Pay Period Calendar

2026 Federal Pay Period Calendar

The 26 biweekly pay periods used across the federal government in 2026, from the NFC Form 1217 calendar and OPM's leave year table. Pay period 01 begins Sun, Jan 11, 2026; pay period 26 ends Sat, Jan 9, 2027.

OPM lists leave year 2026 as Sun, Jan 11, 2026 through Sat, Jan 9, 2027; the last day to schedule use-or-lose annual leave is Sat, Nov 28, 2026.

Pay periodBegins (Sunday)Ends (Saturday)Federal holidays in period
01Sun, Jan 11, 2026Sat, Jan 24, 2026Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan 19)
02Sun, Jan 25, 2026Sat, Feb 7, 2026—
03Sun, Feb 8, 2026Sat, Feb 21, 2026Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) (Feb 16)
04Sun, Feb 22, 2026Sat, Mar 7, 2026—
05Sun, Mar 8, 2026Sat, Mar 21, 2026—
06Sun, Mar 22, 2026Sat, Apr 4, 2026—
07Sun, Apr 5, 2026Sat, Apr 18, 2026—
08Sun, Apr 19, 2026Sat, May 2, 2026—
09Sun, May 3, 2026Sat, May 16, 2026—
10Sun, May 17, 2026Sat, May 30, 2026Memorial Day (May 25)
11Sun, May 31, 2026Sat, Jun 13, 2026—
12Sun, Jun 14, 2026Sat, Jun 27, 2026Juneteenth (Jun 19)
13Sun, Jun 28, 2026Sat, Jul 11, 2026Independence Day (Jul 3)
14Sun, Jul 12, 2026Sat, Jul 25, 2026—
15Sun, Jul 26, 2026Sat, Aug 8, 2026—
16Sun, Aug 9, 2026Sat, Aug 22, 2026—
17Sun, Aug 23, 2026Sat, Sep 5, 2026—
18Sun, Sep 6, 2026Sat, Sep 19, 2026Labor Day (Sep 7)
19Sun, Sep 20, 2026Sat, Oct 3, 2026—
20Sun, Oct 4, 2026Sat, Oct 17, 2026Columbus Day (Oct 12)
21Sun, Oct 18, 2026Sat, Oct 31, 2026—
22Sun, Nov 1, 2026Sat, Nov 14, 2026Veterans Day (Nov 11)
23Sun, Nov 15, 2026Sat, Nov 28, 2026Thanksgiving Day (Nov 26)
24Sun, Nov 29, 2026Sat, Dec 12, 2026—
25Sun, Dec 13, 2026Sat, Dec 26, 2026Christmas Day (Dec 25)
26Sun, Dec 27, 2026Sat, Jan 9, 2027New Year's Day (Jan 1)

When do federal employees get paid?

The pay date is not on the official pay period calendar because it depends on your agency's payroll provider. Most providers (NFC, DFAS, IBC, GSA) pay about one to two weeks after the pay period ends, typically on a Thursday or Friday; check your provider's published pay-date table or your Earnings and Leave Statement. The pay period boundaries above are the same for everyone.

Why the federal year starts on Jan 11

Federal pay periods run in an unbroken 14-day cycle from Sunday to Saturday. OPM defines the leave year as beginning on the first day of the first full biweekly pay period in the calendar year, so the first period that starts on or after January 1 becomes pay period 01. Days before it belong to the last period of the previous year (NFC numbers it pay period 26 of 2025).

Numbering differs by provider

NFC and OPM number periods by the leave year as shown above. GSA numbers its periods by the year of the official pay date, so GSA's pay period 01 is the one whose pay date falls first in the new year, which can be one period earlier than the NFC number for the same dates. Always quote the begin and end dates, not just the number, when coordinating with another agency.

Private-sector schedule? See the 2026 payroll calendar and 2026 work days by month.