 8 |
| Monday | Mon, Oct 12 | Columbus Day | Fri, Oct 9 | Tue, Oct 13 |
| Tuesday | — | No bank holiday falls on a Tuesday in 2026 | — | — |
| Wednesday | Wed, Nov 11 | Veterans Day | Tue, Nov 10 | Thu, Nov 12 |
| Thursday | Thu, Jan 1 | New Year's Day | Wed, Dec 31, 2025 | Fri, Jan 2 |
| Thursday | Thu, Nov 26 | Thanksgiving Day | Wed, Nov 25 | Fri, Nov 27 |
| Friday | Fri, Jun 19 | Juneteenth | Thu, Jun 18 | Mon, Jun 22 |
| Friday | Fri, Dec 25 | Christmas Day | Thu, Dec 24 | Mon, Dec 28 |
| Friday | Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | New Year's Day | Thu, Dec 31, 2026 | Mon, Jan 4, 2027 |
Monday payrolls carry the load: five holidays, and every move pushes the check into another week, back to the Friday before or on to Tuesday. A Tuesday payroll never moves in 2026. Veterans Day and Columbus Day are easy to miss because not every workplace takes them off. The Federal Reserve does, so a direct deposit due that day still moves.
52 or 53 paydays?
2026 has 52 Fridays, so a Friday payroll runs 52 pay periods. What changes is how many land in the calendar year. The 53rd Friday after January 2 is January 1, 2027, New Year's Day. Paid a day early, that check is paid on Thursday, December 31, 2026, a 53rd payday inside the year. Paid a business day late, it moves to Monday, January 4, 2027.
Thursday payrolls get the mirror case. 2026 starts and ends on a Thursday, so it holds 53 Thursdays. January 1 is New Year's Day. Paid early, that check falls on December 31, 2025, and 2026 has 52; paid late, it lands on Friday, January 2, and 2026 has 53. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday payrolls have 52 either way.
July 3 is a normal payday
Independence Day falls on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Federal offices take Friday, July 3 off, but the Federal Reserve does not close for a Saturday holiday, so ACH and direct deposits settle that Friday as usual. ADP's own 2026 payroll calendar marks July 3 "ADP is closed. Federal Reserve is open. Most banks open." A weekly payroll does not need to pay on Thursday, July 2. Why the two calendars split is explained on federal vs bank working days.
Weekly, biweekly or twice a month
A weekly schedule meets every holiday on its weekday; a biweekly schedule meets only the ones in its weeks; a semi-monthly schedule is tied to dates and moves mostly for weekends.
Questions
How many weekly paydays are in 2026?
52 for a Friday payroll that pays after holidays, 53 if it pays before them, because the January 1, 2027 check is paid on December 31, 2026. 52 for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday payrolls. A Thursday payroll has 52 if it pays early and 53 if it pays late. For next year, see the weekly pay schedule 2027.
When is the first Friday payday of 2026?
Friday, January 2. New Year's Day is Thursday, January 1, so the first Friday is a normal banking day.
What happens to the Christmas Day payday?
December 25, 2026 is a Friday and a bank holiday. Paid early, the check arrives Thursday, December 24; paid late, Monday, December 28.
Is Juneteenth a bank holiday for payroll?
Yes. The Federal Reserve is closed on Friday, June 19, 2026, so a Friday direct deposit moves to Thursday, June 18 or Monday, June 22. Every 2026 holiday, with the hours ACH stops, is on the direct deposit holiday schedule 2026.
Paydays are computed in your browser for the weekday you choose, 7 days apart, using the Federal Reserve Financial Services 2026–2027 holiday schedule (a Saturday holiday leaves the Friday open) and U.S. federal holidays in 5 U.S.C. 6103. Your employer's written payroll policy decides which way a holiday payday moves.