Calculators
PTO Accrual Calculator
Calculate paid time off accrual per pay period and per hour worked, and project the balance with usage and a cap.
- Runs in your browser
- Nothing uploaded
The tool
Enter your numbers below. Results update as you type, and nothing leaves your browser.
Everything you enter stays on your own machine. Nothing is sent to us or to anyone else, which you can confirm in your browser network tab.
What people use it for
- Setting up payroll PTO accrual
- Checking an employee's balance
- Designing a PTO policy
- Forecasting leave liability
About this tool
What the PTO Accrual Calculator does
Many employers accrue paid time off gradually rather than granting it all at once. The accrual rate per pay period is the annual allowance divided by the number of pay periods; per hour worked, it is the annual hours divided by expected working hours. Caps stop balances growing without limit.
Formula
- Annual hours = days × hours per day
- Per pay period = annual hours ÷ pay periods
- Per hour worked = annual hours ÷ expected hours worked
Worked example
Using the starting values in the calculator above:
| Input | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual PTO allowance | 15 days |
| Hours per day | 8 |
| Pay periods per year | Every two weeks (26) |
| Expected hours worked per year | 2,080 |
| Current balance | 24 hours |
| Hours planned to use in the next year | 80 |
| Balance cap | 160 hours |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Accrual per pay period | 4.62 |
| Balance in a year | 64.0 |
| Accrual per hour worked | 0.0577 |
| Annual PTO | 120.0 |
| Accrual lost to the cap | 0.0 |
How to read the result
Some states treat accrued vacation as wages that must be paid out on termination and restrict use-it-or-lose-it policies; check local law.
If accrual is lost to a cap, encourage staff to take leave; burned-out employees cost more than the PTO.
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Questions
Questions about this tool
The things clients actually want to know — costs, timelines, ownership and what happens after launch.
Divide the annual allowance in hours by the number of pay periods, or by expected hours worked for an hourly accrual.
For 10 days a year and 26 pay periods, about 3.08 hours per period.
A maximum balance; once reached, no more PTO accrues until some is used.
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