Pay Schedules

Configure when and how often you pay employees.

“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

1. Go to Settings

   Navigate to Settings → Payroll → Pay Schedules.

2. Add a schedule

   Click Add Pay Schedule.

3. 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
4. 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.):

1. Define your company holidays in Settings → Payroll → Holidays
2. Choose how to handle conflicts
3. 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:

1. Open their profile
2. Go to Compensation
3. Select the pay schedule
4. 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:

1. Go to Payroll → Calendar
2. View pay dates across all schedules
3. See submission deadlines
4. 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:

1. Open their profile
2. Update the pay schedule
3. 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.