I Get Paid on the 10th and 25th. What Are the Pay Periods?

A pay period represents the specific duration for which an employee’s wages are calculated and paid. This regularly scheduled interval is important for both employers, who manage payroll and ensure compliance, and for employees, who rely on this schedule for personal budgeting and and financial planning.

Common Pay Period Frequencies

Businesses in the United States typically use several common pay period frequencies. Weekly pay periods involve employees receiving compensation every week, resulting in 52 paychecks annually. Bi-weekly pay periods pay employees every two weeks, leading to 26 paychecks over a year.

Semi-monthly pay periods provide compensation twice a month, totaling 24 paychecks per year. Monthly pay periods, the least frequent, mean employees receive one paycheck each month, adding up to 12 annual payments.

Understanding Semi-Monthly Pay

Being paid on the 10th and 25th of each month is a classic example of a semi-monthly pay schedule. Paychecks are generally distributed on two fixed dates within a calendar month, consistently resulting in 24 paychecks per year. These fixed dates mean that the specific day of the week on which you receive your pay may vary. For instance, if the 10th or 25th falls on a weekend or holiday, the payment is typically issued on the preceding business day.

The work period covered by these payments is generally “lagged,” meaning wages are paid out some days after the period ends, allowing time for payroll processing. While exact pay period end dates can vary by employer, a common structure for payments on the 10th and 25th is that the payment on the 10th covers work performed from the 16th of the previous month through the end of that month. The payment on the 25th then typically covers work from the 1st to the 15th of the current month.

Distinguishing Semi-Monthly from Bi-Weekly

A common point of confusion arises between semi-monthly and bi-weekly pay schedules due to their similar-sounding names. The key distinction lies in the number of paychecks received annually. Semi-monthly pay results in 24 paychecks per year, as employees are paid twice a month on fixed calendar dates.

In contrast, bi-weekly pay means employees receive a paycheck every two weeks, always on the same day of the week, such as every other Friday. This schedule yields 26 paychecks per year. The two “extra” paychecks in a bi-weekly schedule occur because some months will contain three paydays. While semi-monthly payments are tied to specific dates of the month, bi-weekly payments adhere to a consistent day of the week, causing the pay date to shift through the calendar.