The Two Semimonthly Conventions
Semimonthly pay isn't fully standardized across employers. The most common US convention pays on the 15th of the month and the last calendar day of the month, which is the default most major payroll platforms (ADP, Gusto, Paychex) use out of the box. A smaller share of employers instead pay on the 1st and the 15th. Both conventions produce exactly 24 paydays a year — the difference is which specific dates those are, and which weekday each one lands on.
Why Semimonthly Always Gives You 24 Paydays
Unlike weekly (52 or 53) or biweekly (26 or 27) schedules, semimonthly pay is anchored to fixed calendar dates rather than a fixed 7-day or 14-day interval, so it never accumulates the "extra day" problem that occasionally produces a 27th biweekly check or 53rd weekly check. Two paydays a month, twelve months a year, is always 24 — with no anchor-date dependency to check.
Why the Day of the Week Keeps Changing
Because your payday is tied to a date (like the 15th) rather than a weekday (like every other Friday), the day of the week you actually get paid shifts month to month as the calendar moves — sometimes landing on a weekend, which is when the holiday-adjustment logic in this generator matters most. A biweekly schedule, by contrast, always lands on the same weekday, so this is one of the clearest practical differences between the two pay frequencies.
Printing or Exporting Your Schedule
Once generated, use the print button for a clean, ad-free printable version of your table, or download it as a .ics calendar file that imports directly into Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar so every 2027 payday appears automatically on your personal calendar.
How many semimonthly paydays are there in 2027?
Exactly 24 — semimonthly pay happens twice a month, every month, regardless of which convention your employer uses. Unlike weekly or biweekly schedules, the semimonthly paycheck count never varies from year to year.
What's the difference between the two semimonthly conventions?
Most US employers pay on the 15th of the month and the last calendar day of the month. Some instead pay on the 1st and the 15th. Both give you 24 paydays a year, but the actual dates — and which weekday each payday lands on — differ between the two.
Does this calculator adjust for weekends and holidays?
Yes. If a scheduled semimonthly payday falls on a weekend or public holiday, the tool shows the adjusted date most payroll providers use in practice — the prior business day.
Can I export my semimonthly schedule to a calendar app?
Yes — after generating your schedule, use the Download Calendar (.ics) button to save all 24 of your 2027 paydays as a calendar file that imports into Google Calendar, Outlook, or Apple Calendar.
Why does the day of the week I get paid change every month?
Semimonthly pay is anchored to fixed calendar dates (like the 15th) rather than a fixed day of the week (like every other Friday), so the weekday your payday lands on shifts throughout the year as the calendar moves — unlike biweekly pay, which always lands on the same weekday.
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