PTO Accrual Calculator
See how much paid time off you earn each pay period and per year, and project your PTO balance forward in hours and days.
How it works
annual accrual = per-period rate × pay periods per year · projected balance = current balance + (rate × periods projected) · days = hours ÷ hours per workday
PTO usually accrues a fixed number of hours each pay period rather than as a lump sum, so your true annual entitlement is the per-period rate times the number of pay periods in the year — 26 for biweekly, 24 for semimonthly, and so on. Projecting forward just adds the hours you will earn over a number of future pay periods to your current balance. Dividing hours by the length of your workday converts an hours balance into the days off it actually buys.
Worked example
Accruing 4 hours biweekly gives 4 × 26 = 104 hours a year, which is 13 eight-hour days. Starting from 40 hours and projecting 26 pay periods adds 104 hours for a year-end balance of 144 hours, or 18 days off.
Frequently asked questions
How many pay periods are in a year?
Weekly is 52, biweekly (every two weeks) is 26, semimonthly (twice a month, e.g. the 15th and last day) is 24, and monthly is 12. Biweekly and semimonthly are easy to confuse but produce different per-period accruals for the same annual total.
Does this include an accrual cap or carryover limit?
No. Many employers cap the maximum balance or limit how much rolls into a new year. This projects straight-line accrual, so compare the result against your plan’s cap.
How do I convert hours to days off?
Divide the hours by the length of your standard workday. At 8 hours per day, 60 PTO hours is 7.5 days; at a 7.5-hour day it is 8 days.
Related calculators
This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.