What Is Biweekly Pay?
Biweekly pay is a payroll method that provides employees with compensation every two weeks. Bi-weekly pay typically uses a set schedule, with each payday being on the same weekday each pay cycle. Most companies use Friday as their biweekly paydays, but you can use any other weekday to process payroll. If you are paid hourly, our free hourly paycheck calculator shows what a biweekly paycheck comes to from your rate and hours.
How does biweekly pay work?
Biweekly pay runs on a fixed two-week cycle: the pay period covers two full workweeks and payday lands on the same weekday every other week, most often Friday. That gives 26 paychecks a year — and because 26 checks don’t divide evenly into 12 months, two months each year contain a third paycheck (see five-paycheck months for how those extra-payday months work). The two-full-weeks period also aligns cleanly with weekly overtime thresholds, which keeps overtime calculation simple.
Biweekly vs semi-monthly vs weekly pay
| Method | Paychecks per year | Typical paydays |
|---|---|---|
|
Biweekly |
26 |
Every other Friday |
|
Semi-monthly |
24 |
1st and 15th, or 15th and last day |
|
Weekly |
52 |
Every Friday |
The three schedules trade frequency against processing: semi-monthly pay runs 24 checks pinned to calendar dates, weekly pay maximizes employee cash flow at 52, and biweekly’s 26 sits in the middle — regular weekday paydays with half the pay runs of weekly.
What does a rate turn into every other Friday?
Enter an hourly rate and hours in the free WebWork hourly paycheck calculator and see the biweekly, weekly and yearly paycheck at once.
What are the benefits of bi-weekly pay?
The main benefit of bi-weekly pay is that many professionals consider frequent paychecks a measurable perk. This will allow them to plan their finances more efficiently and maintain a higher degree of financial mobility. As a result, your staff will be able to manage emergencies more effectively.
In this regard, biweekly paychecks are superior to traditional monthly pay. However, weekly pay can be even better for some professionals.
What are the disadvantages of biweekly pay?
The main drawback of biweekly pay is that your business will have to process more paychecks. With monthly payments, you’ll only have to deal with 12 transactions per year. Bi-weekly paychecks, on the other hand, will involve 26 yearly payments—more than double that of monthly payroll.
How to manage biweekly payroll in your business?
To manage biweekly payroll effectively, you should use a productivity app with a built-in payroll management tool. Apps like WebWork offer powerful Payroll Tracking functionality that will greatly simplify your management work. You’ll even be able to send payments directly in the productivity suite with its Invoicing feature.
Are biweekly pay and semi-monthly pay the same?
No, biweekly payroll and semi-monthly pay are different. While they’re quite similar, semi-monthly pay uses two predefined monthly dates as its paydays. Moreover, semimonthly pay involves 24 yearly paychecks, while biweekly pay has 26 of them.
