Biweekly vs. Semi-Monthly Pay: What's the Difference?

Biweekly and semi-monthly pay sound alike, but they split the same salary into different checks and handle hours differently. This guide compares the two schedules with real numbers, explains why hourly checks vary on a semi-monthly schedule, and shows how federal overtime rules apply to both.

The difference in one paragraph

Biweekly pay means you are paid every other week, usually on the same weekday, which produces 26 paychecks in most years. Semi-monthly pay means you are paid twice a month on fixed calendar dates, such as the 15th and the last day, which always produces exactly 24 paychecks. Both pay the same total over a year. What changes is the size of each check, how many checks land in a month, and how hours are totaled for hourly employees. Many people confuse the two because "twice a month" and "every two weeks" sound alike, but they are different schedules.

How much each paycheck is for the same salary

Divide the annual gross salary by the number of pay periods. A $60,000 salary paid biweekly is 60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69 per check. The same salary paid semi-monthly is 60,000 ÷ 24 = $2,500.00 per check. The semi-monthly check is bigger because there are fewer of them, not because you earn more. Over the year, you receive the same $60,000 before taxes either way.

Use the Hourly to Salary Calculator to see weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly and monthly amounts for any wage, and read hourly to salary: how to convert your wage for the underlying 2,080-hour method. Remember that these figures are gross. What reaches your bank account is lower after taxes and deductions; see gross pay vs. net pay.

Hourly employees: why semi-monthly checks vary

A biweekly period for a full-time hourly employee is always two workweeks, so a 40-hour schedule means 80 paid hours. A semi-monthly period is half a calendar month, and the number of working days in it changes. One period might contain 11 weekdays and another 12, so an hourly employee paid for actual hours can see checks that differ by a day's pay even with an identical weekly schedule. At $20.00 an hour, an 80-hour biweekly check is $1,600.00, always. A semi-monthly check for 11 workdays of 8 hours is 88 × 20 = $1,760.00, and for 12 workdays it is $1,920.00.

Some employers pay hourly workers on a semi-monthly schedule using an average figure, but a worker paid by the hour must be paid for the hours actually worked in the period. A salaried employee, by contrast, receives the same amount each period regardless of how many weekdays it contains, which is one reason salaried positions are commonly paid semi-monthly.

Overtime is always calculated by workweek

The most important rule for hourly workers does not change with the pay schedule. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, overtime is calculated for each workweek, a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours, and covered non-exempt employees must receive at least one and one-half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in that week. A semi-monthly pay period does not make overtime easier or harder to earn: the 40-hour threshold still applies to each workweek separately, and you cannot average a slow week against a busy one.

Semi-monthly periods do create a practical wrinkle because a workweek can straddle two pay periods. For example, if the workweek runs Monday to Sunday and the 15th falls on a Wednesday, the days before the 15th belong to one pay period and the rest to the next. Under the Department of Labor's rule at 29 CFR 778.106, overtime pay is due on the regular payday for the pay period in which the workweek ends. If the overtime amount cannot be determined until after that date, it should be paid as soon as practicable and no later than the next payday after the computation is made. So the overtime for a straddling week generally appears on the paycheck for the period in which that workweek ends.

Worked example: the same week on both schedules

A non-exempt employee earns $22.00 an hour and works 46 hours in one workweek. Regular pay is 40 × 22 = $880.00. Overtime pay is 6 × 33 = $198.00, because time and a half is 22 × 1.5 = $33.00. The week's gross pay is $1,078.00. On a biweekly schedule, that figure is added to the other week in the two-week period. On a semi-monthly schedule, it is added to whichever pay period contains the end of that workweek, along with any days that fall in the same half-month. The amount owed for that week is identical either way. Only the paycheck it appears on can change.

Budgeting, bills and the "extra" paychecks

Because 26 is more than 24 times one, a biweekly employee gets two more checks than a semi-monthly employee over the year, though each check is smaller. In a typical year, two months contain three biweekly paychecks. Many people use those months to pay down debt or build savings because their monthly bills are already covered by the first two. A semi-monthly employee gets exactly two checks every month, which makes rent and subscription planning simpler. To estimate a monthly figure from biweekly pay, multiply one check by 26 and divide by 12, not by multiplying by two. For example, $2,307.69 × 26 ÷ 12 = $5,000.00 a month.

Benefits, PTO and withholding

Employer systems divide annual amounts by the number of pay periods, so benefit and accrual math depends on the schedule. A plan granting 80 hours of paid time off a year accrues 80 ÷ 26 = 3.08 hours per biweekly period or 80 ÷ 24 = 3.33 hours per semi-monthly period. Employers also choose how to spread benefit premiums across pay periods, so ask HR how many deductions are taken per year. Federal income tax withholding tables are published by pay frequency, so the amount withheld per check will differ between schedules even though the annual tax is calculated the same way. Learn more in PTO accrual explained and test your own numbers with the PTO Calculator.

What federal law says about pay frequency

The FLSA requires wages to be paid on the regular payday for the pay period, but it does not set how often employers must pay. Pay frequency is mostly a matter of state law, and the minimum frequency, as well as the deadline for final paychecks, varies by state. If you are unsure whether your employer's schedule complies, contact your state labor department.

This guide is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Labor laws vary by state and change over time. Confirm your specific situation with your employer, HR department, or the U.S. Department of Labor.