How to work out your future PTO balance
- Start with your balance today. Your pay stub usually shows it.
- Count the paydays between now and the date you care about.
- Add the PTO you earn each payday for every one of them.
- Take off any time off you plan to use before then.
- If your policy has a cap, stop adding once the balance reaches it.
Future balance = balance now + (paydays × PTO per payday) − planned time off
For example, say you have 24 hours now, earn 4.62 hours every two weeks, and five paydays are left before the date you care about. They add 5 × 4.62 = 23.10 hours. Taking two days (16 hours) off for a trip leaves 24 + 23.10 − 16 = 31.10 hours, about 3.9 workdays.
Caps, carryover and use-it-or-lose-it
- A cap is the most PTO you can hold at once. Once you reach it, you stop earning until you use some. Enter your cap above to see how many hours you would miss out on.
- A carryover limit is how much unused PTO moves into the next year. Anything above it may be lost on January 1 under some policies.
- Use-it-or-lose-it policies are legal in most states but not everywhere. California, for example, treats earned vacation as wages and does not allow them, though reasonable caps are allowed. See California's vacation FAQ.
Federal law does not require paid vacation, so these rules come from your employer's policy and your state. See the Department of Labor's page on vacation leave.
Planning time off with this calculator
Will I have enough for a trip?
Set the balance date to the last day of your trip and add the trip as planned time off. If the result goes below zero, you will be short; the payday-by-payday table shows when the balance dips.
How much should I use before year end?
Set the date to December 31. If the balance is above your carryover limit or close to your cap, plan time off before then so you do not lose hours.
What is my PTO worth if I leave?
Multiply the balance by your hourly rate. 31.10 hours at $20 is $622. Whether it is paid out depends on your state and your employer's policy.