How many pay dates are in 2026 when you pay weekly?

Paid every Friday, 2026 has 53 pay dates. The count depends on the weekday you pay, because each check counts in the year it is paid: Monday 52, Tuesday 52, Wednesday 52, Thursday 52, Friday 53.

What happens when payday falls on a bank holiday?

Direct deposits do not settle on weekends or Federal Reserve bank holidays, so the pay date moves. By standard practice it moves to the business day before, which is this calendar's default. Count your bank's file deadline back from the new pay date, not the scheduled one. On this schedule in 2026, 3 pay dates move: Fri, Jun 19, 2026 to Thu, Jun 18, 2026; Fri, Dec 25, 2026 to Thu, Dec 24, 2026; Fri, Jan 1, 2027 to Thu, Dec 31, 2026.

Which year do wages count in?

The year they are paid, not the year the work was done or the pay period ended; that is the year they go on the W-2. A pay date scheduled for Friday, January 1, 2027 and paid Thursday, December 31, 2026 counts in 2026.

How do I handle a year with 53 pay dates?

In 2026, a Friday weekly schedule has 53. Decide before the year starts and tell employees in writing. Dividing annual salary by 53 lowers each check, and an exempt employee's pay must stay at or above the federal salary level for exempt status, $684 a week (some states set it higher). Keeping the usual 1/52 makes the year cost one more check. Percentage deductions follow pay by themselves; flat-dollar deductions set as an annual amount, such as benefit premiums or an FSA election, need a decision for the extra check. Garnishments and support orders are withheld as each order says.

2026 Weekly Payroll Calendar: Pay Dates

Q: What is the difference between monthly and semiweekly deposits?

Your deposit schedule for each year is set by the employment taxes you reported in the lookback period; for Form 941 filers in 2026, that is July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. $50,000 or less makes you a monthly depositor: deposit by the 15th of the next month. More than $50,000 makes you semiweekly: taxes on pay dates Wednesday to Friday are due the following Wednesday, and Saturday to Tuesday the following Friday, later when a legal holiday leaves fewer than three business days. New employers are monthly depositors in their first calendar year. On either schedule, once the taxes you accumulate in a deposit period reach $100,000, they are due the next business day, and a monthly depositor who reaches it becomes semiweekly for the rest of that year and all of the next.

Build your calendar

The calendar opens with the most common setup. Change it to match your payroll; the pay periods, bank file dates, deposit due dates and holiday moves follow.

Your schedule

A known pay dateAny pay date on your schedule; the calendar works forward and back from it.

Period end to pay date

Weekend or bank holiday

Send the bank fileYour bank's file deadline; two banking days ahead is common.

Deposit scheduleThe deposit due dates the month grids mark.

Pay dates in 2026: 53
Moved for a weekend or holiday: 3
First pay date: Fri, Jan 2
Last pay date: Thu, Dec 31

Send the bank file by your bank's file deadline; two banking days ahead is common, and a bank holiday in between moves it a day earlier.

2026 at a glance

Pay dates, bank holidays and the monthly deposit due dates for your schedule.

Pay date
Deposit due (monthly)
Bank holiday
IRS legal holiday, banks open

January
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1, Bank holiday	2, Pay date	3
4	5	6	7	8	9, Pay date	10
11	12	13	14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16, Pay date	17
18	19, Bank holiday	20	21	22	23, Pay date	24
25	26	27	28	29	30, Pay date	31

February
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6, Pay date	7
8	9	10	11	12	13, Pay date	14
15	16, Bank holiday	17, Deposit due (monthly)	18	19	20, Pay date	21
22	23	24	25	26	27, Pay date	28

March
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6, Pay date	7
8	9	10	11	12	13, Pay date	14
15	16, Deposit due (monthly)	17	18	19	20, Pay date	21
22	23	24	25	26	27, Pay date	28
29	30	31

