Bi-Weekly vs Semi-Monthly Pay Periods HR Blog

semi monthly vs bi weekly

With a semi-monthly payroll, employees receive payment twice a month. Paychecks are distributed on fixed dates, say 1st and 15th, or 15th and 30th. Semi-monthly when compared to other pay frequencies, require less payroll processing as the pay periods are only 24 per year. Since some months have 30 days and others have 31 days, employees receive their second monthly payment on a different day each month.

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Employees are also in a position to anticipate how much amount can be received in every paycheck. This helps them in budgeting their finances and making proper plans for the future. Lack of Consistency- Another con of this payroll schedule is its lack of consistency which can prove to be a turnoff for employees and businesses. In this case, payroll gets processed on a different weekday, the employee who is running payroll seems to lose track of this responsibility. It is prudent to understand here that whether a salaried employee is paid biweekly and semi-monthly, it will leave no impact on the annual pay drawn by you. Regardless of the payment schedule, the employee will get the same amount annually.

Commonly Confused

Thus, HR teams have to monitor pay dates and make adjustments to ensure timely pay. Even if you’ve never come across a semimonthly pay schedule before, you shouldn’t worry about how often you’ll be paid. You’ll receive 24 paychecks per year, which is ultimately not very different from a biweekly schedule. When a job indicates the presence of a semimonthly pay schedule, that means you’ll be paid twice a month every month. Most often, you’ll be given one check at the beginning or in the middle of the month and another at the end of the month. For instance, common days to receive your paycheck might be the 1st, 15th, or last day of the month in question.

In short, semi-monthly pay periods are not the same as a monthly pay period. With a monthly pay period, you pay employees once a month, typically on the last day of the month. Biweekly payroll is ideal if you have a combination of salaried workers and hourly employees because it works well for both. It’s the sweet spot between the constant administrative semi monthly vs bi weekly stress of weekly payroll and the employee frustration that comes with monthly payments. A semi-monthly payroll schedule pays employees twice a month, totaling 24 cheques for the whole year. This type of payroll is more suited towards companies who pay their employees a high salary and don’t need to worry about missed days due to bank holidays.

Want To Learn More?

Also, with a bi-weekly pay schedule, your check amounts would be lower, but your paydays would be consistent. On the other hand, if you got paid semi-monthly, you’d get higher paycheck amounts and inconsistent paydays. Also, if a semi-monthly payday lands on a weekend or holiday, plans will need to be made in order to pay employees either before or after the break in the week. If you want to keep your budget consistent and put the same amount of money into payroll each month, a semi-monthly payment model would be a no-brainer.

  • With a passion for helping small business owners succeed, the company has evolved and grown over several decades.
  • However, select what works for your organization based on its payroll policies, cash flow, and the labor laws governing the region which your organization operates from.
  • Thus, in this pay period, the employee receives 26 pay checks annually.
  • As you can see, there are many factors to consider when deciding when and how often to pay your employees.
  • Or, you could choose a provider, like Patriot Software, that charges you the same amount, regardless of how many times you run payroll.
  • For instance, employers in some states are required to pay employees twice a month and on regular paydays.

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