PTO Calculator — Free Paid Time Off Accrual Tool

This PTO calculator estimates paid time off accrued so far, available PTO balance, and projected year-end balance. Enter annual PTO hours, pay periods per year, completed pay periods, PTO already used, any starting balance, and hours per workday. The calculator converts the policy into hours and days so employees and managers can understand how much paid leave is available.

Use it for quick checks before approving vacation requests, auditing employee balances, or planning staffing coverage. For payroll hours, use the time card calculator. For weekly hour totals, use the timesheet calculator. For premium pay scenarios, use the overtime calculator.

How to Use This PTO Calculator

PTO Accrual Formula

The basic PTO accrual formula is:

PTO accrued per period = Annual PTO hours / Pay periods per year
PTO accrued so far = PTO accrued per period x Completed pay periods
Available PTO = Starting balance + PTO accrued so far - PTO used

To convert hours into days:

PTO days = PTO hours / Hours per workday

This calculator keeps the math in hours because payroll and timekeeping systems usually store PTO in hours. Days are shown as a planning reference.

PTO Calculation Example

In this example, the employee has 52 hours available today and is projected to finish the year with 112 hours if no more PTO is used.

Common Pay Period Values

Biweekly and semi-monthly are often confused. Biweekly payroll usually happens every other week and creates 26 pay periods in most years. Semi-monthly payroll usually happens twice per month, often on the 15th and last day of the month, creating 24 pay periods.

PTO Hours vs. PTO Days

PTO policies are often written in days, but payroll systems usually track hours. If a company offers 15 PTO days per year and the employee works 8-hour days, annual PTO is:

15 days x 8 hours = 120 PTO hours

For a part-time employee who works 6-hour days, the same 15 days would be 90 PTO hours. That is why the calculator asks for hours per day separately from annual PTO hours.

Starting Balance and Carryover

Starting balance is the unused PTO carried into the new accrual year. Some employers allow full carryover, some cap carryover, and some use “use it or lose it” policies where allowed. Enter the balance that actually appears at the start of the year after any carryover cap is applied.

For example, if an employee ended last year with 40 unused hours but the company caps carryover at 24 hours, enter 24 as the starting balance.

Negative PTO Balances

The calculator allows negative available PTO. A negative balance means PTO used is greater than starting balance plus accrued PTO. That can happen when an employer lets employees borrow against future accruals.

Before approving negative PTO, check the written policy. Some employers allow it only after a waiting period. Others require the balance to be recovered through future accruals or deducted from final pay where allowed by law.

PTO Planning Tips

• Use hours for payroll — hours avoid confusion for part-time schedules and mixed shift lengths.
• Check the accrual date — some companies accrue PTO each pay period, while others grant it yearly or monthly.
• Document carryover caps — starting balance should already reflect the policy limit.
• Track used PTO promptly — late entries make balances look higher than they are.
• Separate policy from math — this calculator estimates balances, but the company handbook controls eligibility, rollover, and payout.

PTO policies can affect payroll, final pay, sick leave, and compliance. Treat this calculator as a planning aid, not legal or payroll advice.