Federal government pay periods run on a two-week cycle, giving most employees 26 paychecks a year. Each period starts on a Sunday and ends on the second Saturday, 14 calendar days later, and the cycle runs continuously without regard to weekends or holidays. In 2026, the first pay period begins January 4 and the 26th ends December 19.1National Finance Center. Pay Period Calendar 2026
How the Two-Week Cycle Works
Every federal pay period covers a full 14 days, Sunday through the following Saturday.2U.S. Department of Commerce. Pay Periods and Dates Fifty-two weeks split into two-week blocks yields 26, which is why most calendar years contain exactly that many pay periods.
This is not the same as a semi-monthly schedule. Semi-monthly employees are paid on two fixed calendar dates each month, such as the 1st and the 15th, for a total of 24 paychecks a year.3ADP. 2026 Payroll Calendar Federal bi-weekly pay dates move through the calendar; semi-monthly dates don’t.
The 2026 Federal Pay Period Calendar
2026 is a standard 26-pay-period year. Pay Period 1 begins Sunday, January 4, and Pay Period 26 ends Saturday, December 19.1National Finance Center. Pay Period Calendar 2026
The federal leave year tracks the same rhythm. It begins on the first day of the first full bi-weekly pay period in the calendar year and ends the day before the first full bi-weekly pay period of the next year.4U.S. Office of Personnel Management. OPM Fact Sheet – Leave Year Beginning and Ending Dates That’s why “use or lose” annual leave decisions follow the pay period calendar, not December 31.
When Paychecks Actually Land
The official payment date of record with the Department of the Treasury is the Thursday after payroll processing closes. Most employees see the money sooner. Direct deposits settle on the Monday after processing, or Tuesday when Monday is a federal holiday, and paper checks arrive on Monday as well.5National Finance Center. PAYE Schedule, Calendars, and Additional Information Thursday stays on the paperwork; Monday is when funds are usually available.
Leave You Earn Each Pay Period
Full-time federal employees earn both sick leave and annual leave every pay period. Sick leave accrues at a flat 4 hours per pay period regardless of length of service, which comes to 104 hours (13 days) over a 26-period year.6U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Fact Sheet – Sick Leave General Information
Annual leave depends on how long you’ve been in federal service:7U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Annual Leave
- Under 3 years: 4 hours per pay period (13 days a year)
- 3 to 14 years: 6 hours per pay period, with 10 hours in the final pay period of the leave year (20 days a year)
- 15 or more years: 8 hours per pay period (26 days a year)
Senior Executive Service employees and those in equivalent pay systems earn 8 hours per pay period regardless of tenure.7U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Annual Leave
Why Some Years Have 27 Pay Periods
Twenty-six bi-weekly periods cover only 364 days, leaving one day (or two in a leap year) unaccounted for. Those leftover days build up and, roughly every 11 years, produce a 27th pay period.8Government Finance Officers Association. The Twenty-Seventh-Payroll Period For most federal employees, the last such year was 2020.
An extra paycheck is not extra salary. Your annual pay is the same amount divided into 27 smaller slices instead of 26. You do get one extra period of both annual and sick leave accrual in a 27-period year, which is a small real benefit.
What This Means for TSP Contributions
The number of pay periods in a year matters most for retirement contributions. The IRS elective deferral limit for the Thrift Savings Plan is $24,500 for 2026. Employees age 50 and older can add $8,000 in catch-up contributions, and those ages 60 through 63 have a higher catch-up limit of $11,250 under SECURE 2.0.9Internal Revenue Service. 401(k) Limit Increases to $24,500 for 2026, IRA Limit Increases to $7,500
In a 26-period year, spreading $24,500 evenly works out to about $943 per pay period. In a 27-period year, the same annual limit divides to about $908 per period.10U.S. General Services Administration. TSP Contribution Chart The TSP publishes a contribution calculator designed for this math.11The Thrift Safings Plan (TSP). How Much Can I Contribute
Getting the per-period amount right isn’t only about avoiding excess deferrals. FERS employees get an agency match of dollar-for-dollar on the first 3% of pay contributed each pay period, plus 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2%, on top of an automatic 1% agency contribution.12Government Publishing Office. Benefits – New Employees – Thrift Savings Plan If you set your contribution too high and hit the annual cap in, say, pay period 22, you receive no matching for the remaining pay periods. Spreading contributions across every pay period is the only way to capture the full match.
Where to Find Your Official Calendar
The National Finance Center publishes downloadable pay period calendars for each year through 2030.13National Finance Center. Pay Period Calendars Your agency’s HR portal will usually post the same dates alongside anything specific to your payroll provider.
Most federal employees now view earnings statements through HR Links, which replaced Employee Express. Historical records from Employee Express were not migrated, so OPM has kept that system available in read-only mode through April 15, 2026, for downloading past W-2s, 1095-C forms, and leave and earnings statements.14General Services Administration. HR Links – Payroll Employee Self Service If you haven’t saved copies of older records, do it before that date.