How many paydays until Christmas?
Your target date is already set to 25 December. Add your next payday and pay frequency below to see the count.
Your paydays
Payday breakdown
Working out paydays until Christmas
The number of paydays you have left before 25 December depends entirely on how often you're paid, not on how many weeks are left. Two people counting down from the same date in September can end up with completely different totals once you factor in whether they're paid weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly.
The calculator above does this for you: add your next payday and pay frequency, and it lists every payday between now and Christmas Day, adjusted for how your employer actually pays you.
Why the result varies by pay frequency
From late September to 25 December is roughly 13 weeks. That gives very different payday counts depending on frequency:
- Weekly pay — around 13 paydays, since a payday falls every single week.
- Fortnightly pay — around 6 to 7 paydays, one every 14 days.
- Four-weekly pay — around 3 to 4 paydays, one every 28 days.
- Monthly pay — typically 3 paydays (September, October, November payments before Christmas, depending on your exact pay date and whether December's payday falls before or after the 25th).
If you're paid monthly close to the end of the month, your December payday may land after Christmas — in which case it won't count towards a Christmas savings goal at all. Use the calculator to check your own dates rather than assuming.
Christmas savings examples
A few worked examples of how a target splits across different pay frequencies. These are illustrative — use the calculator above with your own dates for an accurate figure.
- £600 target, paid weekly with 13 paydays left: about £47 per payday.
- £600 target, paid fortnightly with 6 paydays left: £100 per payday.
- £600 target, paid monthly with 3 paydays left: £200 per payday.
- £1,200 target with £200 already saved and 4 paydays left: £250 per payday.
The earlier you start, the smaller each instalment needs to be. Checking your paydays-until-Christmas count in September or October, rather than late November, gives you more paydays to spread the cost across.
Other pay frequencies
If you'd rather start from a page built around your specific pay frequency, try the weekly, fortnightly, four-weekly or monthly payday calculator pages, or read how the calculations work.