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Payroll Cutoff Calculator - Pay Date & Submission Deadline

Calculate payroll cutoff dates and adjusted pay dates using pay periods, pay frequency, non-working days, public holidays, and custom company holidays.

No login. No database. Calculator inputs are not stored on a server.

Use this calculator to plan payroll submission deadlines and pay dates from a pay period. It helps payroll, finance, HR, and operations teams check how weekends, public holidays, company holidays, and business-day buffers affect payroll calendars.

Payroll cutoff calculator

Plan pay dates and payroll submission deadlines from a pay period, holiday rules, and cutoff buffer.

Pay period

Choose the work date range this payroll run covers.

Quick pay frequency

Pay date rule

Choose how the scheduled pay date should be found before business-day adjustment.

Common pay date

Cutoff rule

Choose how many days separate the payroll cutoff from the pay date or period end.

Quick cutoff buffer

Quick adjustment

Country and calendar rules

Select the country, non-working days, public holidays, and any company holidays.

Non-working days

Select the days your business or company does not work.

Load public holidays for the selected country and remove them from working days.

Public holiday rules can vary by state, province, region, bank, school, or organization.

Enter one holiday per line, such as 2026-05-15 Company holiday or 2026-06-01.

Payroll cutoff calculation method

DeadlineDays starts with the pay period, calculates the scheduled pay date, adjusts it when needed, then applies the cutoff rule and holiday settings.

  1. Choose the pay period start and end dates.
  2. Choose a pay date rule such as scheduled date, days after period end, fixed day of month, last day of month, or next business day after period end.
  3. Calculate the original pay date.
  4. Adjust the pay date if it falls on a selected non-working day or holiday.
  5. Choose the cutoff basis and buffer days.
  6. Calculate the original cutoff date.
  7. Adjust the cutoff date if needed.
  8. Skip selected non-working days, public holidays, and custom holidays when business-day rules are enabled.
  9. If public and custom holidays share the same date, count the date once.

Examples

Monthly payroll with last business day pay date

Input
Monthly pay period, last day of month pay rule, previous business day adjustment.
Output
The pay date moves earlier if the month-end date falls on a weekend or holiday.

Useful for teams that pay before banks or payroll processors close.

Biweekly payroll with 5 business day cutoff

Input
Biweekly period and a cutoff 5 business days before the adjusted pay date.
Output
The calculator returns both the adjusted pay date and payroll cutoff date.

Helpful when payroll needs approvals or timesheets before processing.

Semi-monthly payroll on the 15th and last day

Input
Semi-monthly frequency with fixed day or last-day rules.
Output
Preview rows show the next pay dates and cutoff dates for planning.

Useful for teams that run two payroll cycles per month.

Pay date adjusted for a public holiday

Input
Public holidays enabled for the selected country.
Output
The pay date or cutoff date can move to the previous or next business day.

Good for bank holidays, regional closures, and company shutdowns.

FAQ

What is a payroll cutoff date?

It is the date by which timesheets, payroll changes, approvals, or payroll files usually need to be submitted before a pay date.

What is the difference between pay period, pay date, and cutoff date?

The pay period is the work date range, the pay date is when payment is planned, and the cutoff date is the submission or processing deadline before payroll runs.

What happens if the pay date falls on a weekend or public holiday?

You can keep the scheduled date, move it to the previous business day, or move it to the next business day.

Should cutoff dates move to the previous business day?

Many teams move cutoffs earlier so payroll input is ready before banks, processors, or internal approvers are unavailable.

Can I add company holidays?

Yes. Enter custom holidays line by line and they are merged with public holidays by date.

Does this calculate taxes or take-home pay?

No. It only calculates dates and does not estimate taxes, wages, deductions, or net pay.

Can I use this for legal payroll compliance?

Use it only as a date-planning aid. Confirm actual legal or payroll obligations with official sources or qualified professionals.

Is this payroll, tax, legal, or employment advice?

No. This is a general date calculator, not payroll, tax, legal, accounting, or employment advice.

Popular searches

Payroll searches usually involve a pay date, timesheet deadline, and whether the pay date should move off weekends or holidays.

  • Payroll cutoff date
  • Timesheet deadline
  • Pay date adjusted to previous business day

Common use cases

Use this page when payroll operations need a repeatable cutoff date with visible assumptions.

Timesheet collection

Set the submission deadline before the pay date.

Weekend pay dates

Move a pay date to a previous or next business day.

Holiday-aware payroll

Skip public and company holidays when setting cutoffs.

What this calculator is best for

It is best for planning a payroll calendar before publishing dates to employees or managers.

  • Payroll cutoff 5 business days before pay date
  • Pay date falls on weekend
  • Timesheet submission deadline calculator

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Disclaimer

This calculator is a general date-planning tool and is not payroll, tax, legal, employment, labor, or accounting advice. It does not calculate country-specific wage payment rules, tax filings, legal deadlines, or employment obligations. Confirm real payroll deadlines with company policy, payroll providers, banking schedules, local rules, official agencies, or qualified professionals.