Remember bank holidays when running payroll
Monday, January 19, 2026, is a federal banking holiday. The Federal Reserve pauses ACH payments on all federal holidays, which can delay direct deposit payments. If your payday falls on or immediately after this holiday, you may need to run payroll one business day early to avoid paying employees late. And if the payday falls on the holiday, you'll need to change the check date.
Check dates scheduled for Monday, January 19, should be adjusted to Friday, January 16, and submitted by Wednesday, January 14, to avoid paying employees late*.
If your payday falls on Tuesday, January 20, you won't need to change the check date to avoid paying employees late, but you will need to submit payroll one business day earlier*.
*Based on a 2-day turnaround. For 4-day turnaround, submit by January 12 (see payroll schedules below).
Payroll submission deadlines for a 2-day turnaround
| Payday falls on | Submission deadline* | Employer draft date | Check date |
| Friday 1/16 | Wednesday 1/14* | Thursday 1/15 | Friday 1/16 |
| Monday 1/19 | Wednesday 1/14* | Thursday 1/15 | Friday 1/16 |
| Tuesday 1/20 | Thursday 1/15* | Friday 1/16 | Tuesday 1/20 |
| Wednesday 1/21 | Monday 1/19* | Tuesday 1/20 | Wednesday 1/21 |
*OnPay’s Banking cut-off is 11:30 PM ET. Any payrolls processed after 11:30 PM ET are considered to be submitted on the next business day. Submission deadline can be on the holiday, before 11:30 PM ET, without affecting the payroll turnaround time.
See payroll submission deadlines for a 4-day turnaround
| Pay Date | Submit Date* | Employer Draft Date | Employee Credit Date |
| Friday 1/16 | Monday 1/12* | Tuesday 1/13 | Friday 1/16 |
| Monday 1/19 | Monday 1/12* | Tuesday 1/13 | Friday 1/16 |
| Tuesday 1/20 | Tuesday 1/13* | Wednesday 1/14 | Tuesday 1/20 |
| Wednesday 1/21 | Wednesday 1/14* | Thursday 1/15 | Wednesday 1/21 |
| Thursday 1/22 | Thursday 1/15* | Friday 1/16 | Thursday 1/22 |
| Friday 1/23 | Monday 1/19* | Tuesday 1/20 | Friday 1/23 |
*OnPay’s Banking cut-off is 11:30 PM ET. Any payrolls processed after 11:30 PM ET are considered to be submitted on the next business day. Submission deadline can be on the holiday, before 11:30 PM ET, without affecting the payroll turnaround time.
Questions about your turnaround time? Learn more about how turnaround time is determined→
How to adjust the check date
You can adjust the Check Date when you start running payroll, by clicking the pay schedule information in the upper right.
If your payday falls on a bank holiday, change the scheduled check date to the business day before, and submit payroll by your submission deadline. This will not affect check dates of future pay runs.
Run payroll early
Refer to the schedules outlined in the tables at the beginning of this article when adjusting the check date for a holiday. Your turnaround will affect your payroll submission deadline.
Direct deposit effective dates may be automatically adjusted from the date you enter, based on turnaround time. The number of business days between the check date and the date payroll is submitted cannot be fewer than your payroll turnaround time. Always refer to the direct deposit date presented in the pay run Confirmation (step 3).
If you have questions about processing your payroll around this holiday, or need help running payroll, submit a request for support, or call us at (877) 328-6505.
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