Pay Period Boundary Splitter
Standard Formula
Allocates hours and overtime compensation to the correct monthly or semimonthly payroll period.
Ensures proper accounting and paystub allocation when a 7-day workweek spans two calendar pay periods.
How Pay Period Boundary Splitter Works?
The Pay Period Boundary Splitter works by assigning hours from one workweek to the current paycheck and the next paycheck according to the pay period cutoff.
1Enter hours in Period 1
Add hours worked before the pay period ends, 38 by default.
2Enter hours carried to Period 2
Add hours from the same workweek that fall after the cutoff, 10 by default.
3Enter the hourly rate
Type the base wage, $28.00 by default.
4Read each period’s amount
Period 1 pays $1,064.00 and Period 2 pays $280.00, for $1,344.00 at straight time.
Pay Period Boundary Splitter Formula
The Pay Period Boundary Splitter formula is Period Pay = Period Hours × Rate, with any workweek overtime paid once the workweek closes.
Period 1 pay
P1 = P1 Hours × Rate
Period 2 pay
P2 = P2 Hours × Rate
Workweek overtime premium
OT Premium = Max(0, P1 Hours + P2 Hours − 40) × Rate × 0.5
- P1 Hours
- Hours in the closing pay period.
- P2 Hours
- Hours from the same workweek that land in the next period.
- OT Premium
- Half-time owed for the full workweek once it ends.
Worked example: overtime that waits a period
The default 38 + 10 = 48 hours fall in one workweek, so 8 hours are overtime.
The 8 × $14.00 = $112.00 overtime premium is paid with Period 2, the period in which the workweek ends.
Pay Period Boundary Splitter Conversion Table
The Pay Period Boundary Splitter conversion table shows straight pay per period and the overtime premium for 7 workweeks split across a cutoff at $28.00 per hour.
| P1 / P2 Hours | Workweek Total | P1 Straight Pay | P2 Straight Pay | OT Premium (paid in P2) | Workweek Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 / 24 | 40 hrs | $448.00 | $672.00 | $0.00 | $1,120.00 |
| 24 / 20 | 44 hrs | $672.00 | $560.00 | $56.00 | $1,288.00 |
| 30 / 15 | 45 hrs | $840.00 | $420.00 | $70.00 | $1,330.00 |
| 32 / 16 | 48 hrs | $896.00 | $448.00 | $112.00 | $1,456.00 |
| 38 / 10 | 48 hrs | $1,064.00 | $280.00 | $112.00 | $1,456.00 |
| 40 / 10 | 50 hrs | $1,120.00 | $280.00 | $140.00 | $1,540.00 |
| 24 / 30 | 54 hrs | $672.00 | $840.00 | $196.00 | $1,708.00 |
What is Pay Period Boundary Splitter?
A Pay Period Boundary Splitter is a payroll tool that allocates one workweek’s hours to 2 paychecks when the pay period ends mid-week.
Semimonthly and monthly pay periods end on fixed calendar dates, so workweeks often cross them. Under 29 CFR § 778.106, overtime is paid on the regular payday for the period in which the workweek ends, or by the next payday if the amount cannot be computed in time.
The calculator shows straight pay per period. Add the overtime premium to the period in which the workweek closes.
What are the uses of Pay Period Boundary Splitter?
There are 4 main uses of the Pay Period Boundary Splitter.
Semimonthly payroll
Payroll staff split workweeks at the 15th and month end.
Paystub questions
Workers learn why overtime shows up one check later.
Month-end accruals
Accountants accrue wages for hours worked but not yet paid.
Final paychecks
HR teams compute pay for a workweek split by a termination date.