Will you have a three-payday November? How to tell

(NEXSTAR) — Just in time for you to do some holiday shopping, you may be among the lucky workers who receive one more check than usual in November.

Twice a year, workers paid bi-weekly have a three-payday month. While you may view it as an “extra” check, it’s really all about how the calendar breaks down.

If you are paid every other Friday, you receive 26 paychecks in a year, which is 52 weeks long. That means you are paid twice a month, except during two months when you are paid thrice.

Whether or not you’ll receive three paychecks in November will depend on when you got your first paycheck this year — if it was January 12, you will get paid three times next month. You also would have received a three-payday in May.

Can’t remember back that far either? Try this — if you did not get paid on Friday, October 25, you will see not two, but three paychecks in November, dispersed on the 1st, 15th, and the 29th. While that may help out with your holiday shopping, it does not line up with Black Friday, which falls on November 22 this year.

With only one month left in the year after November, this will, unfortunately, be your last three-payday month until May 2025.

If you are paid bi-weekly, but were paid on Friday, October 25, November will be a normal month for you. Your next three-payday month will be January 2025, since you already saw your “extra” paychecks in March and August.

Unlike other triple-payday months, those paid bi-weekly on Thursdays won’t see an extra check in November. The same can be said for those paid every week on Thursdays.

November will bring a fifth paycheck to those paid weekly on Fridays, however.

Regardless of whether you’ll receive three or five paychecks in November, financial experts warn to view it not as “extra” but just another part of your income you should expect to receive annually.

Alliant Credit Union recommends reviewing your budget: if you’re on track with your two usual paychecks (or four, depending on how frequently you’re paid), it may be best to invest the funds or put them toward other financial goals, like paying down debt or contributing to an emergency fund.