April
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2	3, Pay date	4
5	6	7	8	9	10, Pay date	11
12	13	14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16, IRS legal holiday, banks open	17, Pay date	18
19	20	21	22	23	24, Pay date	25
26	27	28	29	30

May
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
					1, Pay date	2
3	4	5	6	7	8, Pay date	9
10	11	12	13	14	15, Pay date, Deposit due (monthly)	16
17	18	19	20	21	22, Pay date	23
24	25, Bank holiday	26	27	28	29, Pay date	30
31

June
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
	1	2	3	4	5, Pay date	6
7	8	9	10	11	12, Pay date	13
14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16	17	18, Pay date	19, Bank holiday	20
21	22	23	24	25	26, Pay date	27
28	29	30

July
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
			1	2	3, Pay date, IRS legal holiday, banks open	4
5	6	7	8	9	10, Pay date	11
12	13	14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16	17, Pay date	18
19	20	21	22	23	24, Pay date	25
26	27	28	29	30	31, Pay date

August
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
						1
2	3	4	5	6	7, Pay date	8
9	10	11	12	13	14, Pay date	15
16	17, Deposit due (monthly)	18	19	20	21, Pay date	22
23	24	25	26	27	28, Pay date	29
30	31

September
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1	2	3	4, Pay date	5
6	7, Bank holiday	8	9	10	11, Pay date	12
13	14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16	17	18, Pay date	19
20	21	22	23	24	25, Pay date	26
27	28	29	30

October
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
				1	2, Pay date	3
4	5	6	7	8	9, Pay date	10
11	12, Bank holiday	13	14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16, Pay date	17
18	19	20	21	22	23, Pay date	24
25	26	27	28	29	30, Pay date	31

November
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6, Pay date	7
8	9	10	11, Bank holiday	12	13, Pay date	14
15	16, Deposit due (monthly)	17	18	19	20, Pay date	21
22	23	24	25	26, Bank holiday	27, Pay date	28
29	30

December
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
		1	2	3	4, Pay date	5
6	7	8	9	10	11, Pay date	12
13	14	15, Deposit due (monthly)	16	17	18, Pay date	19
20	21	22	23	24, Pay date	25, Bank holiday	26
27	28	29	30	31, Pay date

2026 pay dates and deposit due dates

Every pay date with its pay period, the day to send the bank file and the federal deposit due date under both deposit schedules.

