PTO Accrual Calculator

Most employers grant PTO gradually — a fixed number of hours each pay period, or a fraction of an hour for every hour worked (for example 1 hour per 30 worked). A typical full-time plan of 120 hours (15 days) a year on a biweekly schedule accrues 120 ÷ 26 ≈ 4.62 hours per paycheck. Some employers instead grant the full year as a lump sum on January 1 or your anniversary.

Accrual per pay period = annual PTO hours ÷ pay periods per year. Example: 80 hours a year paid biweekly is 80 ÷ 26 ≈ 3.08 hours per paycheck. For hours-worked plans it is hours worked × accrual rate — at 1 hour per 40 worked, a 40-hour week earns exactly 1 PTO hour.

It depends on your employer policy and your state. Some states (like California) treat earned PTO as wages that cannot be forfeited, so "use it or lose it" policies are barred — though caps on further accrual are allowed. Other states permit use-it-or-lose-it if the policy is clearly communicated. Check your handbook and state labor department.

A lump-sum grant gives you the full year of PTO up front, which is simpler and lets you take a big trip early. Accrual spreads it across the year, which protects the employer if you leave mid-year (and in payout states means a smaller earned balance early on). Financially they are equivalent over a full year of work.

For a standard 8-hour schedule, 1 day = 8 hours, so 40 hours = 5 days = one week. If you work 10-hour shifts, divide your balance by 10 instead — the calculator uses the common 8-hour convention.