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Semi-Monthly Pay Calculator

Convert hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly gross pay into a twice-monthly paycheck using 24 semi-monthly periods per year.

Published

Semi-monthly pay
Gross pay per semi-monthly paycheck
$2,166.67
Annual gross pay
$52,000.00
Monthly equivalent
$4,333.33
Weekly equivalent
$1,000.00
Paychecks per year
24

Semi-monthly payroll creates 24 checks per year, so the annualized pay is divided by 24.

Enter the gross pay for the frequency selected above.
$
Used when converting an hourly wage.
hr

Results update as you type.

Convert gross pay to 24 checks per year

Use this conversion when payroll is scheduled twice each month. Select whether the known gross amount is hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, then enter that amount. Hours per week apply only to hourly pay; days per week apply only to daily pay.

Annualization method

A semi-monthly year has 24 pay periods. Hourly pay is annualized as wage × hours per week × 52; daily pay as daily amount × days per week × 52; weekly pay as amount × 52; monthly pay as amount × 12; yearly pay is used directly. The semi-monthly result is annual gross pay divided by 24. Monthly and weekly equivalents divide the same annual amount by 12 and 52.

For $25 per hour and 40 hours per week, annual gross pay is $52,000, the semi-monthly check is $2,166.67, monthly equivalent is $4,333.33, and weekly equivalent is $1,000. A $60,000 yearly salary produces $2,500 per semi-monthly check. Use this second case to reconcile 24 × $2,500 = $60,000.

Payroll boundaries

This is a gross-pay conversion, not a paycheck estimate. It assumes 52 paid weeks and level hours or days, with no overtime, unpaid leave, holidays, bonuses, commissions, taxes, benefits, deductions, rounding by payroll systems, or partial periods. Semi-monthly is not biweekly: 24 and 26 annual checks produce different amounts.

Pay cannot be negative. Weekly hours must be greater than zero and no more than 168 for every pay type. When hourly pay is selected, zero hours is invalid; when daily pay is selected, zero days is invalid. Days above 7, unknown pay types, blanks, and invalid numeric inputs are also invalid.

Confirm schedule and gross amount with the applicable pay statement or employer; this is not payroll, tax, legal, or employment advice. For broader frequency and time-off comparisons, use the salary calculator.

Frequently asked questions

What does semi-monthly pay mean?
Semi-monthly pay means pay is issued twice each month, for 24 paychecks per year. Employers often use dates such as the 15th and last day of the month, though exact dates can shift for weekends or holidays.
How is hourly pay converted to semi-monthly pay?
The calculator annualizes hourly pay by multiplying hourly wage by hours per week and 52 weeks, then divides by 24. With the default $25 wage and 40 hours, annual pay is $52,000 and each semi-monthly paycheck is $2,166.67.
Does the calculator show take-home pay?
No. It shows gross semi-monthly pay before taxes, benefit deductions, retirement contributions, garnishments, and other withholding. Actual deposits can vary by tax jurisdiction, filing status, benefit elections, payroll deductions, and employer withholding rules.
Why does monthly pay divide by two?
Semi-monthly payroll has exactly two scheduled paychecks per month. If the known amount is monthly pay, the shortcut is monthly pay divided by two. The calculator still annualizes internally, so $5,000 monthly becomes $60,000 yearly and $2,500 semi-monthly.

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