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Biweekly pay occurs every two weeks on the same day (e.g., every other Friday), resulting in 26 pay periods per year. Two months each year will have three paydays. Semi-monthly pay occurs twice per month on fixed dates (usually the 1st and 15th), resulting in exactly 24 pay periods per year. Hourly employees are typically paid biweekly because it aligns with weekly overtime calculations. Salaried employees are often paid semi-monthly because the pay per period is consistent regardless of calendar days.

Under federal law (FLSA), rest breaks of 20 minutes or less must be counted as paid work time. Bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more, during which the employee is completely relieved of duties, can be unpaid and excluded from hours worked. State laws vary: California requires a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked and an unpaid 30-minute meal break after the 5th hour. Employees who are required to remain on-duty during a meal break must be paid for that time.

Many employers apply rounding rules to simplify payroll: typically rounding to the nearest 5, 6, or 15 minutes. Under FLSA, rounding is permitted only if the practice is neutral over time — meaning it does not consistently favor the employer at the expense of employees. For example, a rule that always rounds to the next 15-minute interval (always rounding up punches) would be illegal. Rounding to the nearest 15 minutes neutrally — where sometimes the employee benefits and sometimes the employer does — is permissible.

Under FLSA, employers must retain payroll records for non-exempt employees for at least 3 years. Required records include: the employee's name and address, date of birth if under 19, sex and occupation, time and day when the workweek begins, hours worked each day, total hours worked each workweek, basis for pay, regular hourly pay rate, total overtime pay for each workweek, and deductions from wages. Time records should be kept regardless of whether employees use paper time cards, punch clocks, or electronic time-tracking systems.

Non-exempt employees are covered by FLSA overtime rules and must receive 1.5x pay for hours over 40 per week. They are typically paid hourly. Exempt employees are excluded from overtime requirements if they meet certain tests related to their salary (must earn at least $684/week as of 2024) and job duties (executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, or computer employee exemptions). Misclassifying employees as exempt when they do not qualify is a common and costly wage violation.