# A biweekly payroll that pays on Friday, January 2, 2026 has 26 pay dates in 2026. Last updated November 1, 2026FreeNo signupPrints on one page A biweekly year has 27 pay dates only when one of them falls on January 1, and none does for this cycle in 2026. Semimonthly payroll has 24 pay dates and monthly payroll has 12. Two pay dates land on a federal holiday, so they are paid the business day before. First biweekly pay date of the year First Friday Any pay date of your cycle works. The list shows the pay dates that fall in 2026. Monthly pay dayThe last day of the monthThe 1stThe 2ndThe 3rdThe 4thThe 5thThe 6thThe 7thThe 8thThe 9thThe 10thThe 11thThe 12thThe 13thThe 14thThe 15thThe 16thThe 17thThe 18thThe 19thThe 20thThe 21stThe 22ndThe 23rdThe 24thThe 25thThe 26thThe 27thThe 28th Biweekly from Friday, January 2, 2026 26pay dates in 2026 2 pay dates move to the business day before. 24 semimonthly and 12 monthly. Print the 2026 payroll calendar 2026 payroll calendar Biweekly from Friday, January 2, 2026, semimonthly on the 15th and the last day, monthly on the last day of the month. A pay date on a weekend or a federal holiday is paid the business day before. teampredict.ai/payroll-calendar/2026 Biweekly 26 pay dates, every 14 days Biweekly pay dates for 2026 Number Pay date 1 Fri, Jan 2 2 Fri, Jan 16 3 Fri, Jan 30 4 Fri, Feb 13 5 Fri, Feb 27 6 Fri, Mar 13 7 Fri, Mar 27 8 Fri, Apr 10 9 Fri, Apr 24 10 Fri, May 8 11 Fri, May 22 12 Fri, Jun 5 13 Thu, Jun 18Scheduled Fri, Jun 19, Juneteenth National Independence Day 14 Thu, Jul 2Scheduled Fri, Jul 3, Independence Day 15 Fri, Jul 17 16 Fri, Jul 31 17 Fri, Aug 14 18 Fri, Aug 28 19 Fri, Sep 11 20 Fri, Sep 25 21 Fri, Oct 9 22 Fri, Oct 23 23 Fri, Nov 6 24 Fri, Nov 20 25 Fri, Dec 4 26 Fri, Dec 18 Semimonthly 24 pay dates, the 15th and the last day Semimonthly pay dates for 2026 Number Pay date 1 Thu, Jan 15 2 Fri, Jan 30Scheduled Sat, Jan 31, a weekend 3 Fri, Feb 13Scheduled Sun, Feb 15, a weekend 4 Fri, Feb 27Scheduled Sat, Feb 28, a weekend 5 Fri, Mar 13Scheduled Sun, Mar 15, a weekend 6 Tue, Mar 31 7 Wed, Apr 15 8 Thu, Apr 30 9 Fri, May 15 10 Fri, May 29Scheduled Sun, May 31, a weekend 11 Mon, Jun 15 12 Tue, Jun 30 13 Wed, Jul 15 14 Fri, Jul 31 15 Fri, Aug 14Scheduled Sat, Aug 15, a weekend 16 Mon, Aug 31 17 Tue, Sep 15 18 Wed, Sep 30 19 Thu, Oct 15 20 Fri, Oct 30Scheduled Sat, Oct 31, a weekend 21 Fri, Nov 13Scheduled Sun, Nov 15, a weekend 22 Mon, Nov 30 23 Tue, Dec 15 24 Thu, Dec 31 Monthly 12 pay dates, on the last day of the month Monthly pay dates for 2026 Number Pay date 1 Fri, Jan 30Scheduled Sat, Jan 31, a weekend 2 Fri, Feb 27Scheduled Sat, Feb 28, a weekend 3 Tue, Mar 31 4 Thu, Apr 30 5 Fri, May 29Scheduled Sun, May 31, a weekend 6 Tue, Jun 30 7 Fri, Jul 31 8 Mon, Aug 31 9 Wed, Sep 30 10 Fri, Oct 30Scheduled Sat, Oct 31, a weekend 11 Mon, Nov 30 12 Thu, Dec 31 Shaded rows moved to the business day before the scheduled date. See which of your own people may be leaving, before they hand in notice. [Start 30-Day Free Trial](https://app.teampredict.ai/signup) ## The first-Friday biweekly cycle pays three times in January, July and December of 2026. _Figure: Bar chart of the biweekly pay dates paid in each month of 2026 for a payroll that starts on January 2: January 3, February 2, March 2, April 2, May 2, June 2, July 3, August 2, September 2, October 2, November 2, December 3._ January, July and December have three pay dates. Every other month has two. January, July and December have three pay dates, because the first one falls early enough in the month for a third to fit 28 days later. The other months have two. ## 14 of the pay dates above are paid early in 2026 because they land on a weekend or a federal holiday. Pay dates that move in 2026 Schedule Scheduled Paid Why Biweekly