How does your PTO work?
This tells us how to calculate your balance over time.
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I earn PTO each paycheck
Hours accrue over time — e.g. "I earn 3.08 hours per paycheck"
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I get a set number of days per year
Full allowance granted upfront — e.g. "I get 15 days a year"
Your current balance
Enter your current numbers.
Not sure? Check your last pay stub or HR portal
Enter days — we'll convert to your per-paycheck rate automatically
How often do you get paid?
Used to calculate how quickly your PTO accrues.
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Weekly
52 paychecks per year
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Bi-Weekly
26 paychecks per year — most common
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Semi-Monthly
24 paychecks per year (1st and 15th)
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Monthly
12 paychecks per year
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PTO Planner
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Free Time Off Planner

PTO Calculator

Project your paid time off balance through any date — holidays & weekends excluded automatically.

✨ Free · No account required

Know exactly how much PTO you'll have — before you book.

Stop guessing your vacation balance. Enter your accrual rate or yearly allowance, add your planned trips, and see your exact PTO balance for any future date — with holidays and weekends automatically excluded.

Accrual & flat allowance
14 US holidays built in
Rollover & cap warnings
Year-at-a-glance grid
Export to Outlook & Google Calendar
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Your PTO Settings
Choose how your company handles time off
Your PTO balance grows with each paycheck. Enter your current hours, how much you earn per paycheck, and your pay schedule to project your future balance.
Hours earned each paycheck (e.g. 3.08 hrs bi-weekly = ~10 days/yr)
All projections and results are calculated through this date
You stop accruing once you hit this balance
Max hours you can carry into the next PTO year. Anything above this is forfeited at year-end.
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Holiday Settings
14 holidays observed
Count weekends as work days Turn on for nurses, shift workers, or anyone who works weekends

Tap to toggle. Green = observed (free day, not PTO). Grey = not observed (costs PTO if taken).

Custom Holidays

Add a single day or a range — great for week-long closures like Christmas week.

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PTO Year Settings
When does your PTO year start and end?
Used for rollover calculations at year-end boundary
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Other Leave Balances
Optional — track sick & personal time separately
Optional — for reference only
Optional — for reference only
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Planned Time Off
Toggle trips on/off to compare — weekends & holidays excluded automatically

📊 Projected Balance

Current Balance
hours
Paychecks Until Date
select a date
Accrued By Date
hours earned
Balance At Date
hrs · days
Free Tool
PTO Optimizer — Turn 10 days into 24
Find the smartest dates to use your PTO around holidays & weekends for maximum time off.
Try it →
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Year at a Glance
Projected PTO balance by month
2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about PTO and this calculator
How do I calculate my PTO accrual rate? +

Divide your total yearly PTO days by the number of paychecks you receive per year, then multiply by 8 (hours per day). For example, 15 days ÷ 26 bi-weekly paychecks × 8 = 4.62 hours per paycheck. You can use the "days per year" input mode in the calculator above to have this calculated automatically.

Does PTO accrue while on vacation? +

In most companies, yes — PTO continues to accrue based on your pay schedule even when you're using vacation time, since you're still receiving a paycheck. Some companies pause accrual during unpaid leave. Check your employee handbook to confirm your company's policy.

What is a PTO cap or accrual cap? +

A PTO cap is the maximum number of hours you're allowed to accumulate. Once you hit the cap, you stop accruing until you use some time off. This is different from a rollover limit, which caps how many hours you can carry from one year to the next. Enter your cap in the "Max PTO Cap" field to see when you'd hit it.

How many vacation days is average in the US? +

The average US private sector worker receives about 10 vacation days after one year of employment, rising to around 14 days after 5 years and 17 days after 10 years. Government workers typically receive more. Many companies also offer additional sick days or personal days on top of vacation PTO.

Do federal holidays count as PTO? +

It depends on your employer. If your company observes a federal holiday (like Thanksgiving or Christmas), you get that day off without it counting against your PTO balance. If your company does not observe a holiday and you take it off anyway, it typically comes out of your PTO. Use the Holiday Settings above to toggle which holidays your company observes.