PTO & Vacation Accrual Calculator
How many vacation/PTO days you have accrued. Returns current balance, accrual per pay period, and projected year-end balance.
About the PTO & Vacation Accrual Calculator
The PTO & Vacation Accrual Calculator tracks how many paid time off days you have earned at any point in the year. Enter your accrual rate (typically expressed as hours-per-pay-period or days-per-year), your anniversary or hire date, and any PTO already used; the tool returns current balance, accrual rate per paycheck, and projected balance at year-end.
The calculator handles all common accrual models - gradual accrual (most US employers), annual grant (deposited at anniversary or January 1), unlimited PTO, and tiered accrual based on tenure. It also flags carryover caps and "use-it-or-lose-it" deadlines so you know exactly when to schedule vacation before forfeiting hours.
Common use cases
- Plan vacation timing around your accrual schedule
- Verify your employer's PTO balance against the policy you were hired under
- Avoid losing PTO to year-end carryover caps
- Calculate accumulated PTO value when leaving a job (where state law requires payout)
Tips for accurate results
Large unused PTO balances are effectively unpaid work - if you leave the company in a state without mandatory PTO payout (most states), you forfeit every banked hour. The right strategy is to take your PTO deliberately each year, not bank it indefinitely. The calculator's "projected year-end" view helps you plan vacation timing to avoid both insufficient time off and large forfeit-able balances.
Privacy & data handling
The PTO & Vacation Accrual Calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is uploaded, logged, or shared with third parties - the math happens locally and your inputs disappear when you close the tab. There is no signup, no email collection, and no daily-use limit.
How does PTO accrual work?
Employers grant a set number of PTO hours per year. Accrual typically happens in small increments each pay period rather than all at once - for 80 hours/year (2 weeks) paid biweekly, you'd accrue ~3.08 hours per paycheck. The tool computes your exact accrual rate and how much you've banked through any date.
What's the difference between accrual and grant?
Accrual grows the balance gradually as you work; grant deposits the full annual amount upfront on your anniversary or January 1. Grant is more generous in year one (full balance available immediately) but accrual is more common at larger employers. Always check your handbook to know which model applies.
Does PTO carry over year to year?
Depends on the policy. "Use it or lose it" caps year-end carryover at zero (illegal in California, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, and a few others). "Soft cap" lets unused PTO carry over up to a maximum balance. "Unlimited PTO" means accrual is irrelevant - you take what you negotiate. The tool can model any of these structures.
Do tenure tiers affect accrual?
Yes at most companies. Common structure: 10 days/year for 0-2 years tenure, 15 days for 3-5 years, 20 days for 6+ years. Enter your start date and the tool calculates accrual rate based on your current tenure tier, including the bump-up if your tenure crosses a tier during the projection period.
How much PTO should I have saved?
For emergencies, 1-2 weeks of accrued time is a reasonable buffer. Beyond that, most people use what they earn - un-used PTO is effectively unpaid work, since you forfeit it if you leave (in many states) or hit a carryover cap. The smart strategy is to schedule vacation deliberately and not let large balances sit.
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