Free HR calculator

PTO calculator: accrual per pay period and balance

How much paid time off does an employee earn each paycheck? Enter the annual PTO allowance and the pay schedule to get the accrual per pay period, the accrual rate per hour worked and the balance to date.

Calculate PTO accrual

PTO accrued per pay period

4.62 hours

PTO per year: 120 hours
Accrual per hour worked: 0.0577 hours
Accrued to date: 46.15 hours
Current balance: 30.15 hours (3.77 days)

This calculator is for general information and is not legal, tax or payroll advice. State and local law, collective agreements and employment contracts can set different rules.

How to calculate PTO accrual per pay period

First convert the annual allowance into hours: PTO days × hours per workday. Then divide by the number of pay periods in a year: 52 for weekly, 26 for biweekly, 24 for semi-monthly and 12 for monthly payroll.

Example: 15 days of PTO at 8 hours a day are 120 hours a year. With biweekly payroll, the employee accrues 120 ÷ 26 = 4.62 hours each pay period. After 10 pay periods, 46.15 hours have accrued; if 16 hours were taken, the balance is 30.15 hours.

Accrual per hour worked

For hourly and part-time staff, PTO is often accrued per hour worked instead. The rate is the annual PTO hours divided by the hours of a full-time year, usually 2,080 (40 hours × 52 weeks). For 120 hours of PTO, that is 0.0577 hours per hour worked, or about 1 hour for every 17.3 hours worked.

Paid sick leave laws in many states and cities set their own minimum accrual rate, for example 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. Check the rules where your employees work.

Is PTO required by law?

No federal law in the US requires employers to offer paid vacation; PTO is set by company policy or contract. Some states require that accrued, unused vacation be paid out when employment ends, California among them, and some limit use-it-or-lose-it policies.

In the UK, workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave a year under the Working Time Regulations 1998, which is 28 days for a five-day week. Bank holidays can be counted towards it.

Legal basis and sources

Fair Labor Standards Act: no federal requirement for paid vacation or holidays (U.S. Department of Labor)
California Labor Code § 227.3 (vested vacation paid out at termination)
UK: Working Time Regulations 1998, regulations 13 and 13A (5.6 weeks of annual leave)

Frequently asked questions

How many hours of PTO do I accrue per paycheck?

Divide your annual PTO hours by the number of paychecks per year. 10 days (80 hours) on a biweekly schedule give 80 ÷ 26 = 3.08 hours per paycheck; 20 days (160 hours) on a semi-monthly schedule give 160 ÷ 24 = 6.67 hours.

How do I convert PTO hours into days?

Divide the hours by the length of your workday. 30 hours of PTO at 8 hours a day are 3.75 days; at 7.5 hours a day, they are 4 days.

What is the difference between accrued PTO and front-loaded PTO?

With accrual, PTO builds up gradually, for example each pay period or per hour worked. With front-loading, the full annual allowance is available at the start of the year. Accrual is common in the first year of employment and for hourly staff.

Does PTO accrue during unpaid leave?

That depends on the company's PTO policy. Many policies accrue PTO only for pay periods or hours that are actually paid, so unpaid leave pauses the accrual.

PTO balances that keep themselves up to date

With flair, employees request time off in the app, managers approve with one click and PTO balances accrue automatically according to each employee's policy.

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