PTO Accrual Calculator

How the PTO accrual calculator works

1. 1

   Enter your employer's policy in weeks

   Because there is no federal minimum, start with whatever your own offer letter, handbook or PTO policy states -- commonly somewhere between one and four weeks a year depending on the employer and tenure.

2. 2

   Enter your regular work pattern

   Choose your working days per week, and if you want an hours-based answer, your typical weekly hours. The calculator uses this to convert your policy's weeks into a day or hour count for your specific schedule.

3. 3

   Set the part of the year you are calculating

   If you started, left, or want a mid-year snapshot, set the number of months. The calculator pro-rates the annual policy figure for that shorter period.

4. 4

   Read your accrued PTO in days or hours

   The result shows the full annual accrual under your policy and the accrual for the period you selected, so you can check it against your pay stub or HR portal balance.

The PTO accrual formula

Annual PTO days = policy weeks x days worked per week Period PTO = annual PTO x (months worked / 12)

• •This is a policy-based estimate, not a statutory entitlement -- the FLSA does not require any paid vacation, holiday or sick time at all.
• •Many employers instead accrue PTO per pay period rather than as a lump annual grant; check your specific plan document for the exact accrual schedule and any caps.
• •Some states and cities mandate paid sick leave separately from general PTO, which this calculator does not model.
• •Unused PTO carryover and payout-on-termination rules vary by state and by employer policy and are not calculated here.

Worked example: a two-week PTO policy on a five-day schedule

An employer's PTO policy grants two weeks (10 days) a year to employees working a standard five-day week, for a full year worked.

Policy weeks

2

Working days per week

5

Annual PTO accrual

10 days

Months worked

12

PTO accrued for the period

10 days

Under this policy, a full-time employee accrues 10 days of PTO over the full year.

US paid time off: what federal law actually requires

There is no federal PTO entitlement table because none exists. This summarizes what the FLSA and DOL guidance actually say.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Labor

What this calculator assumes, and what it does not cover

PTO is a benefit your employer chooses to offer

Because the FLSA imposes no vacation, holiday or sick leave requirement, every figure in this calculator comes from the policy you enter, not from a legal minimum. Always check your own plan document for the authoritative rule.

State and local paid sick leave laws are separate

A number of states and cities mandate paid sick leave with their own accrual formulas, independent of general PTO. This calculator does not model those separately -- check your state and city requirements if applicable.

Accrual method varies by employer

Some employers grant PTO as a lump sum at the start of the year, others accrue it per pay period, and some use a use-it-or-lose-it or capped rollover policy. This calculator gives an annualized estimate; your actual balance may accrue on a different schedule.

Payout on termination depends on state law

Whether unused PTO must be paid out when employment ends is governed by state law, not federal law, and varies significantly. Check your state's specific rule rather than assuming a national standard.

Frequently asked questions

Is paid vacation required by law in the US?

No. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to provide any paid vacation, holiday or sick leave at all -- it is entirely a matter of employer policy or collective bargaining. This is different from most other countries, which set a statutory minimum number of paid leave weeks. Some states and cities do mandate paid sick leave specifically, but general vacation and PTO remain unregulated at the federal level.

How much PTO does the average US employer offer?

There is no legal minimum, so the amount varies widely by employer, industry and tenure. Many employers offer somewhere between one and four weeks a year, often increasing with years of service, but this is entirely a matter of the individual employer's policy rather than any statutory floor.

Do I get paid extra for working on a public holiday?

Not automatically under federal law. The FLSA treats a holiday like any other workday unless working it pushes your total hours over 40 in the workweek, in which case standard overtime rules apply. Any extra holiday premium pay comes from your employer's own policy, not from a federal requirement.

Does unused PTO get paid out when I leave a job?

This depends entirely on your state's law, since federal law does not address it. Some states require payout of accrued, unused vacation time as if it were earned wages, while others allow employers to set their own use-it-or-lose-it policies. Check your specific state's labor law rather than assuming a single national rule.

Is this calculator giving me my legal PTO entitlement?

No -- because there is no federal PTO entitlement to calculate, this tool applies your own employer's policy (in weeks) to your work pattern to estimate accrual. If your state or city mandates paid sick leave separately, that has its own accrual formula and is not included in this general PTO estimate.