#	Pay period	Pay date	Send the bank file by	Deposit due, monthly	Deposit due, semiweekly
#1	Mon, Dec 22, 2025 to Sun, Dec 28, 2025	Fri, Jan 2	Bank fileTue, Dec 30, 2025	MonthlyTue, Feb 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jan 7
#2	Mon, Dec 29, 2025 to Sun, Jan 4	Fri, Jan 9	Bank fileWed, Jan 7	MonthlyTue, Feb 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jan 14
#3	Mon, Jan 5 to Sun, Jan 11	Fri, Jan 16	Bank fileWed, Jan 14	MonthlyTue, Feb 17	SemiweeklyThu, Jan 22
#4	Mon, Jan 12 to Sun, Jan 18	Fri, Jan 23	Bank fileWed, Jan 21	MonthlyTue, Feb 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jan 28
#5	Mon, Jan 19 to Sun, Jan 25	Fri, Jan 30	Bank fileWed, Jan 28	MonthlyTue, Feb 17	SemiweeklyWed, Feb 4
#6	Mon, Jan 26 to Sun, Feb 1	Fri, Feb 6	Bank fileWed, Feb 4	MonthlyMon, Mar 16	SemiweeklyWed, Feb 11
#7	Mon, Feb 2 to Sun, Feb 8	Fri, Feb 13	Bank fileWed, Feb 11	MonthlyMon, Mar 16	SemiweeklyThu, Feb 19
#8	Mon, Feb 9 to Sun, Feb 15	Fri, Feb 20	Bank fileWed, Feb 18	MonthlyMon, Mar 16	SemiweeklyWed, Feb 25
#9	Mon, Feb 16 to Sun, Feb 22	Fri, Feb 27	Bank fileWed, Feb 25	MonthlyMon, Mar 16	SemiweeklyWed, Mar 4
#10	Mon, Feb 23 to Sun, Mar 1	Fri, Mar 6	Bank fileWed, Mar 4	MonthlyWed, Apr 15	SemiweeklyWed, Mar 11
#11	Mon, Mar 2 to Sun, Mar 8	Fri, Mar 13	Bank fileWed, Mar 11	MonthlyWed, Apr 15	SemiweeklyWed, Mar 18
#12	Mon, Mar 9 to Sun, Mar 15	Fri, Mar 20	Bank fileWed, Mar 18	MonthlyWed, Apr 15	SemiweeklyWed, Mar 25
#13	Mon, Mar 16 to Sun, Mar 22	Fri, Mar 27	Bank fileWed, Mar 25	MonthlyWed, Apr 15	SemiweeklyWed, Apr 1
#14	Mon, Mar 23 to Sun, Mar 29	Fri, Apr 3	Bank fileWed, Apr 1	MonthlyFri, May 15	SemiweeklyWed, Apr 8
#15	Mon, Mar 30 to Sun, Apr 5	Fri, Apr 10	Bank fileWed, Apr 8	MonthlyFri, May 15	SemiweeklyWed, Apr 15
#16	Mon, Apr 6 to Sun, Apr 12	Fri, Apr 17	Bank fileWed, Apr 15	MonthlyFri, May 15	SemiweeklyWed, Apr 22
#17	Mon, Apr 13 to Sun, Apr 19	Fri, Apr 24	Bank fileWed, Apr 22	MonthlyFri, May 15	SemiweeklyWed, Apr 29
#18	Mon, Apr 20 to Sun, Apr 26	Fri, May 1	Bank fileWed, Apr 29	MonthlyMon, Jun 15	SemiweeklyWed, May 6
#19	Mon, Apr 27 to Sun, May 3	Fri, May 8	Bank fileWed, May 6	MonthlyMon, Jun 15	SemiweeklyWed, May 13
#20	Mon, May 4 to Sun, May 10	Fri, May 15	Bank fileWed, May 13	MonthlyMon, Jun 15	SemiweeklyWed, May 20
#21	Mon, May 11 to Sun, May 17	Fri, May 22	Bank fileWed, May 20	MonthlyMon, Jun 15	SemiweeklyThu, May 28
#22	Mon, May 18 to Sun, May 24	Fri, May 29	Bank fileWed, May 27	MonthlyMon, Jun 15	SemiweeklyWed, Jun 3
#23	Mon, May 25 to Sun, May 31	Fri, Jun 5	Bank fileWed, Jun 3	MonthlyWed, Jul 15	SemiweeklyWed, Jun 10
#24	Mon, Jun 1 to Sun, Jun 7	Fri, Jun 12	Bank fileWed, Jun 10	MonthlyWed, Jul 15	SemiweeklyWed, Jun 17
#25	Mon, Jun 8 to Sun, Jun 14	Thu, Jun 18moved from Fri, Jun 19	Bank fileTue, Jun 16	MonthlyWed, Jul 15	SemiweeklyWed, Jun 24
#26	Mon, Jun 15 to Sun, Jun 21	Fri, Jun 26	Bank fileWed, Jun 24	MonthlyWed, Jul 15	SemiweeklyWed, Jul 1
