How to change your pay schedule frequency

Updated June 24, 2026 18:54

You can update your pay schedule frequency and start date directly in 7shifts to ensure your labor data and time punches are grouped correctly for payroll. Adjusting these settings will not overwrite previous punches, but it will ensure your future periods align with your business needs.

Things to Know

Important: Only Admins can edit the pay schedule frequency. Managers and Assistant Managers can edit specific pay period dates if they have the "Can manage time punches" and "Can edit payroll period dates" permissions.

Caution: Adjusting pay schedule triggers a recalculation of tips. This may lead to discrepancies in Tip Payouts, Tips to Payroll, and Tip Pooling.

Pay Schedule: The consistent frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) used to pay employees.
Pay Periods: Specific date ranges that group punches. Adjusting these does not change your actual legal payroll submission deadlines.
7shifts Payroll Customers: If you have already run at least one payroll, you cannot change your frequency in the app. You must contact 7shifts Support to update your payroll frequency (e.g., weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly) and your preferred payday (e.g., Fridays, which means submissions occur on Wednesdays).

Change pay schedule frequency

Follow these steps to change the recurring frequency of your pay periods. Updates apply only to new pay periods moving forward and are not retroactive.

In the 7shifts web app, go to Time Clocking.
Click the more options (three dots) icon and select Edit pay schedule:
Choose your new Pay frequency and start date.
Click Change pay schedule.

Note: A Transition pay period may be automatically created to cover any gap in punches between your old and new schedules:

(click the image to expand more details)

Edit specific pay period dates

If you need to adjust existing pay periods to match a new frequency or fix a date gap, you can edit the dates manually. When you edit one period, subsequent periods will adjust automatically.

Tip: Think of pay periods as folders; once you set the correct date range, all punches within that timeframe will automatically "file" into that period.

Go to Time Clocking.
Click the more options (three dots) icon next to the specific pay period you need to change.
Select Edit this Pay Period's dates.
Choose the new start and end dates for the period.
Click OK.

Impact on Tip Pooling

Your pay schedule frequency determines which tip pool calculation frequencies are available in 7shifts, and any changes to it may trigger a recalculation of tips. Some frequencies are only compatible with certain pay schedules, so options that don't match your current pay schedule are disabled in the Tip Frequency dropdown when creating or editing a tip pool.

Dayparts, Daily, and Weekly tip frequencies — available for Weekly, Biweekly, Semi-monthly, and Monthly pay schedules.
Biweekly tip frequency — available for Biweekly and Monthly pay schedules only.
Semi-monthly tip frequency — available for Semi-monthly and Monthly pay schedules only.
Monthly tip frequency — available for Monthly pay schedules only.

Disabled frequencies appear in the dropdown with helper text explaining which pay schedules support them — like (Only available for Semi-monthly & Monthly pay schedules).