Biweekly

Every other week — 26 paychecks per year.

Definition

A biweekly pay schedule pays employees every 14 days, producing exactly 26 paychecks per calendar year. Two months out of every year contain three biweekly paydays instead of two, which most household budgets treat as a windfall. Biweekly is the single most common cadence in the United States and is standard for salaried employees at most large industrial, healthcare, and consumer-products employers. It is sometimes confused with semimonthly, but they are not the same: biweekly always cycles every 14 days regardless of calendar month, while semimonthly always lands on the same two calendar dates each month.

Example

An employee earning $78,000 per year on a biweekly schedule receives $3,000 every other Friday ($78,000 ÷ 26).

Related terms

• Pay period — The recurring window of time covered by a single paycheck.
• Pay frequency — How often paychecks are issued.
• Payday — The calendar day wages are deposited.
• In arrears — Wages paid after the pay period ends.
• Semimonthly — Twice per month on fixed dates — 24 paychecks per year.
• Gross pay — Total earnings before any deductions.

See also

• Pay schedule calculator — convert salary to per-paycheck amount
• Pay frequencies primer — weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly
• Frequently asked questions