Payroll Calendar 2027: Paydays and Cut-off Dates
Every 2027 payday for monthly, weekly, fortnightly and four-weekly payroll, with the payroll cut-off and Bacs submission date for each one. Paydays that land on a weekend or bank holiday are moved for you.
Paydays are moved off weekends and bank holidays. Bank holidays from GOV.UK for 2025 to 2028. Check your contract for your own payday rule.
Your paydays
| Period | Payday | Cut-off | Bacs by |
|---|
If you are paid on the last working day, every 2027 payday falls on the last weekday of the month except May, which moves to Friday 28 May because Monday 31 May is a bank holiday. If you are paid on the 25th, 4 paydays move in 2027, including December, which is usually paid on Friday 24 December. Bacs files must go in 2 working days before payday.
Monthly paydays 2027: last working day of the month
The most common rule for monthly pay. Bacs dates are the latest day the payment file can be submitted, and the cut-off assumes 5 working days before payday:
| Month | Payday | Submit Bacs by | Cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Fri 29 Jan | Wed 27 Jan | Fri 22 Jan |
| February | Fri 26 Feb | Wed 24 Feb | Fri 19 Feb |
| March | Wed 31 Mar | Thu 25 Mar | Mon 22 Mar |
| April | Fri 30 Apr | Wed 28 Apr | Fri 23 Apr |
| May | Fri 28 May | Wed 26 May | Fri 21 May |
| June | Wed 30 Jun | Mon 28 Jun | Wed 23 Jun |
| July | Fri 30 Jul | Wed 28 Jul | Fri 23 Jul |
| August | Tue 31 Aug | Thu 26 Aug | Mon 23 Aug |
| September | Thu 30 Sep | Tue 28 Sep | Thu 23 Sep |
| October | Fri 29 Oct | Wed 27 Oct | Fri 22 Oct |
| November | Tue 30 Nov | Fri 26 Nov | Tue 23 Nov |
| December | Fri 31 Dec | Wed 29 Dec | Wed 22 Dec |
Only May is affected by a bank holiday. In March, April, June, August, September, November and December the last day of the month is a working day, so payday is the last day itself. In the other months it falls on the Friday before.
Paid on the 25th? The 2027 dates that move
Fixed-date paydays move when the date falls on a weekend or bank holiday. Most employers pay on the working day before:
| Month | The 25th is | Paid on |
|---|---|---|
| January | Mon 25 Jan | No change |
| February | Thu 25 Feb | No change |
| March | Thu 25 Mar | No change |
| April | Sun 25 Apr | Fri 23 Apr |
| May | Tue 25 May | No change |
| June | Fri 25 Jun | No change |
| July | Sun 25 Jul | Fri 23 Jul |
| August | Wed 25 Aug | No change |
| September | Sat 25 Sep | Fri 24 Sep |
| October | Mon 25 Oct | No change |
| November | Thu 25 Nov | No change |
| December | Sat 25 Dec | Fri 24 Dec |
December is the one to plan for. The 25th is a Saturday, and the Christmas bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December, so pay due on the 25th, 27th or 28th usually arrives on Friday 24 December. The Bacs file has to be in by Wednesday 22 December.
Weekly and fortnightly paydays in 2027
2027 starts on a Friday and is not a leap year, so it has 53 Fridays. Staff paid every Friday get 53 paydays in the calendar year. Two of those Fridays are bank holidays in England and Wales: New Year's Day, Friday 1 January, and Good Friday, 26 March. Pay due on those days usually moves to Thursday 31 December 2026 and Thursday 25 March 2027. Use the calculator with one of your paydays to see every date for a fortnightly or four-weekly cycle.
What a payroll cut-off date is
The cut-off is the last day changes can go into a pay run: new starters and leavers, overtime, expenses, sickness and pay rises. After it, payroll is checked, approved and sent. Many employers use about 5 working days before payday, but anything from 3 to 10 is common. A change that misses the cut-off is normally paid in the next run.
- Bacs: the standard three-day cycle needs the file submitted on day 1, processed on day 2 and paid on day 3. Weekends and English and Welsh bank holidays are not processing days, so a Monday payday needs the file in by the Thursday before.
- Faster Payments: can reach employees the same day, which is useful for corrections, but most employers use Bacs for the main pay run.
