Conversion to a Biweekly Pay Cycle for Salaried
Employees – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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In preparation for the transition to our new HR Information System, exempt employees currently paid on a
semi-monthly basis will transition to a biweekly, one-week lag pay cycle effective March 1, 2022. This will
change result in 26 pay periods for year instead of 24. Recognized as a best practice in businesses across the
country, the biweekly pay cycle will enable the Miller Industries to decrease payroll & reporting errors,
provide more accurate and timely reporting of employee benefits, and ensure a more efficient payroll
process. Here’s what you need to know about the transition:
1. Why are we making this change? All exempt employees are paid current, meaning a paycheck issued on
November 15,2021 covers the period of November 1, 2021, to November 15, 2021. Payroll processing
must occur several days prior to the date your check is deposited in the bank. As a result, if a personnel
action is needed (e.g., hire, transfer, termination, pay change), or if an employee takes paid time off
(PTO) after payroll has already been processed, a manual adjustment will have to be made after the pay
period is over. This results in employees receiving retroactive pay adjustments, lack of flexibility with
position changes, and PTO balances not being up to date.
Under the bi-weekly, one-week lag pay schedule, salaried employees will be paid for time they’ve
already worked, rather than being paid for time yet to be worked.
2. What are the advantages of a biweekly pay cycle?
• Employees will be paid every other week rather than twice a month
• PTO balances will be current.
• More flexibility with transfers between exempt and non-exempt positions.
• More efficient and effective time reporting.
• Fewer manual adjustments.
3. When will the change from a semi-monthly pay schedule to a biweekly pay schedule take effect?
• You will receive your last semi-monthly paycheck on February 28
th
, 2022. This check will include
earnings for the pay cycle of February 16, 2022-February 28, 2022.
• Your first biweekly paycheck will be partial earnings for the pay period of March 1, 2022 through
March 6, 2022. You will receive this paycheck on March 11, 2022.
• Your second biweekly paycheck will be full earnings for the pay period of March 7, 2022 through
March 20, 2022. You will receive this paycheck on March 25, 2022.
4. I’m currently paid on the 15th and last day of the month. What will my payday change to?
Employees on a biweekly pay cycle will receive a paycheck every other Friday. Please refer to the 2022
Biweekly Paycheck Calendar for a complete list of pay dates for 2022.
5. I know that there are 24 semi-monthly pay periods in a calendar year. How many biweekly pay
periods are in a calendar year? A biweekly pay cycle consists of 14 days, beginning on Monday and
ending on the second Sunday of the pay period. You are paid every two weeks, giving you a total 26
biweekly pay periods in a calendar year.
6. Am I losing a paycheck? No, this transition will not result in a reduction of salary. It is simply a 1-week
one-week lag pay cycle of the time reported.
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7. Will my biweekly check be one-half of my monthly check? No. You will get two biweekly checks per
month except for two months per year when you will get three checks. Your take home pay for a
biweekly period will be a little less than it was on a semimonthly schedule; however, you will receive the
same annual salary subject to you working all your scheduled hours.
8. Will the change in pay frequency affect my vacation accrual? No, you will still accrue your vacation time
at your seniority date.
9. How is my biweekly rate determined, and how many hours of work will I be paid for? Employees on a
biweekly cycle get paid for 80 hours versus the 86.6 hours under the semi-monthly cycle. To find your
gross wages for a two week pay period, divide your annual salary by 26 (number of pay periods in a year).
For example, your annual salary is $60,000 per year: $60,000 ÷ 26 = $2,307.69 per paycheck
10. What should I do to prepare for the conversion to biweekly pay? Please note that your paycheck of
February 28, 2022 will contain your last semi-monthly period of earnings. Your next paycheck on March
11, 2022 will be a partial check containing 53.32 hours of earnings (March 1, 2022 through March 6,
2022). We encourage you to review your personal budget situation and determine your income needs. In
preparation for the conversion, here are additional suggestions of what you should you do to prepare:
• Determine your bi-weekly net pay. Click here
for a paycheck calculator.
• Review your current tax withholdings elections to make any necessary changes. Pay particular
attention to additional tax withholding amounts.
• Review any automatic bank drafts or loan payment schedules set up with your bank. Request that
creditors adjust your automatic withdrawal or bill pay dates to align with your new pay schedule.
Review payment schedules for mortgage payments, utility bills, car payments, etc. to ensure that the
change in pay dates does not result in late payments.
• Consider the Transition Assistance Program.
• As always, please be sure to review your paycheck for accuracy.
11. What is the Transition Assistance Program? Miller Industries is offering a vacation cash out option to
assist employees through the biweekly pay cycle conversion:
• Employees can choose to cash out up to 5 days (40 hours) of accrued vacation pay.
• Employees must complete a vacation payout request by February 16
th
,2022. Employees must have
the number of hours requested available at that time to be paid. Click here
to complete this form.
• Vacation hours will be paid out on your February 28
th
, 2022 check.
12. Will I need to make any changes to my direct deposit? You do not have to make a change, but you may
want to review any secondary accounts you are depositing a fixed amount in to ensure you will have the
amount you want deposited. If you are depositing a fixed flat-dollar amount into secondary accounts, the
amount taken out of your semi-monthly check will be the same amount taken out of your biweekly
check. For example, if you have a semi-monthly deposit of $100 per pay period into a secondary account,
you will still have a deposit of $100 per pay period as a biweekly paid employee. Changes to your
withholdings can be made by selecting “Pay” > “Direct Deposit” > “Edit” from the Kronos employee page.
