Free reference Updated for 2026 · 50 states · biweekly & semi-monthly Methodology Sitemap

Industry guidance

Healthcare payroll schedules

Independent medical practices, dental offices, and outpatient clinics usually employ a blend of hourly clinical staff and salaried providers. Biweekly is standard for hourly clinicians, while semi-monthly is common for physician compensation paired with quarterly bonus pools.

Recommended cadence

Healthcare-specific payroll considerations

Independent medical practices, dental offices, and outpatient clinics typically run a hybrid workforce: salaried physicians and senior providers on one cadence, hourly clinical and front-desk staff on another. The cleanest small-practice setup is a single biweekly run that covers everyone and treats salaried providers as exempt employees with biweekly base compensation. Semi-monthly works well for physician-owners drawing a fixed monthly salary plus quarterly distributions.

HIPAA does not directly affect payroll cadence, but it does shape how time-and-attendance data is stored. Make sure your time-tracking and payroll providers have a Business Associate Agreement in place before you migrate from paper time cards.

Where to look next

Pick the frequency that fits your workforce, then jump to the calendar for your state and year. The schedules already account for federal holiday observance and weekend bank closures.

State calendars