What’s the Difference Between Pay Periods and Pay Dates?
A pay period is the timeframe during which an employee's work hours are tracked for payment, such as weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or semi-monthly. On the other hand, a pay date is the actual day when employees receive their wages for the work performed during the pay period. For example, a bi-weekly pay period might run from October 1-14, with the pay date being October 20, when the employee gets paid for those two weeks.