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    Payroll Blog

    S. Thannickal

March 12, 2017

Bi-Weekly vs. Semi-Monthly Basics 201

Bi-weekly and semi-monthly payrolls are the most common pay frequency among employers. The terms “bi-weekly” and “semi-monthly” can be a little confusing when it comes to payroll. Both prefixes, “bi” and “semi” mean “two or twice” but have different meanings, especially when it comes to scheduled payroll dates. Bi- means “every other” or “every two” while semi- means “half” or “twice” in the sense that it happens two times.

In payroll, bi-weekly means employees are paid every other week, while semi-monthly means employees are paid twice a month. Typically, each month for bi-weekly payrolls, employees also paid twice a month, but two months out of the year, employees are paid three times, instead of two. Confused yet? If you are, hopefully we can clarify a thing or two about the difference of bi-weekly and semi-monthly pay frequencies. Even though they tend to stay together throughout the year, there are several differences and implications in payroll.

Bi-weekly

  • Every other week or every 2 weeks
  • 26 payrolls in a year (52 weeks in a year / 2 weeks)
  • Salaried employees typically work 80 hours each pay period (2,080 hours / 26 payrolls)
  • Hourly employees’ overtime is easily calculated
  • Employees will know it will be (every other) weekday;
  • More consistent and preferred for employees. They know when the payday is coming – (i.e. every other Friday)
  • The number of days in the pay period is consistently 10 workdays or 14 total days (two 7-day workweeks)
  • Less consistent for budgeting for employers and employees, as some months have 3 payrolls in a month & are different dates in the month

Semi-Monthly

  • Twice a month or every half month
  • 24 payrolls in a year (12 months  x 2 times)
  • Salaried employees typically work 86.67 hours each pay period (2,080 hours / 24 payrolls)
  • Hourly employees’ overtime often crosses over pay periods. Sometime that means extra work for those calculating payroll hours (contact us to learn more about how our timekeeping solutions can solve this issue for your company)
  • Employees are typically paid on the 15th/End , 10th/25th of the month, etc and they fall on different days of the month (depending on month, weekends, holiday, etc)
  • The number of days in the pay period changes depending on day of month; it might be 16 days or 15 days, depending on how many days are in the month (31 days, 30 days or 28/29 days in February)
  • More consistent for budgeting for employers and employees; it works great for paying bills (as paydates are always on the 15th for instance)

Just remember, a bicycle is a cycle with 2 wheels, and in payroll, biweekly means you’re paid every 2 weeks. And while we’re on the topic of transportation in Portland, how about those semi-trucks we love driving next to on the freeway? I bet you didn’t know that a semi-truck is a trailer without the front wheels, so about half of it is missing. In payroll, that means you’re paid halfway through the month as well as the final half, depending on your payroll schedule.

Of course, we must not forget about monthly and weekly payrolls. Monthly is once a month, paid 12 times a year, and weekly is once a week, paid 52 times a year. Weekly is the most preferred by employees, but payroll processing cost is the highest, as this requires more times in a year to process payroll, therefore is not very common.

 

March 6, 2017

Tips for First-Time Business Owners

“What do you wish you knew before you started your business?”

Successful, Portland small business owner, Sam Thannickal, shares his insight on what he wishes he knew before he first started his small businesses years ago. Sam has over 30 years of experience in payroll, tax, and consulting.

Find a Structure that Fits. Partners, S-Corps, & LLCs…oh my! How do you know what’s the best fit for your business? Once you choose a businesss structure, it’s relatively difficult to shift to another type of structure. Do the research to find the best form of ownership & organization that will benefit your situation for liability protection and tax savings. Contact your accountant or attorney for professional advice.

– Sole Proprietorship
– Limited & limited liability partnerships (LLP)
– C-Corporation
– S-Corporation
– Limited liability companies (LLC)

Monitor, Modify, Repeat. Your business plan is all about effective strategy and communication. It is an important document presenting the company’s strategy and expected financial performance for the future years. It’s what you do in your business and how you plan to carry it out. As you move along in your business, it is important to monitor its progress, making sure company goals and benchmarks are being met. Update it regularly, as needed.

Think Proactive. Set your business up for success! At the initial stages of your business, plan and implement forward-thinking. Instead of reactive measures after issues arise, it’s a good idea to account for potential issues, as much as you possibly can. Remember, it’s okay to fail and make mistakes. That’s how we learn. But do it with a proactive approach, and think ahead. Creating documentation for business practices by safeguarding your business value is vital to the success of a small business is an example of how you can succeed at business proactively.

Outsource as an Option. To outsource or to keep it in-house? Before you dive deep into your business, it is important to know your options to outsource certain business functions. When making your decision, be sure to weigh in the cost, resources, control and location. Outsourcing makes sense when it increases efficiency and effectiveness in your business. We know outsourcing your payroll functions to us will save you time and money! Call us today to find out more about our services.

Learn to Love Networking. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be an extrovert to be good at networking! Introvert or extrovert, it is vital to your business to build a support network of like-minded business peers in your local area. Share what you do best in your industry, creating conversations and thus, opportunities to build up your business. Remember it’s not about who’s the best at small talk; it’s about building strong, beneficial relationships and connections within your business network.

 

If you are a new business owner, we would love to come alongside with you. Contact us today!

 

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