How many paychecks you get each year depends on your work pay schedule. Usually, if speaking about a weekly pay schedule, you get 52 paychecks. Biweekly pay brings 26 paychecks generally, though some years may have 27 extra calendar days. With a semi-monthly pay schedule, you get 24 paychecks in a year as you get paid twice a month. Monthly pay is 12 paychecks a year. Knowing your pay schedule is very helpful for budgeting, keeping track of the money coming in, and planning spending, especially in the years when there happen to be extra pay periods.