What is a pay period?
How often wages are paid: weekly (52 a year), biweekly (26, occasionally 27), semi-monthly (24, usually the 15th and the last day) or monthly (12).
A pay period is not the same as an FLSA workweek. In a semi-monthly period from the 1st to the 15th, the workweeks cross the period boundary, so overtime must still be worked out per workweek and can land in the next period.
States set how often wages must be paid; many do not allow monthly pay for hourly workers.
Related terms
- FLSA workweekUnder the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours (seven consecutive 24-hour periods) used to count overtime.
- Overtime (federal)For non-exempt employees, pay of at least one and a half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
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All invoicing, time cards and scheduling terms · Full glossary