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Semi-Monthly Time Card Calculator

Twice a month, on fixed dates — and almost never lined up with the workweek. The calculator handles the partial weeks at each end of the period.

California has daily overtimeLabor Code 510. First 8 hours on the 7th consecutive day of a workweek at 1.5x; over 8 hours on that 7th day at 2x. Exceptions apply for alternative workweek schedules. California overtime rules →

Your time card

Sep 1 – Sep 15
Workweek 1: Sep 1 – Sep 533.00 hrs · 9.00 OTThis workweek continues outside the pay period. Hours outside the period also count toward its 40-hour total.
TuesdaySep 1
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Break (min)
8.003.000.00
WednesdaySep 2
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Clock out
Break (min)
8.003.000.00
ThursdaySep 3
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
8.003.000.00
FridaySep 4
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Break (min)
0.000.000.00
SaturdaySep 5
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Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
Workweek 2: Sep 6 – Sep 1211.00 hrs · 3.00 OT
SundaySep 6
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Break (min)
0.000.000.00
MondaySep 7
Clock in
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Break (min)
8.003.000.00
TuesdaySep 8
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
WednesdaySep 9
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
ThursdaySep 10
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
FridaySep 11
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
SaturdaySep 12
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
Workweek 3: Sep 13 – Sep 150.00 hrs · 0.00 OTThis workweek continues outside the pay period. Hours outside the period also count toward its 40-hour total.
SundaySep 13
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
MondaySep 14
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
TuesdaySep 15
Clock in
Clock out
Break (min)
0.000.000.00
Regular hoursPaid at base rate
32.00
Overtime (1.5×)Over 8 hrs/day or 40 hrs/week
12.00
Double time (2×)Over 12 hrs in a day, or over 8 on a 7th consecutive day
0.00
Gross pay$1,200.00

What a 40-hour-only calculator would have told you

$144.00 less

A calculator that only knows the federal 40-hour rule would show $1,056.00 for this period. Under California rules the total is $1,200.00.

Why semi-monthly time cards are tricky

A semi-monthly period runs from the 1st to the 15th or from the 16th to the end of the month, so it holds 13 to 16 days. Workweeks keep their own seven-day rhythm, so a period usually starts and ends in the middle of one.

Example: 16–30 September 2026 with a Sunday workweek is 4 days of one workweek, a full 7-day week, then 4 days of the next.

What the calculator does with partial weeks

Overtime for a partial workweek depends on hours that fall in the neighbouring pay period. The time card counts the days it has and flags that workweek, so you can add the hours from the other period before relying on its overtime figure.

Semi-Monthly Time Card Calculator: common questions

What is the difference between semi-monthly and biweekly pay?

Semi-monthly pay comes twice a month on fixed dates, 24 times a year. Biweekly pay comes every two weeks, 26 times in most years. Semi-monthly periods vary from 13 to 16 days and rarely match workweeks; biweekly periods are always 14 days, exactly two workweeks.

How is overtime calculated on a semi-monthly paycheck?

Overtime is still counted per workweek, not per pay period. For a workweek that straddles two periods, the hours from both periods count toward that week's 40, and the overtime is generally due on the payday for the period in which that workweek ends. The calculator flags those split weeks so they are not missed.

Where should my semi-monthly time card start?

Set Period starts to any date in the half-month you want — the calculator snaps to the 1st–15th or the 16th to month end. Then set Workweek starts to your employer's workweek, often Sunday, so the partial weeks at each end are split correctly.

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