2026: 26 or 27 pay periods on fortnightly pay
2026 gives 26 or 27 depending on which weekday pay lands on. Thursday gives the extra one.
Pay dates by weekday in 2026
| Pay weekday | Pay dates | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 26 | January 4 | December 20 |
| Monday | 26 | January 5 | December 21 |
| Tuesday | 26 | January 6 | December 22 |
| Wednesday | 26 | January 7 | December 23 |
| Thursday | 27 | January 1 | December 31 |
| Friday | 26 | January 2 | December 18 |
| Saturday | 26 | January 3 | December 19 |
A 14 day cycle covers 364 days in 26 periods, and 2026 runs 365. The 1 spare day decide whether a 27th date squeezes in before 31 December.
What an extra pay period means
An employer paying on Thursday in 2026 issues 27 payslips rather than 26. Salaried pay is usually divided by the standard 26, so the extra date is either a smaller cheque or an extra full one, depending on how the contract is written. It is worth checking before the year starts, because the correction is awkward afterwards.
Other years
Fortnightly pay periods explained · Working days in 2026 · Fridays in 2026