How many fortnights in a year?
Usually 26. But because 26 fortnights add up to 364 days, every so often a financial year has 27 fortnightly paydays. Here is how to tell if that applies to you, and what it means for your pay and tax.
Why some years have 27 paydays
A financial year runs from 1 July to 30 June: 365 days, or 366 when it includes 29 February. 26 fortnights are only 364 days. The extra day or two moves your payday a little earlier in the year each year, and roughly once every 11 years a payday lands right at the start of the year, leaving room for 27 of them before 30 June.
Does your year have 27?
You get 27 fortnightly paydays in a financial year if one of your paydays falls on the date below. Check your payslips or count back in fortnights from a recent payday.
| Financial year | Payday on |
|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Tuesday 1 July 2025 |
| 2026–27 | Wednesday 1 July 2026 |
| 2027–28 | Thursday 1 July 2027 or Friday 2 July 2027 |
| 2028–29 | Saturday 1 July 2028 |
| 2029–30 | Sunday 1 July 2029 |
| 2030–31 | Monday 1 July 2030 |
If a payday falls on a weekend or public holiday, many employers pay on the business day before. A payday due on 1 July can then land on 30 June, in the previous financial year, so ask payroll if you are not sure.
What it means for your pay
On a salary of $80,000 in 2026–27, employers handle the extra payday in one of two ways:
- The salary is divided by 27. Each pay drops from $3,076.92 to $2,962.96 before tax, and take-home pay falls from $2,469.23 to $2,377.78 a fortnight. You get the same total for the year.
- The usual amount is paid 27 times. Each pay stays at $3,076.92, so you receive $83,076.84 in the financial year, one extra pay. Many hourly and casual workers are in this position.
Either way, plan for it: a smaller pay each fortnight can catch out a tight budget, and in the following year you are back to 26 pays.
What it means for your tax
The ATO’s withholding tables assume 26 pays a year. If you are paid the usual amount 27 times, your income for the year is higher than the tables expect, so the tables can withhold slightly too little for the year. You can ask your employer to withhold extra each fortnight to cover it. For a fortnightly pay of $3,076.92, the ATO’s suggested extra amount is $12 a fortnight.
If your salary is divided by 27, each smaller pay has less withheld, which matches the total tax for the year closely. Either way, any difference is settled when you lodge your tax return.
Frequently asked questions
How many fortnights are in a year?
26 fortnights cover 364 days, so a year is 26 fortnights and 1 day (2 in a leap year). Most years you get 26 fortnightly pays; about once every 11 years your payday falls so that you get 27 in one financial year.
Do I get paid more in a 27-pay year?
It depends on how you are paid. If you are paid by the hour, you are paid for the hours you work, so the extra payday is real extra money for that financial year. On a salary, check your contract or ask payroll: some employers divide the annual salary by 27, so each pay is smaller; others pay the normal fortnightly amount 27 times.
Does the same thing happen with weekly pay?
Yes. 52 weeks are 364 days, so a weekly payday on 1 July (or 1 or 2 July in a leap year) gives 53 weekly pays that financial year.
General information based on ATO rules and rates, not tax advice. Figures are worked out by our calculators; see how we calculate.