13. Will this impact when I see the deposit into my bank account? Yes. Pay will be deposited according to
the new pay schedule. Please see 2022 Paycheck Calendar for new pay dates.
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14. What if I pay some of my bills through the automatic bill pay? If you have automatic bill pay set up for
any regular expenses (e.g., mortgage payments, student loan payments, car payments), we encourage
you to work directly with your financial institution(s) to change payment dates as needed.
15. Will my benefit deductions change? Yes. Please see the Bi-Weekly Benefits Payroll Deduction chart
below for new benefit deduction amounts.
16. I have a garnishment. How will the transition to biweekly pay affect the amount deducted for my
garnishment? If the garnishment deduction is calculated as a percentage of your earnings, a deduction
will occur each pay period, up to the maximum deduction allowed, and based upon federal and state
regulations. For example, a garnishment deduction of 25% will continue to be taken at the rate of 25%
each pay day. If the garnishment deduction is a fixed flat-dollar amount, the amount is recalculated to a
biweekly amount. That calculation is multiplied out by a year and then divided by the total number of
paychecks within the year. For example, if you have a semi-monthly $250.00 garnishment, it will look as
follows: $250 x 24 semi-monthly payments = $6,000 yearly payments. $6,000 / 26 pay checks = $230.77
biweekly.
17. I contribute to my 401(k) plan. What will happen to my contributions? If your contributions are set up
as a percentage deduction, the percentage amount will be taken each pay day. If your contributions are
set up as a fixed flat-dollar amount, the amount taken out of your semi-monthly check will be the same
amount taken out of your biweekly check. For example, if you have a semi-monthly deduction of $100
per pay period, you will still have a deduction of $100 per pay period as a biweekly paid employee. To
make changes to your 401k contributions, please visit the Principal portal at
https://login.principal.com/login
.
18. How does the change in pay frequency affect my federal taxes? We will continue to tax you according
to the Federal W-4 form you currently have on file. Your biweekly earnings will be taxed based upon the
biweekly tax schedule set by the Internal Revenue Service. You can review the tax schedules on the
following link: www.irs.gov
. If you are uncertain about the impact of this change on your tax situation,
please consult your personal tax advisor.
19. Will I need to make any changes to my additional withholding amount on my taxes? If you have an
additional tax amount deducted from your paycheck, that monthly amount will be calculated out to a
yearly amount and then divided by 26 for a biweekly amount. If you do not want the current additional
amount to be split in this manner, please complete a new W-4 Form through the Kronos portal by
February 28, 2022. Changes to your withholdings can be made by selecting “Pay” > “Tax Withholdings” >
“Edit” from the employee page. Biweekly tax withholdings will continue to be based upon IRS guidelines.
The IRS Publication 15 (Circular E) Employer’s Tax Guide can be accessed at www.irs.gov
.
20. Will there be ongoing communication? Yes. Ongoing communication will be shared with affected
employees and their managers regarding the transition. Reminders will be sent out via AtHoc as we get
closer to key dates in the transition. You can also visit the Hook
for up-to-date information.
21. If I have additional questions, who do I speak with? Pay, tax deductions, or accrual questions should be
directed to the following email distribution: biweekly[email protected]
.
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Bi-Weekly Paycheck Calendar
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Bi-Weekly Benefit Payroll Deductions
Benefit Plan
Employee Only
Employee + Spouse
Employee +
Child(ren)
Family
Opt. 1 – P Network
$83.86
$176.00
$153.38
$233.54
Opt. 2 – S Network
$44.00
$92.40
$83.60
$123.20
Delta Dental
$8.78
$17.84
$18.88
$28.26
Allstate Accident
$8.55
$12.43
$17.30
$21.63
WEEKLY
Low Option
Median Option
High Option
Employee Only
$7.21
$11.24
$14.55
Employee + Spouse
$11.49
$17.57
$22.92
Employee + Child(ren)
$9.90
$15.74
$20.63
Employee + Family
$14.18
$22.05
$28.99
Ages
Non-tobacco EE
& EE+CH
Non-tobacco EE+SP & FAM
Tobacco EE &
EE+CH
Tobacco
EE+SP &
FAM
18 to 35
$1.78
$2.57
$2.56
$3.74
36 to 50
$4.35
$6.42
$6.85
$10.16
51 to 60
$9.05
$13.47
$14.57
$21.74
61 to 63
$14.94
$22.29
$22.45
$33.56
64+
$23.67
$35.40
$35.84
$53.67
Ages
Non-tobacco EE
& EE+CH
Non-tobacco EE+SP & FAM
Tobacco EE &
EE+CH
Tobacco
EE+SP &
FAM
18 to 35
$2.84
$4.16
$4.39
$6.49
36 to 50
$7.98
$11.87
$12.97
$19.36
51 to 60
$17.38
$25.97
$28.41
$42.52
61 to 63
$29.14
$43.62
$44.18
$66.16
64+
$46.62
$69.83
$70.98
$106.36