Money
PTO Calculator
Last updated: May 31, 2026
Written by Blake Boege
A PTO (Paid Time Off) calculator is a human resources planning tool used to project accrued vacation, sick, or personal leave balances over a specified timeframe. It calculates PTO accumulation based on either working hours (hourly accrual) or completed pay periods (per-period accrual), factoring in the starting hours balance and deducting planned or taken leave to estimate the final remaining balance.
Estimate your future accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) or vacation balance. Enter your starting balance, accrual rate details, and planned vacation hours to see your projected end balance.
Quick Answer
Estimate your accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) balance. Input your starting balance, accrual rate (per hour or period), and planned time off to project your future balance.
Your current accrued PTO hours balance.
Number of hours you earn at the end of each pay period.
The number of upcoming pay periods you want to estimate.
Vacation/sick hours you intend to take during this period.
Ending PTO balance
64 hours
Total accrued: +40 hours
Examples
40 hours starting, 4 hours per period bi-weekly for 12 periods, 16 hours used
Ending Balance: 72 hours
16 hours starting, 0.04 hours per hour worked for 80 hours, 8 hours used
Ending Balance: 11.2 hours
0 hours starting, 5 hours per period monthly for 6 periods, 0 hours used
Ending Balance: 30 hours
How it works
The calculator projects your Paid Time Off balance by adding accrued hours to your starting balance and deducting any planned time off:
Hourly Accrual Mode:
Total Accrued = Hours Worked × Accrual Rate (per hour)
Ending Balance = Starting Balance + Total Accrued − PTO Used
Pay Period Accrual Mode:
Total Accrued = Pay Periods × Accrual Rate (per period)
Ending Balance = Starting Balance + Total Accrued − PTO Used
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Frequently asked questions
PTO is accrued by multiplying your accrual rate (hours of PTO earned per hour worked or per pay period) by the number of hours worked or pay periods completed. This is then added to your starting balance, minus any PTO hours taken.
If an employee earns 2 weeks (80 hours) of PTO per year on a 40-hour workweek (2,080 working hours total), the hourly accrual rate is approximately 0.0385 hours of PTO per hour worked. If paid bi-weekly (26 pay periods per year), the rate is 3.08 hours of PTO per pay period.
It depends on your company's policy and local labor laws. Some companies have a 'use-it-or-lose-it' policy where unused hours expire at the end of the year, while others allow a maximum cap of hours to roll over into the next year.
Hourly accrual calculates PTO continuously based on exact working hours, making it popular for part-time or variable-hour employees. Per-period accrual awards a lump sum of PTO hours at the end of each pay period (e.g. weekly, bi-weekly), which is typical for salaried employees.
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