PTO Calculator - Accrual and Balance Projection

How PTO Accrual Works

Most employers grant paid time off gradually rather than all at once. If your company gives 15 days per year and you are paid every two weeks, you accrue 15 days x 8 hours = 120 hours across 26 pay periods, which is about 4.62 hours per paycheck. This calculator accepts either form: enter the per-period rate directly from your payslip, or enter days per year and let the tool spread them across the calendar.

The projection answers the practical question behind most PTO math: will I have enough hours by the time my trip starts? Enter your current balance, subtract the time off you have already booked, pick the date you care about, and the tool adds the accrual you will earn between now and then. A negative number after planned time off means you are borrowing against future accrual, which some employers allow and others do not.

Real policies add wrinkles this simple model does not capture: accrual caps that stop earning once your bank hits, say, 1.5x the annual grant, use-it-or-lose-it deadlines at year end, waiting periods for new hires, and higher accrual tiers after 5 or 10 years of service. European statutory minimums also work differently: EU countries guarantee at least 4 weeks of paid leave per year (20 days on a 5-day week), and the entitlement usually exists from day one rather than accruing per paycheck. Always check the projection against your actual policy.

The monthly table gives a 12-month view, which is handy for spacing out multiple holidays in a year or for deciding whether to move a trip a month later so it fits your bank. For counting how many working days a specific holiday costs you, the Date Calculator can count days between two dates, and the Timesheet Calculator tracks the weekly hours that drive your accrual in the first place.