How to Create a Payroll Calendar
People depend on their employers to pay them on time every time.
This is especially true for the 61% of consumers living paycheck to paycheck and the one in four Americans who don’t have emergency savings to fall back on—financial trends that have been steadily increasing over the past several years.
Plus, the payroll mistakes that affect your employees’ livelihoods may also mean penalties and legal trouble for your company.
With a payroll calendar, it’s easy to figure out how many pay periods occur during the year, what days to run payroll, and even how much you spend on administrative costs. Not to mention, employees will have a clear idea of when their earnings will appear in their bank accounts.
Our innovative payroll software and payroll calendar guidance lets you enjoy fast, accurate payroll. Follow our tips in this guide to get your calendar set up and organized.
Get Pay Periods Organized
A pay period is the time frame for when employees’ work hours are tracked, recorded, and turned into paychecks. Pay periods are part of your yearly payroll schedule and should run seamlessly at predictable intervals with clear start and end dates. For business owners, a consistent payroll schedule is crucial for effective accounting and compliance. For employees, it lets them know when to expect their hard-earned paychecks so they can base their financial plans on predictable cash flow.
Payday usually occurs a few days after a pay cycle closes. And while your pay periods may sync up with the standard workweek, they’re not the same. Sometimes, a pay period spans multiple workweeks or overlaps with portions of another workweek—it all depends on your payroll calendar.
5 Common Pay Period Calendar Arrangements and How They Work
Most organizations find running automated payroll each week or a couple of times a month is a good rhythm, but there are other options. How you organize your payroll calendar depends on your financial needs, business type, and other factors. Some of the most common pay period arrangements include:
1. Weekly Pay Schedule
On a weekly pay period calendar, your employees get paid once a week. This is an instance where the pay cycle mirrors the workweek, and many businesses issue paychecks each Thursday or Friday. Weekly payroll admin may be more cost-effective for mid-size businesses and large companies, but it also works well for organizations with hourly employees, part-time and full-time employees, or fluctuating workforce needs.
2. Bi-Weekly Pay Schedule
Employees are paid every other week on a bi-weekly pay schedule and this is the most common option among private employers. Paychecks are issued on the same payday, providing predictability much like a weekly payroll schedule. The primary benefit of this option is that it’s less expensive and time-consuming since your organization runs payroll about half as often.
3. Semi-Monthly Pay Schedule
During a semi-monthly payroll schedule, employees get paid twice monthly on specific pay dates, (e.g. the 7th and the 21st). In this instance, each pay period duration hinges on the number of days in the month. This pay period calendar is ideal for business owners with salaried employees looking for ways to simplify compensation, benefits administration, and other tasks.
4. Monthly Pay Schedule
Organizations with a monthly payroll schedule pay their employees one paycheck per month, typically on the same date (e.g. the 1st of every month). The minimal rate simplifies the payroll calendar even further for businesses, but it can feel challenging for employees to manage their finances since their paychecks are issued so far apart. This model often works best for self-employed professionals and independent contractors, temporary employees, and other contingent workers.
5. On-Demand Pay Schedule
An on-demand payroll schedule or an earned wage access (EWA) program puts employees in control. With this schedule, they can access their income as it’s earned, requesting payment sooner than their business’s regular payday. However, this service usually comes with a flat transaction fee.
How Many Pay Periods Are in a Year?
Some years have more pay periods than others, but it also depends on your schedule. For instance, a couple of months will include three pay periods instead of two on a bi-weekly schedule. Also, some years have 53 Fridays, meaning businesses on a weekly payroll schedule will issue extra paychecks.
Every four years, some businesses with salaried employees also need to budget for a leap-year payroll calendar. During a leap year, the extra day in February can lead to an extra weekly or bi-weekly pay period. Most companies don’t change a thing and pay their workforce slightly more in their wage packet. Alternatively, you can divvy up their annual salaries to account for the extra pay period, evenly distributing it in slightly smaller amounts.
Here’s a table to help you figure out the number of pay periods for the upcoming year:
2025 Pay Period Calendar Chart
How to Make a Pay Period Calendar for 2025
A pay period calendar is a company-wide resource that highlights key dates and deadlines. It's created collaboratively between employers and administrators and updated yearly to reflect the most current events table. Different from a payroll checklist, a pay period calendar generally includes the following:
- Pay period start and end dates
- Timesheet submission dates for hourly employees
- Payroll processing deadlines for administrators
- Pay dates for checks and direct deposits
- Quarterly end dates for fiscal planning
It also accounts for the holidays when businesses are closed, and you must run payroll a day earlier to ensure everyone gets paid on time. Here’s a list of the federal holidays in 2025:
- New Year’s Day: Wednesday, January 1, 2025
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Monday, January 20, 2025
- Presidents’ Day: Monday, February 17, 2025
- Memorial Day: Monday, May 26, 2025
- Juneteenth: Thursday, June 19, 2025
- Independence Day: Friday, July 4, 2025
- Labor Day: Monday, September 1, 2025
- Columbus Day: Monday, October 13, 2025
- Veterans Day: Tuesday, November 11, 2025
- Thanksgiving Day: Thursday, November 27, 2025
- Christmas Day: Thursday, December 25, 2025
How to Choose a Payroll Schedule for Your Business
Before choosing a payroll schedule for your business, take some time to think about which one will work best from compliance and financial standpoints. It depends on your organization’s size, industry, and workforce needs. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- Does it support my financial strategy? Because pay cycles impact cash flow, ensure your pay period calendar aligns with your business’s financial patterns.
- What do my employees want? If you can choose between a few options, it’s worth using the one that helps boost employee satisfaction and retention.
- How much does payroll cost? Running payroll less often means you’re spending less on admin tasks.
- Which system works best for my workforce? Some businesses find tracking overtime for hourly employees is simpler when pay periods coincide with the workweek.
- When are my payroll taxes due? Employers must accurately calculate tax withholdings and submit them on time.
- Is it up to me or the state? To date, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) only requires that employees are paid consistently. However, your state pay day requirements may be different.
Create Your Payroll Calendar Today
Payroll is a juggling act—especially for a growing company—but launching a system that runs like clockwork is a snap with automated payroll software.
Resources such as an editable monthly calendar, payroll, and paycheck templates can also help manifest a seamless process. The more tools you have at your fingertips, the better you’ll be at streamlining the payroll process from end to end.
Once your 2025 payroll calendar is all set, let everyone know. Even if you hand out hard copies at the office, saving it in the Cloud or as an email attachment makes it easier for people to find it 24/7. And don’t forget to set reminders for important dates.
Sticky notes are great, but this is where an HR software provider comes in handy. A built-in payroll calendar with automated notifications can save business owners time (and more than a few headaches).