What Is a Pay Period? Plus Free Pay Period Calendars for Employers

A pay period is the period of time over which employees work and are paid. There are several pay periods from which to choose—for example, weekly or twice a month—and our payroll calendars make them easier to track.

If you want to avoid the hassle of manually tracking pay schedules and dates, consider using a small business payroll software like Gusto. It automatically calculates employee pay and taxes and gives you the option to choose how to schedule your pay periods. And unlike some providers that limit you to a biweekly or semimonthly pay schedule, with Gusto, you can set any pay schedule you want. Try it free for 30 days.

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For a list of other payroll terms small business owners need to know, check out our guide on payroll terminology. It’s also helpful to get a good grasp as to what payroll is and isn’t.

How Pay Periods Work

Employers set a regular pay period to ensure their employees receive consistent paychecks. While most companies base their pay schedule on the needs of the business, there are labor laws in place that govern the minimum consistency with which these schedules must comply. Before choosing your pay schedule, it’s important to know how often your state requires employers to process payroll:

Here’s a map that shows payday frequency requirements by state:

Employers consider the minimum frequency at which they can legally process payroll—usually monthly—to set a regular pay schedule. Remember, every pay schedule includes start and end dates for time worked and a payday on which employees receive their paychecks. The payday varies depending on the employer; some designate the payday to be the last date of every pay period, while others may opt to pay a week after the pay period ends.

If you’re using a professional employer organization (PEO), your payday options may be limited (for instance, some larger payroll services only allow you to pay employees on Fridays).

Free Downloadable Pay Period Calendars

Download the pay period calendar and corresponding chart below that fits your payroll schedule:

2021 Weekly Calendar

2022 Weekly Calendar

2021 Biweekly Calendar

2022 Biweekly Calendar

2021 Semi Monthly Calendar

2022 Semi Monthly Calendar

2021 Monthly Calendar

2022 Monthly Calendar

• 2021 – 2022 Weekly Pay Period Chart
• 2021 – 2022 Biweekly Pay Period Chart
• 2021 – 2022 Semimonthly Pay Period Chart
• 2021 – 2022 Monthly Pay Period Chart

Types of Pay Periods & How to Choose

A year can be divided into 52 weeks, 365 days, or 12 months, which means there are numerous schedules you can use for your payroll. Some businesses are more concerned with weekly payouts and opt to pay once a week or every other week. Others divide each month in half and choose to pay in the middle and at the end. Additionally, although not as frequent, a monthly pay schedule works better for some companies. Here are some factors you should consider when determining your pay schedule:

• Average wages: Restaurant employees who earn tipped minimum wage may be better suited for weekly paychecks. Forcing employees who receive low wages to wait two to three weeks for payday could damage morale.
• Company cash flow: Paying weekly means you must have enough cash available to pay more often. Some businesses have cash flow cycles that require more time before bank accounts are replenished—like stores that sell merchandise on credit.
• Profitability: Processing payroll more often usually costs more money ($50 to $100 per pay run for 10 employees), and some businesses, especially startups, have to manage their expenses more carefully. Using providers like Gusto allows employers to run unlimited monthly payrolls at no extra cost.

Here are some of the most common pay schedules from which you can choose. Keep in mind that certain industries have norms, and you may need to follow your industry’s tradition to remain a competitive employer.

Weekly Pay Period

Employees are paid once a week; their paychecks include hours worked (or salary) for a workweek—for instance, Sunday through Saturday. Many companies choose Friday as their payday since it’s the last weekday, but it can be any day of the week. Many businesses in the construction, manufacturing, restaurant, and mining industries pay on this cycle.

Biweekly Pay Period

Biweekly means payroll is run once every two weeks or every other week, wherein employees are paid for two workweeks. For most months, this equates to two paydays, but three months in the year (that vary from year to year) have three biweekly paydays.

One thing to note is that biweekly is the most common pay schedule overall, with 36.5% of US private businesses paying their employees every two weeks. Many businesses in education, healthcare, leisure and hospitality, and information technology industries follow it.

Semimonthly Pay Period

Semimonthly, which is sometimes confused with biweekly, means twice a month. Many companies opt to pay on the 15th and last day of every month. If either of those days falls on a weekend, payroll is processed on the closest weekday before it. The pay period can include 14 to 16 days, depending on the number of days in the month. Typically, businesses in the financial, information technology, professional and business service industries pay semimonthly—it’s the second least frequently used pay schedule.