#27	Mon, Jun 22 to Sun, Jun 28	Fri, Jul 3	Bank fileWed, Jul 1	MonthlyMon, Aug 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jul 8
#28	Mon, Jun 29 to Sun, Jul 5	Fri, Jul 10	Bank fileWed, Jul 8	MonthlyMon, Aug 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jul 15
#29	Mon, Jul 6 to Sun, Jul 12	Fri, Jul 17	Bank fileWed, Jul 15	MonthlyMon, Aug 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jul 22
#30	Mon, Jul 13 to Sun, Jul 19	Fri, Jul 24	Bank fileWed, Jul 22	MonthlyMon, Aug 17	SemiweeklyWed, Jul 29
#31	Mon, Jul 20 to Sun, Jul 26	Fri, Jul 31	Bank fileWed, Jul 29	MonthlyMon, Aug 17	SemiweeklyWed, Aug 5
#32	Mon, Jul 27 to Sun, Aug 2	Fri, Aug 7	Bank fileWed, Aug 5	MonthlyTue, Sep 15	SemiweeklyWed, Aug 12
#33	Mon, Aug 3 to Sun, Aug 9	Fri, Aug 14	Bank fileWed, Aug 12	MonthlyTue, Sep 15	SemiweeklyWed, Aug 19
#34	Mon, Aug 10 to Sun, Aug 16	Fri, Aug 21	Bank fileWed, Aug 19	MonthlyTue, Sep 15	SemiweeklyWed, Aug 26
#35	Mon, Aug 17 to Sun, Aug 23	Fri, Aug 28	Bank fileWed, Aug 26	MonthlyTue, Sep 15	SemiweeklyWed, Sep 2
#36	Mon, Aug 24 to Sun, Aug 30	Fri, Sep 4	Bank fileWed, Sep 2	MonthlyThu, Oct 15	SemiweeklyThu, Sep 10
#37	Mon, Aug 31 to Sun, Sep 6	Fri, Sep 11	Bank fileWed, Sep 9	MonthlyThu, Oct 15	SemiweeklyWed, Sep 16
#38	Mon, Sep 7 to Sun, Sep 13	Fri, Sep 18	Bank fileWed, Sep 16	MonthlyThu, Oct 15	SemiweeklyWed, Sep 23
#39	Mon, Sep 14 to Sun, Sep 20	Fri, Sep 25	Bank fileWed, Sep 23	MonthlyThu, Oct 15	SemiweeklyWed, Sep 30
#40	Mon, Sep 21 to Sun, Sep 27	Fri, Oct 2	Bank fileWed, Sep 30	MonthlyMon, Nov 16	SemiweeklyWed, Oct 7
#41	Mon, Sep 28 to Sun, Oct 4	Fri, Oct 9	Bank fileWed, Oct 7	MonthlyMon, Nov 16	SemiweeklyThu, Oct 15
#42	Mon, Oct 5 to Sun, Oct 11	Fri, Oct 16	Bank fileWed, Oct 14	MonthlyMon, Nov 16	SemiweeklyWed, Oct 21
#43	Mon, Oct 12 to Sun, Oct 18	Fri, Oct 23	Bank fileWed, Oct 21	MonthlyMon, Nov 16	SemiweeklyWed, Oct 28
#44	Mon, Oct 19 to Sun, Oct 25	Fri, Oct 30	Bank fileWed, Oct 28	MonthlyMon, Nov 16	SemiweeklyWed, Nov 4
#45	Mon, Oct 26 to Sun, Nov 1	Fri, Nov 6	Bank fileWed, Nov 4	MonthlyTue, Dec 15	SemiweeklyThu, Nov 12
#46	Mon, Nov 2 to Sun, Nov 8	Fri, Nov 13	Bank fileTue, Nov 10	MonthlyTue, Dec 15	SemiweeklyWed, Nov 18
#47	Mon, Nov 9 to Sun, Nov 15	Fri, Nov 20	Bank fileWed, Nov 18	MonthlyTue, Dec 15	SemiweeklyWed, Nov 25
#48	Mon, Nov 16 to Sun, Nov 22	Fri, Nov 27	Bank fileTue, Nov 24	MonthlyTue, Dec 15	SemiweeklyWed, Dec 2
#49	Mon, Nov 23 to Sun, Nov 29	Fri, Dec 4	Bank fileWed, Dec 2	MonthlyFri, Jan 15, 2027	SemiweeklyWed, Dec 9
#50	Mon, Nov 30 to Sun, Dec 6	Fri, Dec 11	Bank fileWed, Dec 9	MonthlyFri, Jan 15, 2027	SemiweeklyWed, Dec 16
#51	Mon, Dec 7 to Sun, Dec 13	Fri, Dec 18	Bank fileWed, Dec 16	MonthlyFri, Jan 15, 2027	SemiweeklyWed, Dec 23
#52	Mon, Dec 14 to Sun, Dec 20	Thu, Dec 24moved from Fri, Dec 25	Bank fileTue, Dec 22	MonthlyFri, Jan 15, 2027	SemiweeklyWed, Dec 30
#53	Mon, Dec 21 to Sun, Dec 27	Thu, Dec 31moved from Fri, Jan 1, 2027	Bank fileTue, Dec 29	MonthlyFri, Jan 15, 2027	SemiweeklyWed, Jan 6, 2027

