Independent payroll-schedule reference · Updated July 2026 Methodology · Submit a correction

What "headquartered in Washington" actually means for your paycheck

Pay frequency is governed primarily by the state where the employee physically works, not where the employer is incorporated. A company headquartered in Washington may run separate payroll calendars for staff in California, New York, or Massachusetts to comply with state-specific cadence floors. That said, the largest multi-state employers — including those listed below — typically adopt a single uniform payroll cadence across all locations to simplify administration. The most common simplification is to default to whichever cadence satisfies the strictest state minimum.

For the official state-by-state payday-requirement reference, see the U.S. Department of Labor's payday-requirements table and the NCSL summary of state payday laws. These are the canonical references HR teams use when designing multi-state payroll calendars.

Why a semimonthly schedule appears here

A semimonthly payroll schedule pays employees twice per month on fixed calendar dates, usually the 15th and the last business day, producing exactly 24 paychecks per year. Semimonthly is favored by banks, insurance carriers, technology companies, utilities, and consulting firms because it aligns naturally with monthly accounting closes.

Among the Washington-headquartered employers in PayPeriod Hub, the semimonthly cadence appears most often at companies whose workforces concentrate in salaried corporate, technology, finance, and professional-services roles. The pattern reflects industry structure more than state law.

All 6 Washington employers paying semimonthly

CompanyIndustryPaydayCityEmployees
F5 Networks Technology the 15th and last day of the month Seattle 6,700
Microsoft Technology the 15th and last day of the month Redmond 221,000
Redfin Technology the 15th and last day of the month Seattle 4,800
Slalom Consulting Consulting & IT Services the 15th and last day of the month Seattle 13,000
Smartsheet Technology the 15th and last day of the month Bellevue 3,300
Zillow Group Technology the 15th and last day of the month Seattle 6,800

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