The Difference in One Line
- Biweekly is every other week on the same weekday, such as every second Friday: 26 paydays a year, and 27 in the occasional year that has an extra one.
- Semi-monthly is twice a month on set dates, such as the 1st and 15th, or the 15th and the last day: 24 paydays a year.
Weekly (52 paydays) and monthly (12) are the other two common schedules. The Pay Period Calculator shows the next paydays and the dates each covers for any of them.
Hourly Work Fits Biweekly
A biweekly period is always exactly two weeks, so it lines up with weekly timesheets: each payday covers two whole weeks, and hours are easy to check. Overtime for hourly employees in the US is counted by the workweek, which a biweekly period never splits.
The catch is the calendar. Two months a year have three paydays, which surprises anyone budgeting by the month, and monthly costs such as benefits don't divide evenly into 26.
Salaried Work Fits Semi-Monthly
Semi-monthly paydays fall on the same dates every month, so a salary divides into 24 equal payments and monthly deductions split cleanly in two. People know when they're paid without checking a calendar.
The catch is the week. The 15th can fall on any weekday, so a pay period usually ends mid-week and splits a weekly timesheet in two: the days before the boundary count toward one payday and the rest toward the next. Approving each part on its own keeps every hour on the right payday.
How to Choose
- Mostly hourly people and weekly timesheets: biweekly, or weekly if people expect to be paid often.
- Mostly salaried people: semi-monthly.
- Contractors: whatever your agreements say. Many teams pay contractors on the same schedule as everyone else, from approved hours.
- Employees in the US: check your state's pay frequency rules, since some states require paying at least twice a month.
Whichever you pick, decide what each payday covers (usually through the day before payday, or the Saturday before a Friday payday) and what happens when payday falls on a weekend. Paying the next business day avoids paying for days that haven't been worked or approved yet.