United States · Payroll · Pay dates
Biweekly payroll calendar 2027.
Every biweekly pay date in 2027 for your cycle, the months with three paychecks, and the dates a bank holiday moves.
Short answer: A biweekly cycle pays every 14 days, which is 26 pay dates in 2027 for every cycle except one: a cycle with a pay date on Friday, January 1, 2027 has 27, because 2027 starts and ends on a Friday. Cycles that pay on Friday, January 8 have three-paycheck months in April and October. Enter any pay date on your cycle to see yours, with dates moved earlier for weekends and Federal Reserve holidays.
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Pay dates by first pay date of 2027
Every biweekly cycle has its first 2027 pay date somewhere from January 1 to January 14. This table lists the weekday starts, computed from the calendar: the number of pay dates and the months with three of them.
| First 2027 pay date | Pay dates in 2027 | Three-paycheck months |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 1 | 27 | January, July, December |
| Mon, Jan 4 | 26 | March, August |
| Tue, Jan 5 | 26 | March, August |
| Wed, Jan 6 | 26 | March, September |
| Thu, Jan 7 | 26 | April, September |
| Fri, Jan 8 | 26 | April, October |
| Mon, Jan 11 | 26 | May, November |
| Tue, Jan 12 | 26 | June, November |
| Wed, Jan 13 | 26 | June, December |
| Thu, Jan 14 | 26 | July, December |
2027 bank holidays that can move a pay date
Direct deposit runs through the banking system, so many payroll teams pay on the last business day before a weekend or bank holiday. The Federal Reserve list for 2027 has nine weekday closures. Holidays on a Saturday (June 19 and December 25) are not observed on the Friday by the Reserve Banks, so Friday, June 18 and Friday, December 24 are open.
| Bank holiday (Federal Reserve) | 2027 date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | Friday |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | January 18 | Monday |
| Washington's Birthday | February 15 | Monday |
| Memorial Day | May 31 | Monday |
| Independence Day (observed) | July 5 | Monday |
| Labor Day | September 6 | Monday |
| Columbus Day | October 11 | Monday |
| Veterans Day | November 11 | Thursday |
| Thanksgiving Day | November 25 | Thursday |
What changed: why 2027 is different
2027 begins on a Friday and ends on a Friday, so it has 53 Fridays. A biweekly cycle on Fridays can therefore land on both January 1 and December 31, which gives 27 pay dates. January 1 is a Federal Reserve holiday, so that first payment is normally released on Thursday, December 31, 2026, which leaves 26 pay dates paid inside calendar 2027 for most employers. Which of these applies to you depends on your payroll calendar, so check it with your payroll provider.
Worked example
An employee on a Friday cycle whose first 2027 pay date is January 8 is paid on 26 dates, and April and October have three each (April 2, 16 and 30; October 1, 15 and 29). A $60,000 salary paid in 26 equal installments is $2,307.69 per paycheck before tax, and the three-paycheck months are simply months with a third deposit, not a raise. The same salary in a 27-date cycle would be $2,222.22 per paycheck if split over 27, but most salaried employers still divide by 26 and treat the extra date as an additional payment.
Common mix-ups
- Biweekly is not semi-monthly. Biweekly is 26 pay dates a year; semi-monthly is 24, on fixed dates such as the 15th and last day.
- A three-paycheck month is not extra pay. Annual pay is unchanged; one month simply has a third deposit.
- Moving a payday for a holiday is practice, not a federal rule. The Department of Labor table shows that pay frequency requirements are set state by state.
- Federal holidays and bank holidays differ. When a holiday falls on a Saturday, federal offices may observe it on Friday but the Federal Reserve Banks stay open.
- Your cycle is fixed by your first date. Only the 14-day spacing matters; the table above shows the result for each possible start.
Method
The calendar steps forward or back in 14-day increments from the pay date you enter until it covers January 1 to December 31, 2027. Any date on the cycle works, in any year. A pay date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday or one of the nine Federal Reserve holidays above moves to the previous business day, and the table shows both the cycle date and the date paid. Months with more than two pay dates are flagged. Per-paycheck pay is salary divided by 26, before tax. The holiday dates were read from the Federal Reserve schedule on November 9, 2026, and the pay date counts are computed from the calendar.
What this does not cover
- Your employer's own policy for moving paydays, which can differ from the previous-business-day rule used here.
- State pay frequency and final paycheck rules, tax withholding and deposits.
- Semi-monthly and monthly calendars, and federal employee pay periods, which are on separate pages.
- Paychecks for hourly employees, which depend on hours worked in the pay period.
Figures read from the sources below on November 9, 2026. Last updated November 9, 2026.
Sources
- Federal Reserve Financial Services: holiday schedules, 2026 to 2030 (retrieved November 9, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor: State Payday Requirements (table dated January 1, 2023) (retrieved November 9, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How many biweekly pay periods are in 2027?
26 for most cycles. A cycle with a pay date on Friday, January 1, 2027 has 27 pay dates because 2027 starts and ends on a Friday.
Which months have three paychecks in 2027?
It depends on your cycle. For a Friday cycle starting January 8 they are April and October. The table above lists each possible start.
Does a holiday change my biweekly payday?
Often. Many employers pay on the last business day before a weekend or bank holiday, but the rule is the employer's practice, not a federal requirement.
Which holidays does the Federal Reserve observe in 2027?
January 1, January 18, February 15, May 31, July 5, September 6, October 11, November 11 and November 25 on weekdays.
Is biweekly the same as every two weeks?
Yes, here it means every 14 days. Some people use biweekly for twice a month; that is semi-monthly.
How much is a biweekly paycheck on $60,000?
$2,307.69 before tax when the salary is split into 26 payments.
Where do the holidays come from?
The Federal Reserve Financial Services holiday schedule, linked in the sources.
Not legal or tax advice
This page is general information from an unofficial guide, not legal or payroll advice. Pay frequency and timing rules are set by state law and by your employer. Confirm your pay dates with your payroll provider. Nothing you type is sent anywhere. It runs in your browser.