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​​​​​​​5.6.9 Pay Periods, Pay Days, Time Sheets, and Attendance Reports


Pay Periods and Pay Days

All employers must establish regular pay periods and pay days.  The pay period identifies the starting and ending work days that are paid on the pay day.  Wages earned during a pay period that falls between the 1st and 15th days, inclusive, of any calendar month must be paid on a pay day that is no later than the 26th day of the month during which the work was done, and wages earned during a pay period that falls between the 16th and last day of the month must be paid on a pay day that is no later than the 10th day of the following month.


California law requires that non-exempt employees must be paid at least twice a month, for example:

  • Semimonthly - Pay day on the 15th and the last day of the month; or 

  • Biweekly - Pay day every two weeks (this is a best practice) 

Illustrations of the interplay between pay periods and pay days are provided in the Pay Period and Pay Day Rules Guidance.

In the archdiocese, exempt employees may be paid:

  • Semimonthly - On the 15th and the last day of the month; or 

  • Biweekly - Every two weeks (this is a best practice); or

  • Monthly - Paid by the 26th of the current month and the paycheck must include pay for the remaining unworked days of that month 

The archdiocese recommends that exempt employees such as schoolteachers and other staff who work 10 months should be paid during the 10 months that they work. They can remain on the payroll for purposes of benefits eligibility, provided that any written employment agreement provides for their continuing status as employees.

Time Sheets and Attendance Reports

Employees are required to complete a time sheet, time card, or attendance report and submit it to the person in charge according to the pay period schedule distributed and posted at their location at the beginning of each calendar year. Each employee is responsible for reporting any suspected error in the paycheck to the person in charge immediately.

Time records for all non-exempt employees must be maintained in accordance with applicable wage and hour laws and reflect time worked as well as paid or unpaid absences. For payroll purposes, exempt employees ​ are to complete attendance reports that record days worked, absences, and the reasons for the absences.

Time records may be completed and submitted electronically, provided that a paper record can be printed out as needed. See the Exempt Employee Attendance Report.​ 

See the Biweekly Time Sheet for Non-Exempt Employee in English: Monday–Sunday and Sunday–Saturday and Spanish: Lunes–​Domingo and Domingo–Sabado​.

4-7-21, 4-13-21