Difference between semimonthly and biweekly payroll
The main difference between a biweekly and biweekly pay period is that the semimonthly payroll pays 24 times per year while the biweekly one is paid out 26 times per year. Semimonthly payrolls are paid twice a month, typically on the 15th or last day. If one of those dates occurs on the weekend, it is paid out on the prior Friday. Biweekly payrolls are paid every two weeks, typically on Friday.
From an efficiency standpoint, the semimonthly pay period is the best option, as there are two fewer annual payrolls to be prepared. Additionally, it’s more straightforward to distribute pay and salaries among the proper months when using the semimonthly method since there is less requirement for monthly-end adjustments.
From the standpoint regarding employee relationships, a biweekly pay period is preferred because employees are accustomed to receiving a paycheck approximately two times per month and two additional “free” annual paychecks. Furthermore, it is much easier for the employees to budget cash receipts on Fridays every other week and not have receipts that could be delayed or delayed because of being delayed or accelerated by weekends or holidays.
From an organizational standpoint, It is a bit more straightforward for the payroll department to create a biweekly pay because the steps to process occur at the exact time of the week (unless holidays are in the way). When a semimonthly-based payroll is employed, the steps to process always shift between different weeks, as the pay date isn’t fixed on a particular date during the workweek.
Certain organizations opt for an amalgamation of payrolls employing the semimonthly method for salaried workers and biweekly pay for employees who work hourly. From an efficiency standpoint, the primary goal is to eliminate weekly payrolls by using one of the options presented in this article, which cuts the number of payrolls by half.
Selecting a pay frequency for your small-sized company is a crucial choice. Pay frequency will determine the frequency of processing payroll and when employees get their paychecks. Two very popular but confused pay times are biweekly as well as semimonthly.
Understanding the distinction between biweekly and. Semimonthly payroll is a great way to avoid financial problems, ensure your company is legally compliant, and more.
The number of annual paychecks
With a biweekly pay schedule, There are two weeks in the year that employees are paid three times. People who receive semimonthly pay always receive two paychecks per month.
Companies that have payroll running with two-week intervals distribute 26 paychecks annually. Employers who use semimonthly pay offer employees 24 paychecks every year.
Paycheck amounts
Since you have a lower quarterly payroll than biweekly, the employees’ pay will be more. Payrolls for biweekly will be lower in value. However, you’ll be able to provide two additional checks to compensate for the differences.
Let’s suppose that an employee earns $42,000.00 annually. If they receive their pay biweekly, their total earnings would be around $1,615.38 every week ($42,000.00 26). If they get paid semimonthly, their total earnings will be $1,750.00 ($42,000.00 (24 hours)).
In a year, an employee will be paid the same amount of money and pay the same amount in taxes regardless of the payment method you choose to use.
Payday
Another distinction between semimonthly and. Biweekly pay is the days of the week conduct payroll and the day employees are paid their wages.
If you have biweekly payrolls, your employees will receive their pay the same day every pay period. For instance, your employees get paid regularly every Friday, and you have to pay your payroll the exact day every pay period.
Semi-monthly payroll you pay your employees at specific times, for example, the 15th day and the last day of the month. But, the dates differ. Employees might be the money on a Friday, and Tuesday.
Popularity
Biweekly payroll is by far the most frequently used payment method. Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 36.5 percent of employees receive their pay biweekly. However just 19.8 percent of employees receive their wages using the semimonthly pay frequency.
Deciding between semimonthly vs. biweekly pay.
Making the decision between biweekly and. semimonthly pay can be difficult, especially since federal laws on pay stipulate that you should maintain the same schedule all through the year.
Before you make a decision, keep in mind that different states have regulations on how often you pay employees. It is possible that you will not be allowed to use semimonthly or biweekly pay frequency in some states. Make sure to check with your state prior to selecting the frequency you will use to run payroll.
The disadvantages of having a semi-monthly payroll
It is important to think about the number of employees you have and whether they are salaried or hourly. The process of running a semimonthly payroll for employees who are hourly is more challenging and complicated than running a similar process for salaried employees, particularly those who earn overtime. To counter this, you can set up a semimonthly payroll for salaried workers and biweekly for employees who work for hourly wages.
The inconsistency of semi-monthly payroll is an issue for some companies as well as employees. Since you are required to pay employees on different days during the week, it is possible to be unable to keep track of your obligations. Employees may not know what day they are paid.
