Biweekly vs semi-monthly pay: what is the difference?

Biweekly pay arrives every two weeks — 26 paychecks a year. Semi-monthly pay arrives twice a month — 24 paychecks. On a 60,000 salary, biweekly checks are 2,307.69 and semi-monthly checks are 2,500.00: the annual total is identical, only the check size and timing differ.

Key facts

Frequently asked questions

Which pays more, biweekly or semi-monthly?

Neither — the annual salary is the same. Biweekly splits it into 26 smaller checks, semi-monthly into 24 slightly larger ones.

Why do some years have 27 biweekly paychecks?

Because 52 weeks × 7 days leaves one extra day (two in leap years), every few years a 27th biweekly payday falls inside the calendar year.

How do I convert a biweekly paycheck to an annual salary?

Multiply by 26. PayLab's paycheck frequency converter handles all common frequencies in both directions.

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Biweekly vs semi-monthly pay is part of PayLab on GOAT Lab — a free reference you can use without signing up, and it works offline. Open the tool above for any custom value.

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