Paid time off (PTO) is one of the most valuable benefits a full-time job offers, yet most employees have only a vague sense of how much they actually earn over a year. A pay stub might show "3.08 hours accrued" with no context, leaving you to wonder whether that adds up to a long weekend or a full month away from the desk. This PTO accrual calculator converts the hours you earn each pay period into the annual total, both in hours and in whole vacation days, and breaks that rate down by month and by week so you can plan with confidence.
Adjust the inputs and every figure updates instantly. If you know your starting balance and a target balance you want to reach, the calculator also tells you how many paychecks it will take to get there.
How to Use
- Enter PTO Hours Earned per Pay Period. This is the number that appears on your pay stub under "accrued" or "earned." If you do not know it, 4 hours per biweekly pay period is a common starting point for full-time employees.
- Choose your Pay Periods per Year. Most salaried US employees are paid biweekly, which means 26 pay periods. Hourly workers on a weekly schedule see 52, monthly employees see 12, and semimonthly schedules (e.g., the 1st and 15th) see 24.
- Set your Hours per Workday. The standard full-time day is 8 hours, but if you work 10-hour shifts, enter 10 so the day conversion stays accurate.
- Optionally enter your Starting PTO Balance — the hours already on your account at the beginning of the year.
- Optionally enter a Target Balance to see how many pay periods it takes to reach that number. This is useful when you are saving up for a long trip.
The result card shows your annual accrual in hours and days, the monthly and weekly rate, your projected year-end balance, and (if you set a target) the number of paychecks required to reach it.
How PTO Accrual Works
PTO accrues incrementally rather than arriving all at once on January 1. Every pay period, your employer adds a fixed number of hours to your leave bank. The math is straightforward multiplication:
Annual PTO hours = Hours earned per pay period × Pay periods per year
For example, at 4 hours per biweekly pay period and 26 periods per year, the annual total is 4 × 26 = 104 hours. Dividing by an 8-hour workday gives 104 ÷ 8 = 13 days of paid time off per year — roughly three weeks and one day. Spread across a year, that is about 8.67 hours per month, or 2 hours per week.
Many employers use a tiered schedule that increases your accrual rate with tenure: 4 hours per pay period for your first three years, 6 hours after that, and 8 hours after a decade. If you recently changed tiers, re-run the calculator with the new per-period number to see how your annual total shifts.
How Accrual Compares by Pay Schedule
The same annual accrual looks very different on a pay stub depending on how often you are paid:
- Weekly (52 periods): earning 2 hours per week means roughly 104 hours per year.
- Biweekly (26 periods): earning 4 hours every other paycheck also totals 104 hours.
- Semimonthly (24 periods): to hit 104 hours you would accrue about 4.33 hours each pay period.
- Monthly (12 periods): a single 8.67-hour accrual per month reaches the same 104-hour target.
The annual figure is what matters for planning; the per-period number is just how often your employer deposits it.
Examples
Example 1 — A standard full-time accrual. Maria earns 4 hours of PTO each biweekly paycheck, works an 8-hour day, and starts the year at 0. Annual accrual is 4 × 26 = 104 hours, equal to 13 days. If she takes a 5-day (40-hour) vacation in July, her projected year-end balance is 104 − 40 = 64 hours, or 8 days. At an hourly equivalent of $25 per hour, that 104-hour annual benefit is worth about $2,600 in paid leave.
Example 2 — A tenure-based increase. After five years, her employer bumps her accrual to 6 hours per pay period. The new annual total is 6 × 26 = 156 hours, or 19.5 days — an extra week and a half off each year. Use the calculator to see the jump the moment your tier changes.
Example 3 — Saving for a three-week trip. Carlos wants to take 15 days (120 hours) off for a honeymoon next year. He currently has 16 hours accrued and earns 4 hours per biweekly period. To reach 120 hours he needs 104 more hours, which takes 104 ÷ 4 = 26 pay periods — roughly a full year of biweekly accrual. Enter his starting balance and target balance in the optional fields to see this number instantly.
Example 4 — A 10-hour shift schedule. Raj works four 10-hour days. He earns 5 hours per pay period on a biweekly schedule. Annual accrual is 5 × 26 = 130 hours, but divided by his 10-hour workday that is 13 days — the same day count as an 8-hour worker earning 4 hours per period, because the annual hours scale with the longer day.
FAQ
How is PTO accrual calculated?
Multiply the hours you earn each pay period by the number of pay periods in a year. For example, 4 hours per biweekly period × 26 periods = 104 hours per year. Divide by your hours per workday (usually 8) to convert to days: 104 ÷ 8 = 13 days. This calculator does all of that automatically.
How many hours of PTO is 13 days?
On an 8-hour workday, 13 days equals 104 hours. If you work 10-hour shifts, the same 13 days equals 130 hours. The day-to-hour conversion depends entirely on how long your standard workday is.
How much PTO do I earn in a month?
Take your annual accrual hours and divide by 12. A standard 104-hour annual accrual works out to about 8.67 hours per month, or roughly one full workday every month. On a weekly basis the same rate is 2 hours per week.
What is a good PTO accrual rate?
In the United States, full-time employees typically earn 5 to 15 days of paid vacation per year, plus sick leave. A common starting accrual of 4 hours per biweekly period yields about 13 days per year, which sits near the median for private-sector workers. Many employers increase the rate after 3, 5, or 10 years of service.
Does PTO accrue on holidays or sick days?
PTO is a separate pool from paid holidays and sick leave. Holiday pay (e.g., Christmas, Labor Day) is usually given in addition to your accrual balance, and sick leave is tracked separately at many companies. Some employers combine vacation, sick, and personal days into a single "PTO bank" — in that case, every hour you accrue covers any reason for leave.
How many pay periods does it take to earn one week off?
With an 8-hour work week and a 4-hour biweekly accrual, you earn one workday every pay period, so it takes 5 biweekly periods (about 2.5 months) to earn a full 5-day work week. Enter your target balance in this calculator to see the exact number of paychecks for your situation.
What happens to unused PTO at year end?
It depends on your employer's policy. Some companies let you carry over a capped number of hours (often 40 or 80) into the next year; others expire unused hours at the end of December; and some pay out unused PTO as cash when you leave. Check your employee handbook or ask HR for your carryover cap.
Disclaimer
This PTO accrual calculator is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, HR, or employment advice. Accrual rates, pay schedules, carryover limits, and payout policies vary widely by employer, jurisdiction, and tenure tier. The estimates shown are based solely on the inputs you enter. Always confirm your actual accrual rate and balance with your employer's HR department or by reviewing your most recent pay stub and employee handbook.