Some workers will see an extra paycheck land in May—but it is not extra pay. It is a quirk of the calendar.
If you are paid biweekly, your pay schedule does not align perfectly with the calendar year. A year has 52 weeks, which means 26 biweekly pay periods. Those 26 checks do not divide evenly across 12 months, so two months each year end up with three paydays instead of two.
For some workers in 2026, May is one of those three-paycheck months. Whether it applies to you depends on when you received your first paycheck of the year.
How to tell if you will get three paychecks in May
Workers who received their first 2026 paycheck on Friday, January 3, had their first three-paycheck month in January and will see another in July.
Those whose first paycheck landed on Friday, January 10, are likely to receive three paychecks in May, with another three-paycheck month coming in October.
The timing comes down to how the Fridays fall in your pay schedule. When your first paycheck of the year falls on an early January Friday, the extra paydays shift toward the middle of the year. When it falls on a later January Friday, the extra paydays appear in months like May and October.
Looking ahead to 2027
Next year brings a different calendar configuration. Because January 1, 2027, falls on a Friday, there are more Friday paydays than usual, which can create additional three-paycheck months for certain pay schedules.
If you receive your first 2027 paycheck on January 1, you will get three paychecks in January, July, and December. Those who receive their first paycheck on January 8 will instead see three paychecks in April and October.
What to do with the extra paycheck
While it may feel like bonus money, three-paycheck months do not actually increase your annual compensation. You earn the same amount regardless—it is simply a matter of when that money arrives.
Some workers use these months to boost savings, pay down debt, or cover irregular expenses. Because the extra cash appears only twice a year, planning ahead can help you make the most of it rather than spending it on discretionary items.
The key is recognizing that this is a timing shift, not additional income. Workers who budget on a biweekly basis often find that treating the third paycheck as savings rather than spending money helps build emergency funds or retirement contributions without affecting their regular cash flow.