How to use this biweekly time card calculator
- Weeks is already set to 2 weeks, so two Monday to Sunday grids are stacked on the page, labelled Week 1 and Week 2.
- Write the dates of the period in Pay period, for example
Mar 2 to Mar 15, and add the employee name if the card is going to a supervisor. - Fill Week 1 first, then Week 2. Each grid carries its own subtotal row so you can see the two weeks apart as well as together.
- Enter unpaid meal minutes in the Break column of the day they were taken, not as a lump sum at the end of the period.
- Choose an Overtime rule and add your Hourly rate. The overtime tiles add up what each week earned on its own.
- Finish with Print, Download CSV or Copy link, which stores all fourteen days in the address so you can pick the card back up mid-period.
Overtime is still counted week by week
The most expensive mistake on a biweekly card is treating 80 hours as the overtime line. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act the workweek is a fixed period of seven consecutive 24-hour days, and overtime is owed on hours over 40 in each of those weeks. Two weeks sharing one paycheck does not merge them.
Take a period totalling exactly 80 hours, worked as 46 hours in the first week and 34 in the second. Paid as 80 straight hours at $20.00 that is $1,600.00. Counted correctly, week one gives 40 regular hours at $20.00 for $800.00 plus 6 overtime hours at $30.00 for $180.00, and week two gives 34 regular hours for $680.00. The period comes to $1,660.00, a $60.00 difference that comes from the six half-time premiums of $10.00 each. This calculator splits the weeks for you, which is why the Overtime tile can show hours even when the grand total sits at or below 80.
A two-week card with uneven weeks
| Day | Week 1 | Decimal | Week 2 | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 9:15 | 9.25 | 7:30 | 7.50 |
| Tue | 8:00 | 8.00 | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| Wed | 10:00 | 10.00 | 6:00 | 6.00 |
| Thu | 8:45 | 8.75 | 8:30 | 8.50 |
| Fri | 8:00 | 8.00 | 4:00 | 4.00 |
| Sat | 2:00 | 2.00 | ||
| Total | 46:00 | 46.00 | 34:00 | 34.00 |
Those are the numbers behind the example above. Week one runs 9.25 + 8.00 + 10.00 + 8.75 + 8.00 + 2.00 = 46.00, and week two runs 7.50 + 8.00 + 6.00 + 8.50 + 4.00 = 34.00. The card reports 80:00 in hours and minutes, 80.00 in decimal, 74 regular hours and 6 overtime hours. A period that looks unremarkable on the grand total line is carrying six hours of premium pay, and the only way to see it is to keep the weeks separate. To sanity check a single week on its own, the overtime calculator takes hours and a rate and nothing else.
Twenty-six pay periods, and why semi-monthly is different
Paying every other week gives 26 paychecks a year, because 52 weeks divided by 2 is 26. Twenty-six periods of 14 days covers 364 days, one day short of the calendar, so the leftover days accumulate and roughly every eleven years an employer lands three paydays in two separate months. Budgeting against 26 rather than 24 is what makes those months feel like a bonus when they are not.
Semi-monthly is a different schedule that people often call biweekly by mistake. It pays twice a month on fixed dates such as the 15th and the last day, so there are 24 paychecks and each period covers about 15.2 days. Those periods cut across workweeks: a pay period ending on a Tuesday leaves the rest of that workweek in the next period, and overtime for the split week still has to be worked out on the full seven-day week, not on the part that fell inside the dates. If your employer pays on the 15th and the 30th, this two-week grid is not the right shape for the period, so add up the calendar days on a blank timesheet template instead.
Frequently asked questions
Does overtime start after 80 hours in a biweekly period?
No. Federal law sets the threshold at 40 hours in a single workweek, and a biweekly paycheck simply combines two of those weeks. Working 50 hours then 30 earns 10 hours of overtime even though the total is 80. A handful of employers use a special 8 and 80 arrangement for hospital staff, so if you work in health care check what your agreement says.
How many biweekly pay periods are in a year?
Twenty-six in a normal year, and 27 in the occasional year when the calendar drift puts an extra payday inside the same twelve months. Salaried staff notice this because the annual salary divides across 26 periods rather than 24.
Is biweekly the same as bimonthly or semi-monthly?
No. Biweekly means every 14 days, always on the same weekday. Semi-monthly means twice a month on set dates, 24 times a year. Bimonthly technically means once every two months and is rarely used for wages at all.
My pay period starts on a Thursday. Can I still use this grid?
Yes. The rows are labelled Monday to Sunday, but what matters is that each grid holds seven consecutive days. Start your first day on the Monday row, keep the order, and write the real dates in the Pay period box so the printed card is unambiguous.
Can I print both weeks on one page with signatures?
Print puts the employee name, the pay period text and both weekly grids on one sheet, with signature lines for the employee and the supervisor underneath. The settings controls and this article are left out of the printout.
What if I only worked part of the pay period?
Leave the unworked days empty. Empty rows contribute nothing, so a card with one full week and three days in the second week totals exactly those ten days. New hires and final paychecks usually look like this.
Does holiday pay or PTO count toward the 40 hour line?
Generally not, because overtime is based on hours actually worked rather than hours paid. A week with 8 hours of holiday pay and 36 hours worked is usually paid as 44 hours with no overtime premium. Employer policies and union contracts can be more generous, so read your handbook, and check overtime rules by state for daily thresholds your state may add.