2025 had 26 biweekly paydays for employees paid every other Friday, on either schedule. Three-paycheck months were January and August on schedule A (first payday January 3) and May and October on schedule B (first payday January 10).
A biweekly payroll pays every 14 days. With Friday paydays there are two possible schedules, named here by their first payday of 2025: schedule A (January 3) and schedule B (January 10). A payday that falls on a bank holiday moves to the previous business day (see bank holidays). The example pay period is two weeks, Sunday to Saturday, ending six days before payday; your employer's period may differ.
Schedule A (first payday January 3): 26 paydays
#
Payday
Example pay period
1
Sun, Dec 15, 2024 – Sat, Dec 28, 2024
2
Sun, Dec 29, 2024 – Sat, Jan 11
3
Sun, Jan 12 – Sat, Jan 25
4
Sun, Jan 26 – Sat, Feb 8
5
Sun, Feb 9 – Sat, Feb 22
6
Sun, Feb 23 – Sat, Mar 8
7
Sun, Mar 9 – Sat, Mar 22
8
Sun, Mar 23 – Sat, Apr 5
9
Sun, Apr 6 – Sat, Apr 19
10
Sun, Apr 20 – Sat, May 3
11
Sun, May 4 – Sat, May 17
12
Sun, May 18 – Sat, May 31
13
Sun, Jun 1 – Sat, Jun 14
14
(July 4 is Independence Day — paid the business day before)
Sun, Jun 15 – Sat, Jun 28
15
Sun, Jun 29 – Sat, Jul 12
16
Sun, Jul 13 – Sat, Jul 26
17
Sun, Jul 27 – Sat, Aug 9
18
Sun, Aug 10 – Sat, Aug 23
19
Sun, Aug 24 – Sat, Sep 6
20
Sun, Sep 7 – Sat, Sep 20
21
Sun, Sep 21 – Sat, Oct 4
22
Sun, Oct 5 – Sat, Oct 18
23
Sun, Oct 19 – Sat, Nov 1
24
Sun, Nov 2 – Sat, Nov 15
25
Sun, Nov 16 – Sat, Nov 29
26
Sun, Nov 30 – Sat, Dec 13
Schedule B (first payday January 10): 26 paydays
#
Payday
Example pay period
1
Sun, Dec 22, 2024 – Sat, Jan 4
2
Sun, Jan 5 – Sat, Jan 18
3
Sun, Jan 19 – Sat, Feb 1
4
Sun, Feb 2 – Sat, Feb 15
5
Sun, Feb 16 – Sat, Mar 1
6
Sun, Mar 2 – Sat, Mar 15
7
Sun, Mar 16 – Sat, Mar 29
8
Sun, Mar 30 – Sat, Apr 12
9
Sun, Apr 13 – Sat, Apr 26
10
Sun, Apr 27 – Sat, May 10
11
Sun, May 11 – Sat, May 24
12
Sun, May 25 – Sat, Jun 7
13
Sun, Jun 8 – Sat, Jun 21
14
Sun, Jun 22 – Sat, Jul 5
15
Sun, Jul 6 – Sat, Jul 19
16
Sun, Jul 20 – Sat, Aug 2
17
Sun, Aug 3 – Sat, Aug 16
18
Sun, Aug 17 – Sat, Aug 30
19
Sun, Aug 31 – Sat, Sep 13
20
Sun, Sep 14 – Sat, Sep 27
21
Sun, Sep 28 – Sat, Oct 11
22
Sun, Oct 12 – Sat, Oct 25
23
Sun, Oct 26 – Sat, Nov 8
24
Sun, Nov 9 – Sat, Nov 22
25
Sun, Nov 23 – Sat, Dec 6
26
Sun, Dec 7 – Sat, Dec 20
Paychecks per month in 2025
Number of paydays in each month for every pay frequency. Months with three biweekly paychecks or five weekly paydays are marked.
Semi-monthly payroll here pays on the 15th and the last day of each month; monthly payroll pays on the last business day. A date on a weekend or bank holiday moves to the previous business day. Employers choose their own dates — some pay on the 1st and 15th.
2025 had 52 Fridays, and 52 weekly paychecks were paid in 2025. Months with five weekly paydays: January, May, August and October.
26 or 27 pay periods in 2025?
A biweekly schedule pays every 14 days, and 26 × 14 = 364 days — one day short of a common year and two short of a leap year. Each year the same schedule's paydays land one day earlier on the calendar (two days after a February 29), so roughly every 11 years a schedule fits 27 paydays into one calendar year. Paychecks count toward the year in which they are paid, so a payday moved from Friday, January 1 to Thursday, December 31 belongs to the earlier year.
Why it matters for salaried employees. On a $60,000 salary, dividing by 26 gives $2,307.69 per paycheck and dividing by 27 gives $2,222.22. In a 27-paycheck year an employer either keeps the usual amount — 27 × $2,307.69 = $62,307.63 paid in that calendar year — or divides the salary by 27 so each check is smaller. Check your employer's policy, including how per-paycheck benefit and retirement deductions are handled.
2025 bank holidays used for pay dates
Paydays here never fall on a weekend or a Federal Reserve holiday: such a payday moves to the previous business day (some employers use the next business day instead). The Federal Reserve observes the 11 federal holidays; one that falls on a Sunday is observed on Monday. In 2025 the Federal Reserve was closed on: New Year's Day – Wed, Jan 1; Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Mon, Jan 20; Presidents' Day – Mon, Feb 17; Memorial Day – Mon, May 26; Juneteenth – Thu, Jun 19; Independence Day – Fri, Jul 4; Labor Day – Mon, Sep 1; Columbus Day – Mon, Oct 13; Veterans Day – Tue, Nov 11; Thanksgiving Day – Thu, Nov 27; Christmas Day – Thu, Dec 25.
Frequently asked questions
Does 2025 have 27 pay periods?
No. Both Friday schedules had 26 paydays in 2025. The next year with 27 Friday paydays: 2026 for the schedule with a payday on January 2, 2026; 2032 for the schedule with a payday on January 2, 2032.
What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly pay?
Biweekly pay arrives every other week on the same weekday — 26 paychecks in most years, 27 in some. Semi-monthly pay arrives on two fixed dates each month, so there are always 24 paychecks and the weekday changes. On a $60,000 salary a semi-monthly check is $2,500.00 and a biweekly check $2,307.69.
When is the last payday of 2025?
Biweekly schedule A: Friday, December 19, 2025; schedule B: Friday, December 26, 2025; semi-monthly and monthly payroll: Wednesday, December 31, 2025; weekly Friday payroll: Friday, December 26, 2025.