Fri, Jun 19 Thu, Jun 18 Juneteenth National Independence Day Biweekly Fri, Jul 3 Thu, Jul 2 Independence Day Semimonthly Sat, Jan 31 Fri, Jan 30 Weekend Semimonthly Sun, Feb 15 Fri, Feb 13 Weekend Semimonthly Sat, Feb 28 Fri, Feb 27 Weekend Semimonthly Sun, Mar 15 Fri, Mar 13 Weekend Semimonthly Sun, May 31 Fri, May 29 Weekend Semimonthly Sat, Aug 15 Fri, Aug 14 Weekend Semimonthly Sat, Oct 31 Fri, Oct 30 Weekend Semimonthly Sun, Nov 15 Fri, Nov 13 Weekend Monthly, last day Sat, Jan 31 Fri, Jan 30 Weekend Monthly, last day Sat, Feb 28 Fri, Feb 27 Weekend Monthly, last day Sun, May 31 Fri, May 29 Weekend Monthly, last day Sat, Oct 31 Fri, Oct 30 Weekend The list uses the biweekly cycle that starts on the first Friday and the monthly cycle that pays on the last day. Change either one in the box above and the dates redraw. ## A weekly payroll paid on Fridays has 52 pay dates in 2026, biweekly has 26 or 27, semimonthly 24 and monthly 12. Weekly payroll pays every week, biweekly every other week, semimonthly twice a month on fixed dates and monthly once. Use the [paycheck calculator](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/paycheck-calculator) or the [hourly paycheck calculator](https://www.teampredict.ai/tools/hourly-paycheck-calculator) for what lands in the account on each date. ## The 2026 calendar and holidays show the days these pay dates move around. - [2026 calendar](https://www.teampredict.ai/calendar/2026) - [Federal holidays 2026](https://www.teampredict.ai/holidays/2026) - [2027 payroll calendar](https://www.teampredict.ai/payroll-calendar/2027) The [federal holidays 2026](https://www.teampredict.ai/holidays/2026) page lists the days off, and the [2026 calendar](https://www.teampredict.ai/calendar/2026) marks them in each month. ## Here are answers to the questions people ask about 2026 pay periods. How many pay periods are in 2026? A biweekly payroll that pays on Friday, January 2, 2026 has 26 pay periods in 2026. A weekly payroll paid on Fridays has 52, a semimonthly payroll has 24 and a monthly payroll has 12. Pick your own first pay date above to see the count for your cycle. Why do some years have 27 biweekly pay periods? Twenty-seven pay dates, 14 days apart, span 365 days, so a 27th fits only when the first pay date of the year is January 1. In 2026 that means Thursday, January 1, 2026; every other first pay date gives 26. The Friday cycle that pays on Friday, January 2, 2026 has 26. A pay date that is moved off a holiday still counts, and so does one that lands on a Saturday or Sunday. What happens when a pay date is a weekend or a federal holiday? This calendar pays on the business day before. In 2026 that moves 2 biweekly pay dates (Friday, June 19 is paid Thursday, June 18 and Friday, July 3 is paid Thursday, July 2), 8 semimonthly pay dates and 4 monthly pay dates. What is the difference between biweekly and semimonthly pay? Biweekly pays every other week, so 26 times in 2026, and every paycheck covers 14 days. Semimonthly pays on the 15th and the last day, 24 times, so the dates are steady but the paychecks cover 15 or 16 days. A yearly salary divided by 26 gives a biweekly paycheck and divided by 24 a semimonthly one. How do I use this payroll calendar for my own pay dates? Pick any biweekly pay date of your cycle in the First biweekly pay date box. The list redraws with the pay dates that fall in 2026, and the address updates so you can share it. The monthly list follows the day of the month you choose. ## Turnover is cheaper to prevent than to calculate. TeamPredict flags resignation risk early from public LinkedIn signals, giving you lead time to retain your best people before they hand in notice. [Start 30-Day Free Trial](https://app.teampredict.ai/signup) No charge today ยท Cancel anytime