# How much PTO do I earn?

Works out paid time off accrual: PTO hours earned per year, per pay period and per hour worked from any one of them, in days too, and the balance after a number of pay periods with a cap.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/pto-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/pto-calculator.json
- Version: 148022150c0b

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (You know the PTO Per year, PTO hours per year 80, Hours worked per week 40, Pay frequency Every 2 weeks (26), Hours in a work day 8, PTO balance now 0, Pay periods ahead 26): You earn 80 hours of PTO a year: 3.08 hours each pay period, or 10 days.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| by | You know the PTO | How your employer states the PTO you earn. |
| year | PTO hours per year | The PTO hours you earn in a full year. |
| pp | PTO hours per pay period | The PTO hours added each payday. |
| every | Hours worked for 1 hour of PTO | You earn 1 hour of PTO for every this many hours worked. |
| week | Hours worked per week | Your usual work hours in a week. |
| pay | Pay frequency | How often you are paid, which sets the pay periods in a year. |
| day | Hours in a work day | The hours in one day off, to turn hours into days. |
| bal | PTO balance now | The PTO hours you have now. |
| n | Pay periods ahead | How many pay periods to look ahead for the balance. |
| cap | PTO cap | The most PTO you can hold; accrual stops at the cap. Leave empty for no cap. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| perYear | PTO per year | PTO hours earned in a year. |
| perPeriod | PTO per pay period | PTO hours earned each pay period. |
| perHour | PTO per hour worked | PTO hours earned for each hour worked: the accrual rate. |
| perMonth | PTO per month | PTO hours earned per month on average: per year ÷ 12. |
| days | PTO days per year | PTO per year in work days. |
| later | Balance after those pay periods | The balance now plus the PTO earned, held at the cap. |

## Method

Per year = typed, or per pay period × pay periods a year, or hours worked a year ÷ hours per PTO hour. Per pay period = per year ÷ pay periods; per hour = per year ÷ (hours a week × 52); days = per year ÷ hours a day.

## Assumptions

- A work year is 52 weeks of the typed weekly hours (2,080 hours at 40 a week).
- PTO is earned evenly over the year; no waiting period, carryover limit or use is taken off.
- A cap stops new PTO once the balance reaches it; a balance already over the cap stays as it is.

## Worked examples

1. by = year, year = 80, week = 40, pay = biweekly, day = 8, bal = 0, n = 26 gives perYear = 80, pp = 3.076923, perHour = 0.038462, perMonth = 6.666667, days = 10, later = 80. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Vacation Leave: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations; vacation benefits are an agreement between employer and employee, https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.
2. by = period, pp = 4, week = 40, pay = semimonthly, day = 8, bal = 0, n = 0 gives perYear = 96, perHour = 0.046154, perMonth = 8, days = 12, later = 0. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Vacation Leave: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations; vacation benefits are an agreement between employer and employee, https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.
3. by = hour, every = 30, week = 40, pay = biweekly, day = 8, bal = 0, n = 0 gives perYear = 69.333333, pp = 2.666667, days = 8.666667. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Vacation Leave: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations; vacation benefits are an agreement between employer and employee, https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.
4. by = year, year = 120, week = 40, pay = biweekly, day = 8, bal = 20, n = 10, cap = 40 gives pp = 4.615385, days = 15, later = 40. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Vacation Leave: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations; vacation benefits are an agreement between employer and employee, https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.
5. by = year, year = 80, week = 30, pay = biweekly, day = 6, bal = 10, n = 13 gives perHour = 0.051282, days = 13.333333, later = 50. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Vacation Leave: the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations; vacation benefits are an agreement between employer and employee, https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.

## FAQ

### How is PTO accrual calculated?

Divide the PTO hours you earn in a year by the hours you work in a year. 80 hours a year at 40 hours a week is 80 ÷ 2,080 = 0.0385 hours of PTO for every hour worked, or 80 ÷ 26 = 3.08 hours each biweekly paycheck.

### How many hours of PTO is two weeks of vacation?

Two weeks of five 8-hour days is 80 hours. Paid every two weeks, that is 3.08 hours a pay period; paid twice a month, 3.33 hours.

### What does "1 hour for every 30 hours worked" give in a year?

Full time, 40 × 52 = 2,080 hours worked a year, so 2,080 ÷ 30 = 69.33 hours of PTO, or about 8.7 eight-hour days.

### Is PTO required by law?

Not by federal law. The U.S. Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require pay for time not worked, such as vacations; PTO is set by your employer’s policy or your contract. Some states and cities require paid sick leave, often 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.

### What is a PTO cap?

The most PTO you can hold. Once your balance reaches the cap, you stop earning until you use some. With a 40-hour cap, a balance of 20 hours that would grow to 66 hours stops at 40.

### Why does my PTO per paycheck differ from what HR says?

Employers round differently and some count 2,080 hours a year while others count 2,088 or actual hours. This calculator uses 52 weeks of your typed hours and does not round between steps; check your pay stub for the rule your employer uses.

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Labor, Vacation Leave: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or holidays; these benefits are a matter of agreement between an employer and an employee. Retrieved 2026-10-02. https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave