Weekly or fortnightly pay is common in Australia, so talking about it as weeks of pay made sense to me. I don't think they really even use the term "fortnight" in the US. Every tech company I've worked at here seems to do the 15th and 30th which is still strange to me.

It's true, I have colleagues point out how odd my usage of fortnight is in presentations, meetings, etc. Had no idea that was a difference until I moved stateside.

Larger companies tend to prefer weekly/biweekly as you don't get that month-length variance. On the other hand, many employees don't like it as much because their biggest bills tend to be paid monthly so they'd prefer their paychecks to be aligned.

I've seen both and as an employee the semi-monthly is the best - it's about biweekly but you don't have to wonder why some months you only see 2 paycheck vs. 3. Predictable is really good.

From a company standpoint, not having to accrue the liability on the ledger simplifies the accounting auditability & ability to close your books monthly.

I've had it both ways, and prefer it biweekly. That way, I can build my budget based on 2 pay periods, and have the occasional 3rd paycheck in a month go immediately toward savings.

Biweekly is easier for the employee, semimonthly is easier for bookkeeping.

I've had it biweekly including in my first "tech" job. I made enough that paying bills wasn't really an issue and having the "extra" paycheck for savings seemed almost like free money towards savings/paying off loans.

On the other hand, I understand people who are on tighter budgets who would rather have their revenue better aligned with their expenses rather than having to balance them on their own.

Same for me. It feels like getting a bonus two months a year.

That works for people who build savings.