Biweekly: paid every 2 weeks = 26 paychecks/year. Semimonthly: paid twice a month (e.g., 1st & 15th) = 24 paychecks/year. Annual salary is identical — only the split differs.
On a biweekly schedule, two months per year have 3 paychecks instead of 2. Many people use these bonus paychecks for savings or debt payoff.
| Biweekly (26) | Semimonthly (24) | |
|---|---|---|
| $52,000 salary | $2,000/paycheck | $2,166.67/paycheck |
Neither pays more per year. Biweekly is the most common US schedule and makes overtime math cleaner. See both breakdowns in our calculator.