(NEXSTAR) — If you weren’t paid on Friday, you’re most likely on track for a “fund”-filled May.
For some, May will be a three-paycheck (or five-paycheck) month.
The easiest way to tell if you will get an extra paycheck in May is to check your bank account. If you were paid on Thursday or Friday, you won’t see an additional check in May. If you weren’t paid at the end of last week, you’re in line for a three-payday May.
Those paydays will fall on May 3, May 17 and May 31 — unless you’re paid on Thursdays, then they will each come a day earlier.
These bonus paycheck months happen four times a year, but if you aren’t paid weekly, you will only benefit from it twice. The most recent occurrence was in March, at least for those who receive their wages on Fridays (those paid bi-weekly on Thursdays missed out by a day).
If you received an extra paycheck in March, you won’t get one in May. While disappointing now, you’re still being paid the same throughout the year. Here’s why.
For those paid bi-weekly, you will receive 26 paychecks annually (divide the 52 years in a week by two). But if you were to just multiply the number of months in a year by two, you would only get 24. So a third paycheck will go out in a couple of months during the year, usually very early in the month.
If you got three paychecks in March, your next bonus month is August. For those about to receive an extra payout, you’ll have to wait until November for your next one.
Alas, while you do get an additional payday that month, keep in mind that the money isn’t “extra.” Many experts encourage using the third paycheck to tackle any financial goals you have, like paying down debt or investing.
“Where interest rates stand today, there’s a lot of variable rate debt that’s actually been priced extremely highly, so anything that families and individuals can do to chip away at, that is going to be helpful for them,” Arijit Roy, head of consumer segment & solutions at U.S. Bank, told Nexstar recently.
Roy added that the bank has seen an outflow of savings since the last COVID-era stimulus check went out to millions of Americans, so if that credit card debt isn’t the most pressing need, he recommends creating or lining an emergency fund. Many financial experts recommend saving three to six months’ worth of expenses.
For those struggling to pay off debt or build their bank account, Roy recommends keeping a saver’s mentality in the two-paycheck months as well.
“Maybe in the first week, you save $1, or $10 or $100, and in the second week, you save $2, or $20 or $200. There will come a point when you’re like ‘I can’t do more,’ but compounding interest is so powerful,” Roy said.