WorkMath

PTO Accrual Calculator

Project your paid time off balance on any date from your current balance, accrual per pay period or per hour worked, pay frequency, and cap. Hours and days.

Projected balance
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Accrued by then
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Annual accrual
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How PTO accrual works

Most US employers do not hand over a year of vacation on January 1. Instead you earn it a little at a time, usually with each paycheck, sometimes per hour worked, and occasionally as a lump sum on your anniversary. Your balance on any date is therefore: what you have now, plus everything you will earn between now and then, minus what you take, and never above the cap if your policy has one. That is exactly what the calculator above does.

Converting an annual allowance to a per-paycheck rate

Divide the yearly hours by the number of pay periods. Fifteen days at 8 hours is 120 hours a year; paid biweekly (26 periods) that is 4.62 hours per paycheck; semi-monthly (24) is 5.00; monthly (12) is 10.00; weekly (52) is 2.31. Most handbooks quote the rate one way or another, and the "annual amount" method lets you enter it whichever way it was given.

Per-hour accrual

Hourly and part-time staff often accrue per hour worked, and state paid-sick-leave laws almost always use this form: typically 1 hour for every 30 or 40 hours worked. To model it, enter the rate as a fraction of an hour (1/30 is 0.0333) and your usual hours per pay period. If your hours vary, use an average; the projection is only as good as that estimate.

Caps and "use it or lose it"

A cap stops accrual once your balance reaches the ceiling; you do not lose what you have, you simply stop earning until you take some. Use-it-or-lose-it policies are different: they wipe out unused hours at a cut-off date. Some states restrict or ban forfeiture of earned vacation, so if a large balance is about to vanish it is worth checking your state's rules. The calculator models a cap; it does not model a forfeiture date.

Counting pay periods to a date

The projection counts how many pay periods fall between the two dates using the average period length (365 days divided by the frequency). Real paydays do not fall on perfectly even intervals, so the count can be off by one near the edges. If you know your exact next payday, set it as the "from" date for a tighter answer.

Figures verified 2026-09-15. There is no US federal requirement to provide paid vacation or to pay it out on separation; payout and carry-over rules are set by state law and employer policy. Paid sick leave accrual rates and caps vary by state and city.

Frequently asked questions

How is PTO accrual calculated?

Multiply the accrual rate by the number of accrual events between now and the date you care about, add your current balance, and subtract any time you plan to take. With 4.62 hours per biweekly paycheck and 6 paychecks to go, you accrue 27.72 hours. Add a 20-hour balance to project 47.72 hours.

What is a normal PTO accrual rate?

US employers commonly grant 10 to 20 days a year. Ten days (80 hours) is 3.08 hours per biweekly paycheck or 6.67 hours per month; fifteen days (120 hours) is 4.62 hours biweekly. Rates usually rise with tenure and are set by policy, not by federal law, which does not require paid vacation.

What does the PTO cap do?

Many policies stop accrual once your balance reaches a ceiling, often 1 to 1.5 times the annual grant. The calculator freezes the projected balance at the cap; anything you would have earned above it is shown as lost, which is a nudge to book time off.

How does per-hour accrual work?

Some employers, and most state paid-sick-leave laws, accrue leave per hour worked, such as 1 hour for every 30 hours. Choose "per hour worked", enter the rate as hours earned per hour worked (1/30 = 0.0333), and the hours you expect to work each pay period.

Can I calculate when I will have enough PTO for a trip?

Yes. Enter the trip's start date as the target date and the hours you need under "hours you plan to use before the date" left at 0; if the projected balance is at least the trip length, you are covered. Move the date earlier or later to find the first date that works.

Does unused PTO carry over or get paid out?

That depends on your employer's policy and state law. Some states treat accrued vacation as earned wages that must be paid out on separation and restrict "use it or lose it" rules, while others allow forfeiture. The calculator only models your balance; check your handbook and state rules for carry-over and payout.

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Last updated 2026-09-15. Everything on this page runs in your browser. Nothing you type or upload leaves your device.