MILLIONS of Americans are getting three payments this month thanks to a schedule twist.
While October is already popular for consumers, as it marks the arrival of autumn and Halloween, it can mean more money.
Millions of Americans are getting a bonus payment in October (stock image)[/caption]
For those salaried workers who get paid on a bi-weekly basis, this could be the last three-payday month of 2025.
It would mark the second time it happened this year, with the first being back in May.
Americans with weekly payments would have five in October instead of four as well.
But, why does this happen, and how can they find out if this is the case for them?
Not every month of the year is perfectly four weeks long, meaning that bi-weekly paid workers, for example, don’t always perfectly receive two checks every month.
Sometimes, it extends to three checks at least two months out of the year, depending on how the dates fall.
CALENDAR CATCH
In October of this year, for example, the first Friday, which is payday for millions of American workers, falls on the third.
Two weeks from then is October 17, the second payday for the same bi-weekly workers.
Except, October 31 falls on the last Friday of the month, another payday.
That means that there are technically three distributions in October for those Americans that get paid bi-weekly.
The simplest way to check and see if they’ll get a third check this month is to look back at the last time bi-weekly workers were paid.
If this was on September 26 (last Friday), that means there isn’t a third paycheck coming until 2026, as two weeks from that date would be October 10, then October 24, and November 7.
The next time it’ll happen for this group of American workers is in January and July of 2026.
Those who got their last paycheck on September 19, however, can prepare for a third in October.
Third Paycheck Months (Bi-Weekly Workers)
Three paycheck months occur for bi-weekly workers because of the 52 weeks in a year. To get to that amount within twelve months, some have five seven-day weeks as opposed to four.
- First Group
- January, July
- Second Group
- May, October
They will come October 3, 17, and 31.
It won’t happen again until May and then the following October again in 2026.
SPEND IT WISELY
Financial experts also encourage Americans to remember that the third payment months aren’t “extra” at all, but rather a standard part of income that’s already supposed to be there.
Many advise them to take the opportunity and improve their financial situation through one of three methods, per Bankrate.
The first would be putting it towards an emergency fund, as they’ll never know when they might desperately need it.
Secondly, it could be used to pay down high-interest debt.
Total credit card debt among Americans is currently $1.209 trillion, according to LendingTree data.
And lastly, the money could be used simply for daily expenses.
This could make way for a little more breathing room on groceries, rent, car payments, or a number of other necessities.
Some residents in a prominent state are also getting inflation-busting checks up to $400 this month.
Select Social Security recipients will even get a double payment up to $1,450 this month as part of a calendar quirk.
