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2026 Biweekly Payroll Tool

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Biweekly Pay Period Calendar 2026

Generate all 26 (or 27) biweekly pay periods for 2026 from your exact anchor date. Preview period start dates, period end dates, three-paycheck months, and export ICS or CSV files.

1

Configure pay periods

Set the first period start date and payday rule for 2026.

Pay period table

Review every generated pay period before export.

PeriodStart dateEnd datePayday
12026-01-042026-01-172026-01-23
22026-01-182026-01-312026-02-06
32026-02-012026-02-142026-02-20
42026-02-152026-02-282026-03-06
52026-03-012026-03-142026-03-20
62026-03-152026-03-282026-04-03
72026-03-292026-04-112026-04-17
82026-04-122026-04-252026-05-01
92026-04-262026-05-092026-05-15
102026-05-102026-05-232026-05-29
112026-05-242026-06-062026-06-12
122026-06-072026-06-202026-06-26
132026-06-212026-07-042026-07-10
142026-07-052026-07-182026-07-24
152026-07-192026-08-012026-08-07
162026-08-022026-08-152026-08-21
172026-08-162026-08-292026-09-04
182026-08-302026-09-122026-09-18
192026-09-132026-09-262026-10-02
202026-09-272026-10-102026-10-16
212026-10-112026-10-242026-10-30
222026-10-252026-11-072026-11-13
232026-11-082026-11-212026-11-27
242026-11-222026-12-052026-12-11
252026-12-062026-12-192026-12-25
262026-12-202027-01-022027-01-08

This table is calculated from the first pay period start date and payday rule you enter. It is not an official employer payroll calendar.

2026 Biweekly Payday Tracks, 3-Paycheck Months & ACH Holidays

Because a biweekly schedule pays every 14 days (26 times per year across 12 months), ten months of the year contain 2 paychecks and exactly two months contain 3 paychecks. Which months deliver a third paycheck in 2026 depends on which alternating Friday (or Thursday) cycle your employer runs:

2026 Biweekly Schedule Track Annual Count 3-Paycheck Months in 2026 Direct Payday Holiday Collisions
Friday Track A (1st Payday Jan 2, 2026) 26 Paydays January (Jan 2, 16, 30) & July (Jul 3, 17, 31) Jun 19 (Juneteenth → Thu Jun 18) & Jul 3 (Observed Holiday)
Friday Track B (1st Payday Jan 9, 2026) 26 Paydays May (May 1, 15, 29) & October (Oct 2, 16, 30) Dec 25 (Christmas Day → Thu Dec 24)
Thursday Track A (Scheduled Jan 1, 2026) 26 or 27 Paydays* January, July & December (if Jan 1 paid in 2026) Jan 1 (New Year's Day → Wed Dec 31, 2025) & Nov 26 (Thanksgiving → Wed Nov 25)

*Tax-year note: Under IRS constructive receipt rules, W-2 wages belong to the calendar year in which funds are made available to employees. If a Thursday, January 1, 2026 payday settles on Wednesday, December 31, 2025 due to the New Year's Day bank closure, that check counts toward the 2025 W-2 year, leaving 26 Thursday paydays in 2026.

How HR & Employees Use 2026 Biweekly Pay Calendars

Benefit Deduction Holidays

Many employers deduct monthly medical, dental, and FSA premiums across 24 paychecks (twice per month) and pause benefit deductions on the two "third paycheck" Fridays in January/July or May/October.

FLSA Workweek Alignment

Unlike semi-monthly schedules that split workweeks mid-stream, every 14-day biweekly period contains two complete 7-day FLSA overtime calculation windows (80 standard straight-time hours).

Arrears Processing Lag

Hourly and non-exempt payrolls typically pay 5 to 7 days in arrears (for example, a Sunday–Saturday two-week period paid on the following Friday) so supervisors can audit overtime before ACH transmission.

Read more in our payroll reference guides: 27-Pay-Period Years Explained · How Federal Holidays Affect Payroll & Pay Dates

Frequently asked questions

How many biweekly pay periods are in 2026?
Most employers paying on Fridays will have 26 biweekly paydays in 2026—either starting Friday, January 2, 2026 (Track A) or Friday, January 9, 2026 (Track B). However, employers on a Thursday payday cycle anchored to Thursday, January 1, 2026 have 27 scheduled Thursdays in calendar year 2026 (Jan 1 through Dec 31), depending on whether the Jan 1 holiday payday rolls back into December 2025.
Which months have 3 paychecks in 2026 for biweekly employees?
If your first 2026 Friday paycheck is January 2, 2026 (Track A), your three-paycheck months are January (Jan 2, Jan 16, Jan 30) and July (Jul 3, Jul 17, Jul 31). If your first Friday paycheck is January 9, 2026 (Track B), your three-paycheck months are May (May 1, May 15, May 29) and October (Oct 2, Oct 16, Oct 30).
Which 2026 Friday paydays are affected by US federal banking holidays?
On Friday Track A (starting Jan 2), one scheduled payday collides directly with a Federal Reserve ACH closure: Friday, June 19, 2026 (Juneteenth, typically paid Thursday, June 18). A second Track A payday—Friday, July 3, 2026—is the OPM observed holiday for Saturday's Independence Day; Federal Reserve ACH remains open on July 3, though employers that close their offices on July 3 often advance pay to Thursday, July 2. On Friday Track B (starting Jan 9), Friday, December 25, 2026 (Christmas Day) is a Federal Reserve ACH closure and typically settles on Thursday, December 24.
How do Monday federal holidays affect biweekly payroll cutoffs in 2026?
Even when payday is Friday, five 2026 federal holidays fall on Mondays (Jan 19 MLK Day, Feb 16 Presidents' Day, May 25 Memorial Day, Sep 7 Labor Day, and Oct 12 Columbus Day). Because banks do not settle ACH files on those Mondays, HR teams typically pull timesheet approval deadlines forward by 24 hours.
Can I customize my first pay period start date and export to Google Calendar or Excel?
Yes. Enter your organization's exact first pay period start date and payday rule above to generate all 2026 periods, then download CSV for Excel/payroll reconciliation or ICS for Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar.