2027 and 2026 payroll calendar template and pay period calculator

Frequently asked questions

How many pay periods are in 2027?

It depends on pay frequency and on which dates you pay. Biweekly schedules have 26 pay periods in most years, but 27 in 2027 when one of the paydays is Friday, January 1, 2027 and that run is paid in 2027 rather than early on December 31, 2026. Weekly schedules have 52, or 53 if payday is a Friday. Semimonthly has 24. Monthly has 12. Enter any payday on your schedule above to see your count.

Does 2027 have 27 pay periods?

For some biweekly schedules, yes. January 1 and December 31, 2027 both fall on a Friday, so a biweekly schedule with a payday on January 1, 2027 has 27 pay dates inside the year. Biweekly schedules that pay on the alternate Fridays, or on another weekday, have 26. If you run the January 1 payroll a day early because New Year's Day is a bank holiday, that pay date lands on Thursday, December 31, 2026, and the 27th pay date moves into 2026 instead.

Which 2027 paydays move because of bank holidays?

Paydays settle through ACH, which follows the Federal Reserve holiday schedule. In 2027 the banks close on Friday, January 1; Monday, January 18; Monday, February 15; Monday, May 31; Monday, July 5; Monday, September 6; Monday, October 11; Thursday, November 11; and Thursday, November 25. Juneteenth and Christmas fall on Saturdays in 2027, so Friday, June 18 and Friday, December 24 are banking days, though employers that observe those Fridays pay a day earlier. A payday on a closed day or a weekend is paid on the previous banking day, which is why a Friday, January 1, 2027 payday is usually paid on Thursday, December 31, 2026.

Which months have three paychecks in 2027?

It depends on which dates you pay. A biweekly schedule with a payday on Friday, January 1, 2027 has three paydays in July and December 2027, and in January too if the January 1 run is paid in 2027 rather than early on December 31, 2026. A biweekly schedule that pays on Friday, January 8, 2027 has three in April and October. The calculator above marks the three-paycheck months for your own schedule.

When does a pay period start and end?

For weekly and biweekly payroll the period is the 7 or 14 days before payday. Many employers add a lag of a few days to a week between the period end and the pay date so hours can be approved; set that lag above to match your calendar. Semimonthly periods run from the 1st to the 15th and from the 16th to the last day of the month. Monthly periods are the calendar month.

Can I download the 2027 payroll calendar?

Yes, free and without an email. Download Excel gives a workbook with a summary sheet and one sheet each for 2026 and 2027, one row per payday with the period start, period end, scheduled date, paid date and amount; it opens in Google Sheets too. Download CSV gives the same rows as plain text. Add to calendar gives an ICS file that imports into Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar as all-day payday events. Print gives a printable version of the tables.

How many pay periods are in 2026?

It depends on pay frequency and on which dates you pay. Biweekly schedules have 26 pay periods in most years. A biweekly Friday schedule that pays on January 2, 2026 has 27 in 2026 when its Friday, January 1, 2027 payday is paid early, on Thursday, December 31, 2026; a biweekly Thursday schedule with a January 1, 2026 payday also has 27, unless that holiday run was paid early, on December 31, 2025. Weekly Friday schedules have 53 in 2026 for the same reason. Semimonthly has 24. Monthly has 12. Enter any payday on your schedule above to see your count.

Which months have three paychecks in 2026?

On a biweekly Friday schedule that pays on January 2, 2026, January, July and December 2026 have three paychecks, the December one because the January 1, 2027 payday is paid on December 31. On the alternate Fridays, starting January 9, 2026, May and October have three. The calculator above marks the months for your own schedule and shows the extra cash outflow if you enter an amount per run.

Why does 2026 have 27 pay periods for biweekly payroll?

Because January 1, 2027 is a Friday and a bank holiday. A biweekly Friday payroll with that payday usually pays it a day early, on Thursday, December 31, 2026, which puts a 27th pay date into 2026. Pay it on Monday, January 4, 2027 instead and 2027 has the 27. Our guide to 27 pay periods in 2026 or 2027 walks through each case.

How does payroll timing affect cash flow forecasting?

Spreading annual payroll evenly across 12 months understates cash outflows in three-paycheck months and in 27-period years. Cash flow forecasts need pay dates on the calendar, not a flat monthly average. That is why payroll is often the first line item a business gets wrong in a spreadsheet.

How do I plan for three-paycheck months?

Identify the months with three runs, multiply by your per-payroll cost, and compare to your normal two-paycheck months. Build those spikes into your cash projection before you hire or commit to spend. A rolling 13-week cash flow forecast makes the timing visible week by week.