- HMRC: the Full Payment Submission must be sent on or before payday. If you pay early because of a bank holiday, you still report the regular payday. PAYE and National Insurance are due by the 22nd of the next tax month if you pay electronically.
New starters often miss the cut-off in their first month. Their pay for those first days is then added to the next month, and the Part-Month Salary Calculator works out what that part month is worth.
Week 53 in 2026/27 and 2027/28
Tax weeks run from 6 April, so a tax year is 52 weeks plus one day, or two in a leap year. Weekly-paid staff whose payday falls on that extra day get a 53rd payday in the tax year, which payroll software treats as week 53.
- 2026/27: runs from Monday 6 April 2026 to Monday 5 April 2027. The extra day is Monday 5 April 2027, so staff paid weekly on a Monday can have 53 paydays.
- 2027/28: includes 29 February 2028, so it has two extra days, Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 April 2028. Staff paid weekly on a Tuesday or Wednesday can have 53 paydays.
A week 53 payment is taxed on a non-cumulative basis, which can leave a small underpayment for the employee to settle after the year ends.
Paydays around Christmas and Easter
- Christmas 2026: pay due on Friday 25 or Monday 28 December is usually paid on Thursday 24 December. Pay due on New Year's Day is usually paid on Thursday 31 December. See the Christmas bank holidays 2026.
- Easter 2027: Good Friday is 26 March and Easter Monday is 29 March. Pay due on either day usually moves to Thursday 25 March, with the Bacs file needed by Tuesday 23 March. See Easter 2027 dates.
- Christmas 2027: Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both on a weekend, so the bank holidays are Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. Pay due from the 25th to the 28th usually arrives on Friday 24 December.
For every bank holiday next year, see UK bank holidays 2027, or count any period with the Working Days Calculator.
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays 2025 to 2028
- Pay.UK, Bacs processing calendar and three-day cycle
- GOV.UK, Running payroll: reporting to HMRC (Full Payment Submission)
- GOV.UK, Pay employers' PAYE
Payroll calendar: frequently asked questions
Quick answers about paydays, cut-offs and Bacs.
When is payday in December 2027?
If you are paid on the 25th, December 2027 payday is usually Friday 24 December, because the 25th is a Saturday and the Christmas bank holidays fall on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. If you are paid on the last working day of the month, it is Friday 31 December 2027.
What is a payroll cut-off date?
It is the last day changes can be made to a pay run, such as new starters, leavers, overtime, expenses and sickness, before payroll is processed. Many employers set it about 5 working days before payday, to leave time to check the run, send the Bacs file and report to HMRC. Anything after the cut-off is usually paid the following month.
How many days before payday must Bacs be submitted?
Bacs takes three working days. The file goes in on day 1, is processed on day 2 and the money arrives on day 3, so it must be submitted 2 Bacs working days before payday. Weekends and English and Welsh bank holidays do not count, so a Monday payday needs the file in by the previous Thursday.
What happens if payday falls on a weekend or bank holiday?
Most employers pay on the last working day before, so a payday that falls on a Saturday is usually paid on the Friday. Some pay on the next working day instead. Your contract or staff handbook should say which, and the payroll calendar on this page shows both.
When is the last working day of each month in 2027?
In 2027 the last working day of each month is: January: Friday 29 January; February: Friday 26 February; March: Wednesday 31 March; April: Friday 30 April; May: Friday 28 May; June: Wednesday 30 June; July: Friday 30 July; August: Tuesday 31 August; September: Thursday 30 September; October: Friday 29 October; November: Tuesday 30 November; December: Friday 31 December. May is the only month where a bank holiday moves it, because Monday 31 May is the spring bank holiday.
Is there a week 53 in the 2026/27 tax year?
Yes, for some weekly-paid staff. The 2026/27 tax year runs from Monday 6 April 2026 to Monday 5 April 2027, which is 52 weeks and one day. Employees paid weekly on a Monday can have a 53rd payday on 5 April 2027. In 2027/28, which includes 29 February 2028, the extra days are Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 April 2028.
When must the FPS be sent to HMRC?
A Full Payment Submission must be sent on or before the day employees are paid. If you pay early because payday falls on a bank holiday, you still enter the regular payday on the FPS. PAYE and National Insurance must then reach HMRC by the 22nd of the next tax month if paid electronically.