Monthly Pay Period

With a monthly pay schedule, payroll is processed once monthly. It’s not as common as the others and results in only 12 pay dates in the year. Some companies pay employees on the last Friday of each month, while others opt to pay on the last day of the month. If that happens to be on a weekend, they may pay on the last weekday before it. Monthly is used the least frequently of the pay schedules but is sometimes used by businesses that offer professional or business services.

Paying in Arrears vs Current

Let’s look at an example of how an employer sets a pay schedule so that we can examine the difference between paying in arrears vs paying current:

Dorothy is opening a restaurant and decides to pay her employees on a weekly pay schedule. She’ll need to decide when the workweek will begin and end, in addition to the day employees will be paid. Let’s assume she’s going to pay for all hours worked from Sunday to Saturday of every week, and payday will be every Friday. This is her pay schedule.

The dates in yellow make up the pay period. Note this is a current pay schedule; payday is one day before the end of the pay period

When you pay current, you pay employees as soon as or before their pay cycle ends. In the example above, Dorothy is “paying current.” To reiterate, Dorothy chose Sunday through Saturday as her weekly pay period with Friday as the payday. This means she’ll have to estimate the work hours for Saturday because employees will be paid for Saturday before it arrives.

Paying in arrears means there’s a delay between the time employees work and when they receive pay for that work. This delay could be a week or more depending on state laws. Remember, by default, Iowa’s maximum delay is 12 days.

Here’s an example of paying employees in arrears:

Jeff sets his pay period as Sunday through Saturday but opts to pay Friday of the following week (six days after the last workday). While this is sometimes a nuisance to new employees who may have to work a week “in the hole,” meaning they’re not paid at the end of their first week, it can be beneficial for some employers.

If you pay your employees for time that has not yet passed, there could be unexpected changes in their schedule for which you’ll need to make adjustments on the next pay period. This can become cumbersome as you’ll have to keep track of pay cycles for which you’ve already processed payroll; you must comply with federal overtime laws—paying time and a half (1.5 times regular hourly pay) for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

Determining Whether to Pay in Arrears or Current

There is no hard rule guiding whether you should pay in arrears or current. You should consider the needs of your business and your employees. Paying in arrears gives you time to gather all timesheets, tip reports, and other information to ensure you process payroll correctly; there’s no need to forecast employee schedules.

Paying current is less confusing for some employees and works well in certain instances. Let’s assume a company has a pay cycle of Sunday through Saturday with Friday being the payday. If the employees only work weekdays, Monday through Friday, there would be less guesswork. Although Saturday is a part of the pay cycle, the employees don’t work on Saturdays. It also works for salaried employees who are paid the same amount every pay period, regardless of hours worked.

Using Our Pay Period Calendars & Charts

Now that you know how to choose your pay period, if you haven’t already, you should print the corresponding calendar and chart. Using a pay period calendar and/or chart can help you avoid missing a payday. Bookkeepers find them useful when they need to record and forecast payroll expenses, and employees might want a copy to reference if they get confused (especially if payroll is paid in arrears).

Track Employee Hours Using the Pay Period Chart

After printing your payroll chart, you can use it when calculating your employees’ work hours for the pay period. The chart lists the beginning and end dates you need to consider for each payroll, so you can easily ensure you’re only paying for time worked in the appropriate period. It’s a good idea to require your hourly employees to submit timesheets based on the pay schedule you set.

If you pay on a biweekly pay schedule, require that your employees submit their timesheets every two weeks (or weekly if you want to start on payroll calculations early). You won’t need to track hours for salaried employees, just the days for which you’re paying them.

Pay Employees on Designated Pay Date

The pay period calendar makes it easy to see each pay date because they’re circled. You can post the calendar on your desk or wall for easy reference. You can also write in additional information or reminders to help you keep track of other important dates. Just follow along each day, and you’ll always know when payday is approaching. This really comes in handy if you process payroll manually.

Bottom Line

Choosing the pay period that best suits your business is essential, and following it consistently is even more important. Our payroll calendars and charts make it easy to track the beginning and end dates of your pay cycle along with your pay dates, so you never miss payday or run payroll for the wrong period.

If you want an easy way to pay your employees regardless of your pay schedule, consider Gusto. You can choose from the four major payroll schedules and even set up multiple and custom schedules if needed. Sign up for a 30-day free trial today.

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