Quick answer
If you pay staff fortnightly, two months in the 2026–27 financial year will contain three pay days instead of two. Which months depends on your pay day: for example, fortnightly Thursday pay runs starting 2 July 2026 fall three times in July and December 2026, while those starting 9 July fall three times in October 2026 and April 2027. One Wednesday cycle even has 27 pay days in the year. Plan the extra run — and its super — ahead.
Key points
- Fortnightly payroll means 26 pay days in most financial years — and two months with three.
- Which months depends on the weekday and the starting fortnight of your cycle.
- A Wednesday cycle starting 1 July 2026 has 27 pay days in 2026–27.
- Under payday super, each extra pay run brings its own super deadline.
- Weekly payers get several five-pay-day months instead.
Here’s a payroll deadline that’s completely predictable and still catches businesses out every year. If you pay staff fortnightly, most months have two pay days. But a few times a year, a month has three. Revenue in that month usually looks like any other month. Wages are 50% higher.
This guide lists the three-pay-day months for every weekday cycle in the 2026–27 financial year, flags the one cycle with 27 pay days, and shows how payday super changes the picture.
Why do some months have three pay days?
A fortnight is 14 days. Most months are 30 or 31 days long. So each month’s pay days drift a day or two earlier relative to the month, and every so often the first pay day falls on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd — leaving room for a third pay day before the month ends. Over a typical financial year, that happens twice.
Weekly payers have the same effect on a smaller scale: some months have five pay days instead of four.
Which months have three pay days in 2026–27?
Find your pay day of the week, then your first pay day in July 2026. Calculated by the Deadline Desk from the calendar; check against your own payroll system.
| Pay day | First pay day in July 2026 | Three-pay-day months (dates) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 6 July | August 2026 (3, 17, 31) · March 2027 (1, 15, 29) |
| Monday | 13 July | November 2026 (2, 16, 30) · May 2027 (3, 17, 31) |
| Tuesday | 7 July | September 2026 (1, 15, 29) · March 2027 (2, 16, 30) |
| Tuesday | 14 July | December 2026 (1, 15, 29) · June 2027 (1, 15, 29) |
| Wednesday | 1 July | July 2026 (1, 15, 29) · December 2026 (2, 16, 30) · June 2027 (2, 16, 30) |
| Wednesday | 8 July | September 2026 (2, 16, 30) · March 2027 (3, 17, 31) |
| Thursday | 2 July | July 2026 (2, 16, 30) · December 2026 (3, 17, 31) |
| Thursday | 9 July | October 2026 (1, 15, 29) · April 2027 (1, 15, 29) |
| Friday | 3 July | July 2026 (3, 17, 31) · January 2027 (1, 15, 29) |
| Friday | 10 July | October 2026 (2, 16, 30) · April 2027 (2, 16, 30) |
July 2026 has already passed, but it’s in the table so you can identify your cycle from your July pay dates.
The Wednesday cycle with 27 pay days
Look at the Wednesday row starting 1 July 2026. It has three pay-day months — July, December and June — because its first pay day is 1 July 2026 and, 26 fortnights later, its last falls on 30 June 2027. That’s 27 fortnightly pay days in one financial year instead of the usual 26.
If that’s your cycle, two things follow:
- Annual wage costs for 2026–27 are one pay run higher than a “26 fortnights” budget assumes.
- Salaried staff paid an annual salary in 26 instalments need checking — your payroll provider or accountant can advise how your system handles a 27th pay.
Which pay days collide with public holidays?
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s 2026 list shows Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2026, and New Year’s Day 2027 falls on Friday 1 January. That affects:
- Friday cycles starting 3 July, which have pay days on 25 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 — and January 2027 is a three-pay-day month for this cycle.
- Thursday cycles starting 2 July, which pay on 31 December 2026 — the last business day before New Year’s Day, with banks and payroll providers on holiday hours.
Your award, agreement or usual practice decides whether a holiday pay day is brought forward or pushed back. Bringing it forward moves the cash requirement earlier — often into the busiest part of December. See the Christmas shutdown page.
What about weekly payers?