Federal tax deposits only; state deposit deadlines and pay date rules differ. Rules last checked on October 3, 2026.

2026 federal payroll tax deadlines

The federal returns and forms due in 2026, moved off weekends and holidays.

Due date	What is due
Monday, February 2, 2026moved from Sat, Jan 31	W-2s and 1099-NEC to workers, SSA and IRS
Monday, February 2, 2026moved from Sat, Jan 31	Form 941 for Q4 due
Monday, February 2, 2026moved from Sat, Jan 31	Form 940 annual FUTA return
Monday, March 2, 2026	Forms 1095-C furnished to employees
Tuesday, March 31, 2026	Forms 1094-C / 1095-C e-filed with IRS
Thursday, April 30, 2026	Form 941 for Q1 due
Friday, July 31, 2026	Form 941 for Q2 due
Monday, November 2, 2026moved from Sat, Oct 31	Form 941 for Q3 due

Monthly depositors deposit by the 15th of the next month. Semiweekly depositors: taxes on pay dates Wednesday to Friday are due the following Wednesday, and Saturday to Tuesday the following Friday, later when a legal holiday leaves fewer than three business days. On either schedule, once the taxes you accumulate in a deposit period reach $100,000, they are due the next business day.

See the full compliance calendar

2026 bank holidays and IRS legal holidays

No ACH settlement. By standard practice, a payday that falls on one of these days is paid the business day before. The days marked are IRS legal holidays only: banks are open, so pay dates hold, but no tax deposit is due that day (it moves to the next business day), and a semiweekly deposit gets an extra day when one falls in the three weekdays after its period ends.

Date	Holiday	Payroll effect
Thursday, January 1, 2026	New Year's Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Monday, January 19, 2026	Martin Luther King Jr. Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Monday, February 16, 2026	Washington's Birthday	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Thursday, April 16, 2026	DC Emancipation Day	IRS legal holiday; banks open
Monday, May 25, 2026	Memorial Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Friday, June 19, 2026	Juneteenth	Pay date moves to Thu, Jun 18
Friday, July 3, 2026	Independence Day	Observed as an IRS legal holiday; banks open
Saturday, July 4, 2026	Independence Day	Saturday; banks stay open the Friday before
Monday, September 7, 2026	Labor Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Monday, October 12, 2026	Columbus Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Wednesday, November 11, 2026	Veterans Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Thursday, November 26, 2026	Thanksgiving Day	Banks closed; no ACH settlement
Friday, December 25, 2026	Christmas Day	Pay date moves to Thu, Dec 24

When a holiday falls on a Saturday, Federal Reserve Banks are open the preceding Friday. Holidays on a Sunday are observed Monday.

2026 payroll calendar questions

What payroll teams ask when they build the year's calendar.

Terms used here: Pay period · Payroll calendar · Tax deposit schedule · Payroll funding

WORKLIO HCM

Tax deposits scheduled every run

With Worklio HCM, tax payments are scheduled to each agency every run, and Forms 941, 940 and their state equivalents are filed for you.

How tax filing works

Sources

General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm current requirements with the relevant agency or your advisor. You remain responsible for your employment taxes.

2026 weekly payroll calendar