Is 2027 a 27-pay-period year?
It can be. 2027 starts on a Friday and has 365 days, so Friday comes 53 times and every other weekday 52 times. A biweekly schedule pays every 14 days, so it fits 27 paydays into the year only when it pays on a Friday and the first payday is January 1.
| Every other Friday from | Paydays in 2027 | First and last | Months with three |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | 27 | Fri, Jan 1 to Fri, Dec 31 | January, July, December |
| January 8 | 26 | Fri, Jan 8 to Fri, Dec 24 | April, October |
Paid on any other weekday, a biweekly schedule has 26 paydays in 2027. If you were paid on Friday, October 23, November 6 or December 18, 2026, or on any Friday a multiple of two weeks before January 1, you are on the 27-payday schedule.
Paydays, hours and pay periods
A biweekly payroll normally has 26 pay periods a year and a semi-monthly one has 24, as the IRS lists them in Table 3 of Publication 15-T for withholding. At 40 hours a week each biweekly period is 80 hours, 2,080 a year; in a 27-payday year the paychecks cover 2,160 hours. For the 1st-to-15th and 16th-to-end periods, see the semi-monthly table for 2026 and 2027.
An annual salary paid in 26 equal checks comes out one check over in a 27-payday year: $52,000 a year is $2,000.00 a check, and 27 of them make $54,000.00. Employers decide how to handle it, for example by dividing the salary by 27 for that year ($1,925.93 a check) or by paying the extra check, so ask payroll which applies to you.
Federal holidays in 2027
The calendar marks the federal holidays the Office of Personnel Management lists for 2027, on the dates federal employees get them off. A holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed the Friday before, and one on a Sunday the Monday after (OPM federal holidays). Private employers choose their own holidays.
| Holiday | Date | Observed |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Fri, Jan 1 | Same day |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Mon, Jan 18 | Same day |
| Washington's Birthday | Mon, Feb 15 | Same day |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 31 | Same day |
| Juneteenth | Sat, Jun 19 | Fri, Jun 18 |
| Independence Day | Sun, Jul 4 | Mon, Jul 5 |
| Labor Day | Mon, Sep 6 | Same day |
| Columbus Day | Mon, Oct 11 | Same day |
| Veterans Day | Thu, Nov 11 | Same day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, Nov 25 | Same day |
| Christmas Day | Sat, Dec 25 | Fri, Dec 24 |
| New Year's Day 2028 | Sat, Jan 1, 2028 | Fri, Dec 31 |
OPM lists New Year's Day 2028, a Saturday, under 2028 with Friday, December 31, 2027 as its observed date. On the 27-payday Friday schedule, the first payday is New Year's Day and the last is that observed New Year's Day; on the 26-payday one, the last payday is the observed Christmas Day, December 24.
Direct deposits move through the Federal Reserve's FedACH system. The Federal Reserve Banks are closed on Friday, January 1, 2027, and on the other holidays that fall on a weekday or are moved to a Monday, but open on Friday, June 18, December 24 and December 31, the Fridays before holidays that fall on a Saturday (Federal Reserve holiday schedule). Your employer's payroll calendar says whether a payday on a holiday moves earlier or later.
Overtime in a biweekly pay period
An 80-hour pay period is not a limit on its own. Federal overtime is counted per workweek, a fixed and recurring seven-day period, and each workweek stands alone (29 CFR 778.104 and 778.105). Working 50 hours in the first week and 30 in the second still earns 10 hours of overtime, even though the period adds up to 80. The biweekly time card calculator counts each week of a period separately.
Public fire departments can use a work period of 7 to 28 days under section 7(k) of the FLSA instead of the 40-hour workweek. For fire protection employees, overtime starts after 106 hours in a 14-day work period or 212 hours in a 28-day one (29 CFR 553.230). The 2027 calendars for 24-hour rotations count each platoon's hours against those limits: 24/48 2027, 48/96 2027, 24/72 2027 and Kelly 2027. For a 9/80 schedule with every other Friday off, the 2027 9/80 schedule calendar lists both groups' Fridays off and the holidays that fall on them.
Questions
How many biweekly pay periods are in 2027?
26 for most schedules, and 27 for one: paydays every other Friday starting Friday, January 1, 2027, which end on Friday, December 31.
Why does 2027 have 27 Friday paydays?
Because January 1, 2027 is a Friday, so the year has 53 Fridays. Paying every other one starting January 1 lands on both January 1 and December 31.
How many hours are in a biweekly pay period?
80 at 40 hours a week. Change Hours a week above for part-time hours or another schedule; the calendar and its Excel file use that number for every period.
Can I add my 2027 paydays to my phone's calendar?
Yes. Add to calendar (.ics) saves every payday as an all-day event, each named with its pay period, for Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. The file is made on this device and nothing is uploaded.
Which 2027 paydays fall on a federal holiday?
On the Friday schedule that starts January 1: January 1, June 18 (Juneteenth, observed) and December 31 (New Year's Day 2028, observed). On the one that starts January 8: December 24 (Christmas Day, observed). The calendar above marks them for any schedule you enter.