Weekly payers have five-pay-day months instead. For 2026–27, by pay day:
| Weekly pay day | Five-pay-day months |
|---|---|
| Monday | August 2026, November 2026, March 2027, May 2027 |
| Tuesday | September 2026, December 2026, March 2027, June 2027 |
| Wednesday | July 2026, September 2026, December 2026, March 2027, June 2027 |
| Thursday | July 2026, October 2026, December 2026, April 2027 |
| Friday | July 2026, October 2026, January 2027, April 2027 |
How does payday super change the maths?
Since 1 July 2026, super must be paid at the same time as wages, and the ATO says contributions must be received by the fund within seven business days of payday. The general super guarantee rate is 12% of ordinary time earnings.
Under the old quarterly system, a third pay run added wages to the month but its super could wait for the quarterly date. Under payday super, the third pay run brings its own super deadline about a week and a half later. For a three-pay-day month near the end, some of that super may fall into the following month — but it can’t be pushed back to a quarter-end any more. The payday super page covers the rule in more detail.
How much extra cash does a third pay run need?
Work it out as one number: net wages, plus PAYG withholding, plus super. Illustrative example only: a business with $30,000 of gross fortnightly wages, all ordinary time earnings, pays roughly $3,600 in super on each run. A three-pay-day month needs about $100,800 in gross wages and super, against about $67,200 in a normal month — an extra $33,600, with revenue usually no higher than usual.
How do you plan for it?
- Mark your two months now on your 90-day deadline calendar.
- Set aside a little each fortnight in the months before, so the extra run is pre-funded.
- Avoid stacking — don’t schedule big discretionary purchases in a three-pay-day month.
- Check the BAS date. October 2026 has three pay runs for some Thursday and Friday cycles and also carries the 28 October BAS. April 2027 does the same with the 28 April BAS.
- Consider a facility sized to one pay run, drawn only in the months that need it and repaid the month after. It’s a common, efficient way to smooth a predictable bump.
Is a three-pay-day month a reason to borrow?
Not always. If you’ve seen it coming and set cash aside, it’s simply a heavier month. But if it collides with a slow customer, a BAS date or a seasonal dip, a short facility sized to the extra run is often sensible — and much easier to arrange weeks ahead than on the morning of the pay run. The payroll page sets out options by timeline.
What about monthly payers?
If you pay monthly, the number of pay days doesn’t change from month to month, but the date can still bite. A monthly pay day on the last business day of the month can collide with rent, supplier accounts and loan repayments — see end of month. And under payday super, each monthly pay run brings its super deadline about a week and a half later, often into the following month’s first fortnight.
How do you check your own cycle?
Open your payroll system and find your first pay date in July 2026. Count forward in 14-day steps — or simply find your row in the table above. Then put a marker on your calendar in the month before each three-pay-day month, with the extra amount you’ll need. That one marker, set now, is often all it takes to turn a payroll scramble into a planned month.
Got a three-pay-day month coming? Plan it now
The extra pay run is on the calendar already, which means it doesn’t have to be a deadline scramble. Asking the Deadline Desk what’s possible involves no credit check. We don’t send your details down a line of lenders; one team looks at your payroll and a real person calls you back.
When you enquire, include your pay-run total and which months carry the extra run — accurate details let us match a facility to your payroll rhythm. Or ring 1300 752 188.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some months have three fortnightly pay days?
A fortnight is 14 days, and most months have 30 or 31. Over a year, 26 fortnights fit into 52 weeks plus a day or two, so two months end up holding three pay days.
How do I find my three-pay-day months?
Find your pay day of the week and your first pay day in July 2026, then look it up in the table in this guide — or count forward in 14-day steps on a calendar.
What is a 27-pay-day year?
Occasionally the extra day or two each year adds up so that a financial year contains 27 fortnightly pay days. In 2026–27, a Wednesday cycle with a pay day on 1 July 2026 also has a pay day on 30 June 2027 — 27 in total.
Does payday super make three-pay-day months harder?
It adds to them. Since 1 July 2026, super for each pay run must be received by the fund within seven business days of payday, so the extra pay run carries its super cost in the same month.
What if a pay day falls on a public holiday?
Your award, agreement or payroll practice usually decides whether you pay the day before or after. In 2026–27, Friday 25 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027 are public holidays, which affects some Thursday and Friday cycles.