Years With 27 Pay Periods (2000–2060)
A biweekly payroll normally has 26 paydays a year. Every 11 years or so, one schedule gets a 27th. Which years depends on your payday weekday and which of the two biweekly cycles you are on. Here is the full list, calculated date by date.
Find your 27-payday years
Enter any past or future payday on your biweekly schedule:
Biweekly: years with 27 paydays by schedule
Each weekday has two possible biweekly cycles. Find yours by checking whether you were (or will be) paid on the first or second occurrence of that weekday in January 2027.
| Biweekly schedule | 27-payday years, 2000–2060 | Next from 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Mondays, payday on Jan 4, 2027 | 2007, 2018, 2029, 2040, 2052 | 2029 |
| Mondays, payday on Jan 11, 2027 | 2001, 2012, 2024, 2035, 2046, 2057 | 2035 |
| Tuesdays, payday on Jan 5, 2027 | 2008, 2019, 2030, 2041, 2052 | 2030 |
| Tuesdays, payday on Jan 12, 2027 | 2002, 2013, 2024, 2036, 2047, 2058 | 2036 |
| Wednesdays, payday on Jan 6, 2027 | 2008, 2020, 2031, 2042, 2053 | 2031 |
| Wednesdays, payday on Jan 13, 2027 | 2003, 2014, 2025, 2036, 2048, 2059 | 2036 |
| Thursdays, payday on Jan 7, 2027 | 2009, 2020, 2032, 2043, 2054 | 2032 |
| Thursdays, payday on Jan 14, 2027 | 2004, 2015, 2026, 2037, 2048, 2060 | 2037 |
| Fridays, payday on Jan 1, 2027 | 2004, 2016, 2027, 2038, 2049, 2060 | 2027 |
| Fridays, payday on Jan 8, 2027 | 2010, 2021, 2032, 2044, 2055 | 2032 |
Weekly: years with 53 paydays
Weekly payroll gets a 53rd payday whenever the payday weekday occurs 53 times in the year: the weekday of January 1, plus January 2 in a leap year.
| Weekly payday | 53-payday years, 2000–2060 |
|---|---|
| Mondays | 2001, 2007, 2012, 2018, 2024, 2029, 2035, 2040, 2046, 2052, 2057 |
| Tuesdays | 2002, 2008, 2013, 2019, 2024, 2030, 2036, 2041, 2047, 2052, 2058 |
| Wednesdays | 2003, 2008, 2014, 2020, 2025, 2031, 2036, 2042, 2048, 2053, 2059 |
| Thursdays | 2004, 2009, 2015, 2020, 2026, 2032, 2037, 2043, 2048, 2054, 2060 |
| Fridays | 2004, 2010, 2016, 2021, 2027, 2032, 2038, 2044, 2049, 2055, 2060 |
Federal employees: leave years with 27 pay periods
The federal government counts pay periods by leave year, which OPM defines as beginning on the first day of the first full biweekly pay period in the calendar year. A leave year has 27 pay periods only when pay period 01 begins on January 1, or January 2 in a leap year. Between 2000 and 2060 that happens in 2000, 2012, 2023, 2034, 2045, 2056. Our 14-day cycle matches every leave year start date in OPM's published table from 2012 through 2030.
Why 27 pay periods happen
Twenty-six two-week periods cover 364 days, but a year has 365 (366 in a leap year). The spare day or two moves every biweekly schedule a little earlier in the calendar each year. When a payday lands on January 1 (or January 2 in a leap year), the 27th payday fits in before December 31. On any one schedule the gap between such years is 11 or 12 years, which is why you will see '12' or 'about 11' quoted.
A scheduled 27th payday is not always a 27th paycheck in the tax year: when January 1 is a bank holiday the first check is usually paid on December 31 of the previous year and is taxed in that year. See how many pay periods are in 2027 for a worked example.
How employers handle a 27-pay-period year
- Pay 27 checks at the usual amount (annual salary ÷ 26): simplest, but salaried employees receive about 3.85% more that year.
- Divide salary by 27 for that year: total pay stays the same, each check is slightly smaller. Announce it early.
- Per-paycheck deductions (health premiums, 401(k) percentages, HSA) will be taken 27 times unless you skip one; annual limits can be reached a period early.
- Budget for the extra payroll run, employer taxes and benefit contributions in the year it happens.
FAQ
What years have 27 pay periods?
It depends on your payday. For biweekly Friday paydays that include Friday, January 1, 2027, the 27-payday years between 2000 and 2060 are 2004, 2016, 2027, 2038, 2049, 2060. Every weekday and two-week phase has its own list; see the table.
How often does a 27-pay-period year happen?
About every 11 years, but not exactly: on any one biweekly schedule the gap between 27-payday years is 11 or 12 years, because leap years shift the calendar by an extra day.
Do federal employees have 27 pay periods?
Federal pay periods are counted by OPM leave year, which starts on the first day of the first full pay period of the calendar year. A leave year has 27 pay periods only when pay period 01 starts on January 1 (or January 2 in a leap year): 2000, 2012, 2023, 2034, 2045, 2056 between 2000 and 2060 (2012 and 2023 are confirmed in OPM's leave year table).
Is 2027 a 27-pay-period year?
Yes for biweekly Friday schedules whose first 2027 payday is Friday, January 1, and for weekly Friday payers (53 paydays). Because January 1 is a bank holiday, that first paycheck is usually paid on Thursday, December 31, 2026, so 26 checks land in 2027.
More pay period tools
Sources and method
Pay dates move off weekends and bank holidays. Bank holidays follow the Federal Reserve schedule (a federal holiday on Sunday closes banks on Monday; a holiday on Saturday does not close banks on Friday). Federal office closures follow OPM (Saturday holidays observed Friday, Sunday holidays Monday) and are used for work-day counts and federal pay periods. Tax-year treatment follows IRS Publication 15. Federal pay periods follow the NFC/OPM 14-day cycle. How these calendars are built and checked.
- OPM: Federal holidays
- Federal Reserve: Holiday schedule (banks closed)
- IRS Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer's Tax Guide
- USDA National Finance Center (federal pay period calendar)
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