“When do I get paid?” is the first question every employee asks. Your pay schedule answers it — and once it’s set, you’re locked into that rhythm.
Choose carefully. Changing pay schedules mid-year creates confusion, transition headaches, and sometimes angry employees who thought they were getting paid Friday but now have to wait until the 15th.
Pay schedule types Schedule Frequency Pay periods/year Best for Weekly Every week 52 Hourly workers, construction, restaurants Bi-weekly Every two weeks 26 Most common — good balance Semi-monthly 1st and 15th 24 Salaried employees, predictable dates Monthly Once per month 12 Executives, some states don’t allow for hourly
Creating a pay schedule
Go to Settings
Navigate to Settings → Payroll → Pay Schedules .
Add a schedule
Click Add Pay Schedule .
Configure the details
Schedule name (e.g., “Bi-weekly Friday”)
Frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly)
Pay day (which day employees see money)
First pay date
Save
You can now assign employees to this schedule.
Schedule details by type Weekly Setting What it means Pay day Usually Friday Week ending Last day of the work week (usually Sunday) First pay date When the first paycheck lands
52 payrolls per year. More work for you, but employees get cash flow.
Bi-weekly Setting What it means Pay day Usually Friday Week 1 start Defines which weeks are “pay weeks” First pay date Anchors the bi-weekly cycle
26 pay periods. Twice a month feels consistent, but two months per year have 3 pay periods (employees love those months).
Semi-monthly Setting What it means First pay day Usually the 15th Second pay day Usually the last day of month Weekend adjustment What happens when pay day falls on Saturday
24 pay periods. Predictable dates every month, but hours don’t divide evenly — awkward for hourly employees.
Monthly Setting What it means Pay day Usually the 1st or last day of month Weekend adjustment Shift to Friday or Monday
12 pay periods. Easiest for you, hardest for employees to budget. Some states restrict monthly pay for hourly workers.
Weekend adjustments When pay day lands on a weekend:
Option What happens Previous Friday Pay early Following Monday Pay late Closest business day Depends on the day
Most companies choose “previous Friday.” Employees prefer getting paid early over late.
Holiday adjustments When pay day falls on a bank holiday (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.):
Define your company holidays in Settings → Payroll → Holidays
Choose how to handle conflicts
Pluvel adjusts automatically
Employees don’t like being told their paycheck will arrive “sometime after the holiday.”
Multiple schedules Many companies run different schedules for different groups:
Group Typical schedule Why Hourly employees Weekly or bi-weekly Cash flow matters, easier to track hours Salaried employees Semi-monthly Consistent amounts, predictable dates Executives Monthly Higher earners can budget longer
You can have as many schedules as you need — but more schedules means more payroll runs.
Assigning employees Each employee belongs to exactly one schedule:
Open their profile
Go to Compensation
Select the pay schedule
Save
When you run payroll, you’ll run it by schedule — everyone on “Bi-weekly Friday” gets processed together.
The payroll calendar See all your deadlines in one view:
Go to Payroll → Calendar
View pay dates across all schedules
See submission deadlines
Plan your week
Color-coded by schedule if you have multiple.
Submission deadlines To hit pay dates, submit payroll ahead of time:
Pay date Submit by Friday Wednesday 5pm 15th 4 business days prior Last day of month 4 business days prior
Miss the deadline and employees get paid late. They’ll remember.
Pluvel sends reminders before submission deadlines. But set your own calendar reminders too — don’t leave it to chance.
Changing schedules Changing someone’s schedule mid-year:
Open their profile
Update the pay schedule
Carefully time the transition to avoid gaps or double-payments
If the old schedule paid on the 15th and the new one pays bi-weekly starting Monday, what happens in between? You need to think this through.
For company-wide schedule changes, plan months ahead and communicate clearly. Employees get anxious about anything that touches their paycheck timing.
Deductions Set up benefits, retirement, and other withholdings.
