> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zeal.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Pay Frequency, Reporting Periods and Check Dates

> How pay frequency, reporting periods, and check dates work in Zeal, and how they affect payroll timing.

## Pay Frequency/Schedule

The pay frequency for an employee is set during the [creation of the employee](/reference/employees/create-employee). The different options are:

* Daily: This employee gets paid every day.
* Weekly: This employee gets paid every week.
* Biweekly: This employee gets paid every other week.
* Semimonthly: This employee gets paid twice a month.
* Monthly: This employee gets paid once a month.

This information helps Zeal tax this employee correctly.

***

## Reporting Period

A [Reporting Period](/reference/employee-checks/reporting-periods/reporting-period-object) is a range of dates in which work was performed. Each [**Employee Check**](/reference/employee-checks/employee-checks/create-employee-check) submitted to Zeal must have an associated reporting period. Zeal hosts all possible reporting periods for every type of pay schedule.

<Info>
  ### Note

  The reporting period spans from the `start` to the `end`, BOTH dates **inclusive**. For example, the reporting period with the start date of `2025-08-02` and the end date of `2025-08-08` spans the 168-hour period from August 2nd at 12:00:01 AM to August 8th at 11:59:59 PM.
</Info>

Zeal supports the following types of reporting periods (note that all dates are INCLUSIVE):

`daily` : Zeal hosts 365 daily reporting periods per year. For example:

* `2025-08-01` - `2025-08-01`: August 1st
* `2025-08-02` - `2025-08-02`: August 2nd
* `2025-08-03` - `2025-08-03`: August 3rd
* ...

`weekly`: Zeal hosts 52 weekly reporting periods per year. For example:

* `2025-08-02` - `2025-08-08`: August 2nd - August 8th
* `2025-08-03` - `2025-08-09`: August 3rd - August 9th
* ...

`biweekly`: Zeal hosts 26 biweekly (once every two weeks) reporting periods per year. For example:

* `2025-08-02` - `2025-08-15`: August 2nd - August 15th
* `2025-08-03` - `2025-08-16`: August 3rd - August 16th
* ...

`semimonthly`: Zeal hosts 24 semimonthly (twice per month) reporting periods per year.

> Note: `semimonthly` is different from `biweekly`

For example:

* `2025-08-01` - `2025-08-15`: August 1st - August 15th
* `2025-08-16` - `2025-08-31`: August 16th - August 31st
* `2025-09-01` - `2025-09-15`: September 1st - September 15th
* ...

`monthly`: Zeal hosts 12 monthly reporting periods per year. Date ranges can start on the first of every month or on the 15th of every month. For example:

* `2025-08-01` - `2025-08-31`: August 1st - August 31st
* `2025-08-15` - `2025-09-14`: August 15th - September 14th
* `2025-09-01` - `2025-09-31`: September 1st - September 31st
* ...

This information helps Zeal tax this employee correctly.

***

## Check Date

A check date is a date on which the employee should receive their money. The check date is extremely important and determines when the check should be sent to the employee. Each [Employee Check submitted to Zeal](/reference/employee-checks/employee-checks/create-employee-check) must have an associated viable check date. Zeal will process the check 2 non-holiday business days before the check date to ensure the employee receives the money by the check date.

See how to [create an Employee Check](/reference/employee-checks/employee-checks/create-employee-check).

<Info>
  ### Note

  The time it takes for money to clear the employee's bank account depends on the employee's bank.
</Info>