Fortnightly pay: 26 pay periods a year
Fortnightly pay means paid every two weeks, 26 times in most years, which gives 26 pay periods in a typical year. Some years carry 27, because 26 periods of 14 days is 364 days and a year is 365 or 366.
Which years carry an extra pay period
26 periods of 14 days covers 364 days, one or two short of a full year. Those spare days accumulate, and eventually a 27th pay date lands inside the same calendar year. Whether it does depends on the weekday pay falls on, which is why two employers can give different answers for the same year.
| Year | Fewest | Most | Depends on pay weekday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | 27 | yes |
| 2026 | 26 | 27 | yes |
| 2027 | 26 | 27 | yes |
| 2028 | 26 | 27 | yes |
| 2029 | 26 | 27 | yes |
Across this window, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028 and 2029 can carry 27 depending on the weekday chosen.
Fortnightly against the other schedules
| Schedule | Periods a year | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | paid every week, usually on the same weekday |
| Fortnightly | 26 | paid every two weeks, 26 times in most years |
| Semi-monthly | 24 | paid twice a month, usually the 15th and the last day |
| Monthly | 12 | paid once a month |
Fortnightly and semi-monthly are the pair most often confused. Fortnightly pays every 14 days, so the date moves through the month and lands 26 or 27 times a year. Semi-monthly pays on two fixed dates, so it is always 24. The difference is two pay dates a year and a different amount in each one.
Questions
- How many fortnightly pay periods are in a year?
- 26 in a typical year, and 27 when the pay weekday makes an extra date fall inside the year.
- How is each pay period calculated?
- Every 14 days from the first pay date of the year.
- What is the monthly equivalent?
- 2.17 pay dates a month on average, though some months hold three.