# Do you prefer bi-weekly or semi-monthly pay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 23, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521 "2026-04-23T22:50:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/61 "2026-04-27T07:44:28Z")
Except it actually _is_ used to mean twice a week in some places. Especially the places where fortnightly is used for every 2 weeks. We were advised to avoid the use of it at school due to the ambiguity. First result that comes up when I search from here: > biweekly > bʌɪˈwiːkli > > adjective > done, produced, or occurring every two weeks or twice a week.a biweekly bulletin > adverb > every two weeks or twice a week.she followed her doctor’s instructions to undergo health checks biweekly > noun > a periodical that appears every two weeks or twice a week.an English-language biweekly ‘Bi’ also gets used to mean ‘twice per’ in other words, such as biannual, which means twice a year, while biennial means every two years… though both of those would be not much fun as a payday schedule. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/62 "2026-04-27T12:46:37Z")
When I was working, mostly my pay showed up every other Friday, and I preferred that - easier to plan and budget. One place paid on the 8th and 23rd of the month, which I hated because if either or both fell on weekends, I could wind up with shorter and longer stretches between paydays and it just ticked me off. My husband had a job that paid monthly - I really hated that. For some reason, it made budgeting more of a hassle. I’d go from feeling rich to counting the days till his next pay was deposited. Yeah, I know, the total amount would have been the same had it been doled out more frequently in smaller portions, but my brain functioned better managing our finances in 2-week blocks. Now in retirement we have 5 different “incomes” which show up monthly, but at different times. They’re spaced so that it always seems like money is showing up in our account, tho two of them will post plus-or-minus a couple of days. But thanks to pay-by-credit-card and other pay online options, I don’t track our budget to the penny as I used to. Plus our expenses aren’t what they used to be, so there’s a reserve in our account for those times where income dates are erratic. But in a perfect world, new infusions would happen every other Friday. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/63 "2026-04-27T16:59:21Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I don’t think scurvy is eliminated from modern society. I don’t think it can? Isn’t it just caused by a vitamin C deficiency? > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Now in retirement we have 5 different “incomes” which show up monthly, but at different times. I have only two retirement “incomes” a month, and I love that they come at different times. ---
**Author:** ![X.L.Lent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a5b964/32.png) [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/64 "2026-04-27T22:32:14Z")
I mostly had bi weekly during my career. With semi-monthly it was easier to budget expenses. However, I liked the fact that with bi-weekly there would be two months a year where you would get three paychecks instead of the usual two. I was a bit like getting a bonus twice a year. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/65 "2026-04-27T23:28:41Z")
I spent most of my career being paid monthly at the end of each month. But a month in arrears. So at the end of Feb I got paid for Jan’s work. At the end of Mar for Feb’s work. Etc. That kinda sucked. Because our workload and hence wages varied dramatically from month to month, you might bust ass in e.g. Jan but get the money at the end of Feb to spend in Mar. Meanwhile, you slacked off (voluntary or not) in Feb to be paid a baby check in late Mar to go hungry in Apr. People learned to get ahead & carry a cushion. Or else. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/66 "2026-04-29T01:13:19Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > I don’t think it can? Isn’t it just caused by a vitamin C deficiency? The key word there was “society”. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/67 "2026-04-29T23:49:40Z")
> [@Ancient\_Nerd](#): > > I once heard of the units for velocity being “furlongs per fortnight” Since we’re picking nits, I will point out that that is not a velocity; it is a speed. I am quite familiar with fortnight even if I would never use it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/68 "2026-04-30T23:49:43Z")
I went from every two weeks (previous job, and nearly all other jobs) to semi-monthly (current job) recently. I’m fortunate enough not to have to budget based on my paychecks arrival, but I like keeping track on when my pay arrives. Every two weeks was easier for me since it was always the same day of the week. Now it varies considerably, so I’m often surprised. But it doesn’t impact my daily life much either way. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521/69 "2026-05-02T10:52:37Z")
The norm in Japan and Taiwan is monthly so that’s how I’ve been getting more for the last 35 years. The bigger issue is how much of a cushion do you have. If you aren’t living paycheck to paycheck you get used to whatever system you are in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-prefer-bi-weekly-or-semi-monthly-pay/1029521.md?page=3)