Every two weeks is the most common pay schedule in the U.S.: the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 43% of private businesses paid that way in 2023. That sounds like twice a month, but it isn’t quite, and the difference matters when you budget. Here is how to work out a biweekly paycheck and plan around it.
The short version
- Biweekly gross pay = yearly salary ÷ 26.
- $88,000 a year is $3,384.62 every two weeks before taxes.
- Biweekly (26 checks) is different from semimonthly (24 checks, e.g. the 15th and the last day).
- With biweekly pay, two months a year have three paychecks.
The math
There are 52 weeks in a year, so a payday every two weeks gives you 26 paychecks. Divide your salary by 26. For an hourly job, multiply your rate by your hours in the two-week period: 80 hours at $25 is $2,000.
Biweekly gross pay by salary
| Salary | Biweekly (÷26) | Semimonthly (÷24) | Monthly (÷12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $1,153.85 | $1,250.00 | $2,500.00 |
| $40,000 | $1,538.46 | $1,666.67 | $3,333.33 |
| $50,000 | $1,923.08 | $2,083.33 | $4,166.67 |
| $60,000 | $2,307.69 | $2,500.00 | $5,000.00 |
| $75,000 | $2,884.62 | $3,125.00 | $6,250.00 |
| $88,000 | $3,384.62 | $3,666.67 | $7,333.33 |
| $100,000 | $3,846.15 | $4,166.67 | $8,333.33 |
| $125,000 | $4,807.69 | $5,208.33 | $10,416.67 |
| $150,000 | $5,769.23 | $6,250.00 | $12,500.00 |
Biweekly vs. semimonthly
Semimonthly pay arrives on two set dates each month, 24 times a year, so each check is bigger but the year has fewer of them. Both add up to the same salary. The practical difference: semimonthly checks line up neatly with monthly bills, while biweekly checks drift through the calendar.
The “three-paycheck months”
Twelve months with two paychecks each would be only 24 checks. The other two land in months that get a third payday. Which months depends on your first payday of the year; your payroll calendar shows it.
Example
Andre earns $60,000 and is paid every other Friday: $2,307.69 gross per check. He budgets his monthly bills on two paychecks ($4,615.38 a month gross), and when a third check arrives, it goes straight to savings and his credit card balance. Over a year, those two extra checks are $4,615.38 gross that never had to cover rent.
From gross to take-home
The amounts above are before anything is taken out. Federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, any state and local income tax, health insurance and retirement contributions are deducted from each check, so your deposit will be smaller. Your pay stub lists each deduction. If you want a quick take-home estimate, use the net figure from a recent stub and multiply by 26.
Budgeting with biweekly pay
- Plan monthly costs around two paychecks, not 26 ÷ 12 = 2.17.
- Line up due dates: ask billers to move due dates closer to your paydays.
- Decide in advance what the two extra paychecks are for.
- Use our monthly budget calculator with two checks’ worth of take-home pay.
More conversions are on our salary to hourly pages and in how much $60,000 a year is per hour.
Hourly workers paid biweekly
| Hourly rate | 80 hours (two full weeks) | With 5 overtime hours |
|---|---|---|
| $15 | $1,200.00 | $1,312.50 |
| $20 | $1,600.00 | $1,750.00 |
| $25 | $2,000.00 | $2,187.50 |
| $30 | $2,400.00 | $2,625.00 |
Overtime under the federal rule is based on each workweek, not the two-week pay period. Working 45 hours one week and 35 the next still earns 5 hours of overtime, even though the total is 80 hours.
Which months get three paychecks?
With a payday every 14 days, the calendar slowly shifts, and two months each year contain three paydays. If your first payday of the year falls in the first two days of January, January will be one of them. Your payroll calendar or a simple calendar count will show the two months for your schedule.
Using the extra checks well
- Build or top up an emergency fund.
- Pay down a credit card balance, which saves interest every month afterward.
- Prepay a yearly cost such as car insurance or registration.
