PTO accrual calculator
Work out how much paid time off is earned each pay period, or per hour worked, and see what a PTO balance will be on any date.
How PTO is earned
Used to convert between days and hours.
Project a balance
See how much PTO will have built up by a date, such as the start of a holiday.
Carried over or already in the bank.
Leave empty if there is no cap.
PTO earned per two-week pay period
0.96days
= 7.69 hours
- A week
- 0.48
- A month
- 2.08
- A year
- 25
Balance on
25 days
- Starting balance
- 0
- Accrued (26 periods)
- + 25
- Time off
- 0
Accrual schedule+
| Credited | Accrued | Balance |
|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2026 | +0.96 | 0.96 |
| 29 January 2026 | +0.96 | 1.92 |
| 12 February 2026 | +0.96 | 2.88 |
| 26 February 2026 | +0.96 | 3.85 |
| 12 March 2026 | +0.96 | 4.81 |
| 26 March 2026 | +0.96 | 5.77 |
| 9 April 2026 | +0.96 | 6.73 |
| 23 April 2026 | +0.96 | 7.69 |
| 7 May 2026 | +0.96 | 8.65 |
| 21 May 2026 | +0.96 | 9.62 |
| 4 June 2026 | +0.96 | 10.58 |
| 18 June 2026 | +0.96 | 11.54 |
| 2 July 2026 | +0.96 | 12.5 |
| 16 July 2026 | +0.96 | 13.46 |
| 30 July 2026 | +0.96 | 14.42 |
| 13 August 2026 | +0.96 | 15.38 |
| 27 August 2026 | +0.96 | 16.35 |
| 10 September 2026 | +0.96 | 17.31 |
| 24 September 2026 | +0.96 | 18.27 |
| 8 October 2026 | +0.96 | 19.23 |
| 22 October 2026 | +0.96 | 20.19 |
| 5 November 2026 | +0.96 | 21.15 |
| 19 November 2026 | +0.96 | 22.12 |
| 3 December 2026 | +0.96 | 23.08 |
| 17 December 2026 | +0.96 | 24.04 |
| 31 December 2026 | +0.96 | 25 |
How PTO accrual works
With PTO accrual, employees build up paid time off gradually instead of receiving their whole allowance on day one. A little is added to their balance every pay period, or for every hour they work, so by the end of the year they have earned the full amount.
There are two common ways to set it up:
- A yearly allowance spread over pay periods. Salaried employees usually get a fixed number of days or hours a year, divided evenly across each paycheck.
- An hourly accrual rate. Hourly and part-time employees often earn a set amount of PTO for every hour worked, so their time off grows with the hours they put in.
How to calculate PTO accrual
Per pay period
PTO per pay period = annual PTO allowance ÷ pay periods per year
An employee with 15 days of PTO, paid every two weeks, earns 15 ÷ 26 ≈ 0.58 days a pay period. In hours, with an 8-hour day, that is 120 ÷ 26 ≈ 4.62 hours.
Per hour worked
PTO accrual rate = annual PTO hours ÷ annual hours worked
A full-time year is usually counted as 2,080 hours (40 hours × 52 weeks). For 120 hours of PTO, the rate is 120 ÷ 2,080 ≈ 0.0577 hours of PTO per hour worked. Someone who works 25 hours one week earns 25 × 0.0577 ≈ 1.44 hours that week.
PTO accrual rates by pay frequency
How many days of PTO accrue each pay period for common annual allowances:
| Annual PTO | Every two weeks (26) | Twice a month (24) | Monthly (12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 days (80 hours) | 0.38 days (3.08 h) | 0.42 days (3.33 h) | 0.83 days (6.67 h) |
| 15 days (120 hours) | 0.58 days (4.62 h) | 0.63 days (5 h) | 1.25 days (10 h) |
| 20 days (160 hours) | 0.77 days (6.15 h) | 0.83 days (6.67 h) | 1.67 days (13.33 h) |
| 25 days (200 hours) | 0.96 days (7.69 h) | 1.04 days (8.33 h) | 2.08 days (16.67 h) |
Accrual caps and carryover
Many policies limit how much PTO someone can bank. With an accrual cap, the balance stops growing once it hits the maximum and starts again only after some time is taken. A carryover limit instead decides how much unused PTO moves into the next year. Enter a cap in the calculator to see how much PTO an employee would miss out on by not taking time off.
PTO rules differ between countries and US states, and some forbid “use it or lose it” policies. Use this calculator for planning, and confirm the rules that apply with official guidance or an employment adviser.
How this calculator counts
- PTO is credited at the end of each pay period, counted from the accrual start date. Periods that have not finished by the balance date are not included.
- Per-hours-worked accrual assumes the same hours every week and is credited weekly.
- Time off taken or planned is subtracted from the final balance, so the cap is applied before it.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate PTO accrual?
+
Divide the yearly PTO allowance by the number of pay periods in a year. For 15 days (120 hours) paid every two weeks, that is 120 ÷ 26 ≈ 4.62 hours each pay period. If PTO is earned per hour worked, multiply the hours worked by the accrual rate, for example 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.
How many hours of PTO is 1 hour for every 30 worked?
+
About 0.0333 hours of PTO per hour worked. A full-time employee working 40 hours a week earns roughly 1.33 hours a week, or about 69 hours (8.7 days) a year.
How much PTO do you accrue per pay period with 80 hours?
+
If you work 80 hours every two weeks and earn 120 hours of PTO a year, you accrue 120 ÷ 26 ≈ 4.62 hours each pay period, which works out to about 0.0577 hours of PTO for every hour worked (120 ÷ 2,080).
What is a PTO accrual cap?
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A cap is the maximum balance an employee can hold. Once the balance reaches it, no more PTO accrues until some is used. Caps are often set at 1.5 or 2 times the annual allowance to encourage people to take time off.
Is accrued PTO paid out when an employee leaves?
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It depends on where the employee works. Some US states, such as California, treat accrued vacation as earned wages that must be paid out, while others leave it to company policy. Check local law and spell it out in your leave policy.
Should PTO accrue per pay period or be given up front?
+
Granting the full allowance up front is simpler and lets people book longer holidays early in the year. Accrual reduces the risk of someone taking a full year of leave and then resigning, and suits hourly or part-time staff whose hours vary.