Global HR Library
A clear payroll schedule helps you pay your team on time, stay compliant, and build trust across your organisation. Use this payroll calendar template to set up and share your company’s pay schedule, whether you pay monthly, semi-monthly, or biweekly.
There are four common pay schedules in the US:
Pay frequency | Pay periods per year | Common use |
Weekly | 52 | Hourly workers, contractors |
Biweekly | 26 | Salaried employees (popular) |
Semi-monthly | 24 | Salaried employees, corporate |
Monthly | 12 | Executives, small businesses |
A consistent payroll schedule helps you:
Build employee trust
Helps forecast cash flow
Reduces payroll processing errors
Makes tax reporting and audits easier
There are 26 biweekly pay periods in most years, although this can change to 27 in rare leap years (depending on your calendar and first pay date). Learn more about pay periods in the US.
Yes, but it requires careful communication and adjustments to contracts, tax deposits, and systems.
You can use this template to build and visualise your annual payroll schedule. Update each row with your company’s actual pay periods and pay dates.
Pay period start | Pay period end | Pay date | Notes (e.g. holidays, bonuses) |
Jan 1, 2025 | Jan 14, 2025 | Jan 15, 2025 | |
Jan 15, 2025 | Jan 28, 2025 | Jan 29, 2025 | |
Jan 29, 2025 | Feb 11, 2025 | Feb 12, 2025 | Pre-President’s Day run |
Feb 12, 2025 | Feb 25, 2025 | Feb 26, 2025 | |
... | ... | ... | |
Dec 17, 2025 | Dec 30, 2025 | Dec 31, 2025 | Early run for year-end holiday |
Top tip: For biweekly payroll, plan 26 pay periods starting from your first pay date of the year. Aim to avoid conflicts with national holidays by scheduling early runs.
Decide on your pay frequency (biweekly, semi-monthly, etc.), but ensure that it is compliant with state requirements — especially if you have employees in multiple states.
To see a full breakdown of pay frequency requirements by state, check out our free US State Explorer tool.
You should also ensure that you:
Choose a fixed payday (e.g., every other Friday)
Determine cut-off periods for work hours
Build a full-year payroll calendar
Communicate the schedule to your team
Account for public holidays and year-end adjustments
Sync payroll deadlines with your provider or accounting system
Align your schedule with tax deposit deadlines
Biweekly makes budgeting easier for hourly workers and improves processing rhythm, but semi-monthly aligns better with monthly reporting. You should choose based on employee type, internal needs, and state law requirements.
Creating and managing a payroll calendar manually takes time, and missing a pay run can erode employee trust.
Remote’s global payroll system automatically builds and manages your pay schedule, handles pay periods across time zones, and ensures your team gets paid on time — every time.
With Remote, you:
Never miss a pay run
Stay compliant with local tax and holiday rules
Get a synced payroll calendar, built into your platform
Can handle biweekly, monthly, or custom pay periods with ease
To learn more about how Remote can help, speak to one of our friendly experts today.