Biweekly pay in one line
Biweekly paycheck = annual salary ÷ 26
Biweekly means every other week, usually on the same weekday, giving 26 paychecks a year. Hourly: rate × hours in the two weeks (for example $25 × 80 = $2,000).
Biweekly pay by salary
| Salary | Biweekly gross | Biweekly take-home (Texas, single) | Semi-monthly gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,538.46 | $1,320.00 | $1,666.67 |
| $50,000 | $1,923.08 | $1,629.04 | $2,083.33 |
| $60,000 | $2,307.69 | $1,938.07 | $2,500.00 |
| $75,000 | $2,884.62 | $2,368.94 | $3,125.00 |
| $90,000 | $3,461.54 | $2,774.81 | $3,750.00 |
| $100,000 | $3,846.15 | $3,045.38 | $4,166.67 |
| $120,000 | $4,615.38 | $3,586.54 | $5,000.00 |
Three-paycheck months
Most months have two biweekly paydays, but twice a year a month has three. Many people budget on two checks a month and use the extra checks for savings or debt.
Biweekly vs semi-monthly
Semi-monthly pay comes twice a month (24 checks), so each check is a little larger but there are no extra paydays. See the pay period converter for every option.
Biweekly hourly pay
For hourly work, a biweekly paycheck covers two weeks of hours: 80 hours full-time. With 6 hours of overtime at $22, that’s 80 × $22 + 6 × $33 = $1,958 before tax.
Which months have three paychecks?
It depends on your first payday of the year. Count every other payday from that date; the months with a third date are your extra-paycheck months, usually two each year.
Converting biweekly pay to other periods
Biweekly × 26 = yearly; yearly ÷ 12 = monthly. So $2,000 biweekly is $52,000 a year, or $4,333.33 a month, and $1,000 a week. Use the pay period converter for any other amount.
If you started mid-year, count only the paychecks you actually received when you compare your pay stub with these yearly figures.
The year with 27 paydays
A year has 52 weeks and one or two extra days, so roughly every 11 years biweekly workers get 27 paydays instead of 26. If your salary is fixed, each check is smaller that year (yearly pay ÷ 27). Enter 27 under “Paychecks this year” in the calculator to see it. Hourly workers simply get one more paycheck.
Budgeting with biweekly pay
Plan your monthly bills on two paychecks. The two extra paychecks each year then go straight to savings, debt or an emergency fund. To see the after-tax amount in your state, use the take-home pay calculator.
Related calculators
- Pay Period Converter: Annual, monthly, semi-monthly, biweekly, weekly.
- Take-Home Pay Calculator: Your pay after federal, state and payroll taxes.
- YTD Salary Calculator: Year-to-date pay and projected annual salary.
Questions people ask
What does “bi-weekly paid” mean?
You’re paid every two weeks, 26 times a year. (“Bi-weekly” occasionally means twice a week, but on paychecks it almost always means every other week.)
Formula checked October 2026 · How we calculate