What Is a Pay Period? (And How Many Are in a Year)
A pay period is the recurring window of work time a paycheck covers. The schedule you pick changes paycheck size, payroll workload, and how careful you must be with overtime.
The four schedules
Weekly: 52 paychecks a year, loved by hourly crews, most payroll runs. Biweekly: every other week, 26 paychecks — the most common US schedule. Semimonthly: twice a month (like the 15th and last day), 24 paychecks. Monthly: 12 paychecks, rare for hourly teams.
Biweekly vs semimonthly is the gotcha
They sound alike but differ: biweekly is every 14 days and lands two 3-paycheck months a year; semimonthly is fixed dates with slightly bigger checks. Hourly overtime is cleaner on weekly/biweekly because pay periods align with workweeks.
Overtime doesn't care about pay periods
Overtime is always computed per workweek — a fixed 7-day cycle — regardless of pay schedule. On semimonthly payroll, a workweek often straddles two pay periods, so your system must still total each week separately. This is the #1 reason semimonthly is awkward for hourly staff.
FAQ
How many pay periods are in a year?
Weekly = 52, biweekly = 26, semimonthly = 24, monthly = 12.
What's the most common pay period?
Biweekly — roughly 26 paychecks per year, every other week — is the most common schedule for US employers.
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