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Updating Pay Periods per Year for Weekly and Bi-weekly pays

If you run weekly or bi-weekly pay, you’ll periodically need to update your pay periods per year, as some years have more pay periods than others.

  • Weekly pay will have 53 pays per year every 7 years

  • Biweekly pay will have 27 pays per year every 11 years

Unsure whether you need to adjust the pay periods for the upcoming payroll year? Go to Add the Payroll Calendars for the New Year, which will guide you through creating the calendars and reviewing the final payment dates. 

If you realize partway through the year that you don’t have the correct number of pay periods, please contact Client Care, we’ll be happy to help you rectify this and make adjustments.

The correct number of pays per year is essential to ensure:

  • Employees' CPP exemptions are applied correctly

  • Salaried employees receive the correct rate of pay

Additional Information
If the pays per year are 27 or 53 for 2023, they will need to be adjusted back to 26 or 52 for 2024. 

Changing The Pay Periods

If you’re changing the pay periods per year for the new year, the following changes should be done AFTER you’ve processed and paid your final payment of 2023.

Step 1: Open Pay Groups in the Avanti Desktop Application.
By default, this can be found in Canadian Payroll >> Employer Payroll Tables.

Step 2: Select a pay group with the incorrect number of pay periods, then select Modify.

Step 3: On the Basic Setup tab, update the Weeks/Yr.

For biweekly pay:

  • Enter 54 if 2024 has 27 pay periods per year

  • Enter 52 if 2024 has 26 pay periods per year

For weekly pay:

  • Enter 53 if 2024 has 53 pay periods per year

  • Enter 52 if 2024 has 52 pay periods per year

Step 4: Update the Pay Periods/Yr to the correct number.

Step 5: Select OK to save your changes.

Step 6: Repeat Steps 2 to 5 for each Pay Group with the incorrect number of pay periods.

How to Insert a New Payroll Calendar

Step 1: In the Avanti Desktop Application, navigate to Payroll Calendar. 
By default, this can be found in Canadian Payroll >> Employer Payroll Tables.

Step 2: Select 2024 for Calendar, if it’s not already selected.

Step 3: Select Insert.  

Step 4: Select the Pay Group. The number of periods is defined in the pay group and automatically populates when the pay group is selected.

Additional Information
Only the pay groups you have access to will be available for selection. If you don’t have access to all pay groups, please ensure someone with access to the pay group creates the payroll calendar. 

Step 5: Select the Pay Period End Date for the first pay period of the year. The remaining pay period end dates will populate based on the Number of Periods for the Pay Group.

The pay period ending date is the last day for hours worked/paid in the period – it’s not the payment cheque/deposit date.

Step 6:  Enter the number of days the Payment Date is after the Pay Period End date.

Step 7: Select OK to create the Payroll Calendar.

Step 8: Select OK to save your Payroll Calendar.

Step 9: Repeat Steps 3 to 8 for each Pay Group requiring a payroll calendar insertion.

Additional Information 
If you have multiple pay groups with the same pay frequency, pay ending date, and allocation, you can insert and update one pay group, then copy and paste it to create the Payroll Calendars for the other Pay Groups. 

Step 10: Now that the calendars are inserted, you’ll need to review the payroll calendars for accuracy and update as necessary. More information on this can be found in the How to Review and Update a Payroll Calendar section below.

How to Review and Update a Payroll Calendar

Once you’ve finished adding your payroll calendars, you must review them to ensure the dates and allocations are correct.

Step 1: If your payroll calendar is not open, select the pay group and select Modify.

Step 2: If the pay cycle is weekly or bi-weekly, please ensure:

  1. The last pay period has a Payment Date in 2024

  2. There isn’t room for another pay cycle in 2024

If you have too many or too few pay periods, you don’t have the correct pay periods per year for this pay group. Please go to Changing The Pay Periods at the beginning of this article for instructions on updating the pay group.

  • If the Payment Date of the last pay period is in 2025, there are too many pay periods in the calendar year.

  • If there can be another pay period with a payment date in 2024, there are too few pay periods in the calendar year.

Step 3: Review the Accounting Period of each pay period to ensure it’s correct.

Step 4: To ensure accuracy, review that the following are correct for each pay period:

  • Ending Date - This is used during Process Pay Run to determine pay. It can't be changed while processing pay.

  • Payment Date - When processing this pay, the payment date will default to this date. It should be updated if it falls on a weekend or statutory holiday.
    Additional Information
    The payment date can also be adjusted in Pay Run Processing, before processing the pay. 

  • Accounting Period, Allocate Basis, Prior Acctg Period, Allocate Basis - If you're using Avanti to generate your expense accruals, ensure each accounting allocation is correct for the accounting period and prior accounting period.
    You can set the allocation as a percentage, with the values adding up to 100 percent, or set it as days, with the values adding up to the number of days in the period.

  • AERS Weeks - If you're using the AERS reporting function in Avanti, the AERS weeks will be loaded automatically in the system and can also be modified if required. AERS is a voluntary program that allows employers to submit their payroll information to Service Canada each month using a secure online application.

Step 5: If there is an incorrect pay period, select it, then select Modify.

Step 6: Update the information that is incorrect on the Pay Period.

Step 7: Select OK to save your changes.

Step 8: Repeat Steps 4 to 7 for each Pay Period that needs to be modified in the Pay Group.

Step 9: Select OK to close to the Payroll Calendar for the Pay Group.

Step 10: Repeat Steps 1 to 9 for each Pay Group you inserted.

How to Copy a Payroll Calendar

You can copy and paste a payroll calendar from the same year for a pay group with the same pay frequency. This will copy the Ending Date, Payment Date, Cost Allocation, and AERS.

Step 1: In the Avanti Desktop Application, navigate to Payroll Calendar, if it’s not already open.
By default, this can be found in Canadian Payroll >> Employer Payroll Tables.

Step 2: Select 2024 for Calendar, if it’s not already selected.

Step 3: Right-click on the Payroll Calendar that you’d like to copy and select Copy.  

Step 4: Right-click and select Paste.

Step 5: Select the pay group you’d like to create the payroll calendar for. 

Additional Information
The Pay Periods Per Year must be the same as the copied Payroll Calendar.

Step 6: Select OK to save your Payroll Calendar

Step 7: Repeat Steps 3 to 6 for each Pay Group you want to copy.

Step 8: Review and Update the Payroll Calendar for each pasted pay group.

Check Formulas

Changing the pay frequency may impact your earning or deduction/ benefit codes with formulas. Please check them to ensure they are not divided by:

  • 26 or 27, if you updated the bi-weekly pay

  • 52 or 53, if you updated weekly pay

For more information on checking formulas, go to Review Formulas for the New Payroll Year.

Review Pay Rates

If you updated the pay periods for a pay group with salaried employees, you might need to review your pay rates. Salaried employees with an annual pay rate will be paid a different amount for each pay cycle when their periods per year are changed.

  • If you want them to have the same annual pay, and it’s OK under your jurisdiction(s)/policies, no changes need be made other than communication to the impacted employees.

  • If you want them to get the same amount for each pay period, you’ll need to convert rates from annual to period rates before the first pay of 2024. 


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