Payroll for semi-monthly periods can be particularly challenging to track when holidays and weekends come into the picture. If your payday occurs on weekends or holidays, it is either necessary to delay or advance your payroll and add another task to your list of tasks.
The pros and cons of having an biweekly pay check
There are a few disadvantages when managing a biweekly payroll as well. If you pay your employees semimonthly, you’re guaranteed to pay the same amount to employees every month. Two additional paychecks due to biweekly pay frequency could put your company in a bind when you fail to prepare for the months when you pay three checks. It is important to ensure that you have enough funds in your account for payroll to cover the extra expenses.
Let’s imagine you have 10 employees that each receive $1,500 in gross earnings per paycheque. You’ll need another $15,000 in cash for each month that has three pay checks in them.
Keep in mind that some payroll providers will charge the user for each time they conduct payroll. If you choose one of these services, then you’ll pay more annually to run biweekly payroll as opposed to semi-monthly payroll. You could also select a service, such as Patriot Software, that charges you the same price, regardless of the number of times you pay your employees.
Employers across the United States generally pay their employees weekly, biweekly, monthly or semimonthly. The law of the state usually determines the exact date employees have to be paid the employer. However, employers can pay more frequently , but not less. Certain employers pay their workers on a biweekly or semimonthly basis. There are some key differences between these two.
The major distinction between a semimonthly and biweekly payroll is that biweekly occurs every two weeks, whereas semimonthly is scheduled every month twice, for example, on the 15th and last days of the month. Employees know when the biweekly payday is due like every other Friday. However semimonthly paydays aren’t so easy to determine because they can occur on different days of the month. According to the month, paydays can occur on a Saturday or Sunday or even on a day of a holiday.
In this scenario, employees who have direct deposit usually receive their paychecks on the day before their business day. Biweekly employees typically receive 26 checks each year, while semimonthly employees get 24 paychecks.
Variations in Salary Processing
The process of processing pay for biweekly salaried employees is different from the process for semimonthly salaried staff. Full-time salaried employees who work biweekly are typically paid for 80 hours every payday, and semimonthly employees are paid 86.67 hours. In particular, full-time salaried employees are paid for 2,080 hours per year.
Employers to be able to determine the time for employees who are biweekly, multiply 2,080 over 26 pay periods. To determine the hours of semimonthly employees divide 2,080 by the number of pay period. To calculate the salaries for both pay groups, multiply the annual amount by the number of pay periods in the year.
Processing of Payroll on a Hourly Basis
Processing payroll for hourly employees who work biweekly is easy However, the process the semimonthly hours of employees may be a bit complicated. For hourly employees who work biweekly, just pay the employee in accordance with the number of hours worked in the last two weeks. For semimonthly hourly workers, to avoid confusion, many employers offer employees a pay calendar, which outlines the time when semimonthly time cards must be filed at the end of every pay period. Because some months have more than 31 days, while others have 30days, a semimonthly hourly employee might be paid for different days.
For instance, an employee could receive a the payment for 12 consecutive days during one pay period , and then 13 days in the following. To allow time for processing payroll and processing, the pay period’s closing the date for a semimonthly, hourly payroll could be later than that for a biweekly, hourly pay. Certain employers pay hourly semimonthly employees on a monthly basis (for 86.67 hours) and calculate overtime, then they adjust their pay on the following pay period.
This method can be dangerous when the employee is fired and fails to pay the hours billed. Making adjustments is time-consuming and susceptible to mistakes.
Differing Pay Periods
To make payroll processing simpler and reduce confusion among employees Some employers pay hourly employees biweekly , and salaried employees semimonthly. Others will pay their employees in full on an biweekly basis. A semimonthly pay period requires less processing for payroll than a biweekly pay period because it occurs only 24 times each year.
Additionally, when you add into leap years that have the number of days as 366 instead of 365 days, during many years, the additional days accumulate and force biweekly employees to get an additional pay period, equal at 27 paydays instead of the 26. This isn’t the case for semi-monthly payrolls, which is always done every year 24 times.
My Name is Nadeem Shaikh the founder of nadeemacademy.com. I am a Qualified Chartered Accountant, B. com and M.Com. having professional and specialize experience in field of Account, Finance, and Taxation. Total experience of 20 years in providing businesses solution in Taxation, Accounting, and Finance with all statutory compliance with timely business performance Financials reports. You can contact me on nadeemacademy2@gmail.com or contact@nadeemacademy.com.