How Many Biweekly Pay Periods Are in 2025?

Most employees on a biweekly pay schedule will receive 26 paychecks in 2025. A year has 365 days (2025 is not a leap year), and 365 ÷ 14 = 26.07, which means the standard biweekly schedule produces 26 full pay periods with a small overlap into the next year. Some years produce 27 biweekly pay periods (this happens when the first paycheck of the year falls on January 1), but 2025 does not meet that condition.

Your specific paycheck count may vary slightly depending on your company's payroll cycle start date and whether any pay periods span two calendar years. Check with your HR or payroll department if you are unsure of your exact schedule for 2025. For a detailed explanation of how biweekly payroll works, see our guide on how biweekly pay works.

Because 365 days divided by 14 does not result in a whole number, biweekly payroll cycles occasionally generate 27 pay periods within a calendar year instead of the standard 26. IRS Publication 15-T addresses withholding for employers with either 26 or 27 pay periods. This happens when the payroll cycle aligns so that the first payday falls on January 1 or very early in the year, causing an extra pay period to fit within the 12-month calendar window.

A 27-pay-period year can create short-term payroll planning challenges. Some salaried employees may see a slightly smaller paycheck in each of the 27 periods if their employer divides the annual salary by the number of pay periods rather than by a fixed 26. Hourly employees are not affected in the same way because they are paid for actual hours worked. The next 27-period biweekly year for many payroll cycles will depend on each company's specific cycle start date. For comparison, see how many biweekly pay periods there were in 2024.

Biweekly and semi-monthly pay schedules are sometimes confused but are meaningfully different. Biweekly means you are paid every 14 days — resulting in 26 paychecks per year. Semi-monthly means you are paid twice per month on fixed calendar dates (such as the 1st and 15th of each month) — resulting in exactly 24 paychecks per year regardless of the year. The BLS National Compensation Survey tracks how employers distribute pay schedules across industries.

The difference affects budgeting. On a biweekly schedule, you receive two extra paychecks per year compared to semi-monthly. Two months per year will have three paychecks (three-paycheck months) rather than the usual two. Planning for these three-paycheck months is a useful personal budgeting strategy — you can direct the third paycheck toward savings, debt paydown, or a financial goal. Understanding envelope budgeting can help you allocate those extra paychecks effectively.

With 26 biweekly pay periods in 2025, you can structure your budget by building your monthly expenses around two paychecks per month. In two months of the year, you will receive a third paycheck — for 2025, the months with three paychecks depend on the day of the week your payroll cycle lands. Payroll calendars typically show you which months will include three pay dates.

For annual budgeting purposes, your annual gross income equals your per-paycheck gross amount multiplied by 26. For example, if each paycheck is $2,500 gross, your 2025 annual gross income is $65,000. Federal income tax withholding is calculated per pay period based on your W-4 elections; the IRS Publication 15-T provides updated withholding tables each year to account for tax law changes. Use these extra months to build your long-term financial plan.

Your employer withholds federal income tax from each paycheck based on your W-4 Form and the applicable IRS withholding tables. For employees paid biweekly, the IRS provides specific withholding amounts for a 26-paycheck-per-year schedule. If your employer has a 27-pay-period year, the per-paycheck withholding may be slightly lower to spread the annual tax evenly across more paychecks, but the total annual withholding should remain consistent with your W-4 elections.

If you believe your withholding is incorrect, use the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator at IRS.gov to check your projected withholding for the year and determine whether you should submit a new W-4 to your employer. Checking this annually — especially after major life changes — helps avoid a large tax bill or a missed refund opportunity at filing time. You may also want to review our guide on the W-4 form for 2026 to ensure your withholding elections remain accurate.