PTO Accrual Calculator
Enter your PTO accrual rule — an annual allowance, hours per pay period, or hours per hour worked — and the dates to count, to see the PTO earned in each pay period and your balance at the end.
PTO Accrual Calculator calculates in your browser.
Work out the PTO you have earned
Paid time off rarely arrives all at once. Most employers add it a little at a time — every pay period, or for every hour worked — and the policy wording decides the math. “120 hours a year” and “4.62 hours a pay period” sound the same but are not: in a year with 27 biweekly paychecks, the fixed rate earns about 4.62 hours more. This calculator keeps those rules apart, counts real pay periods between the dates you enter, and shows what each period added, including partial periods and a balance cap if your policy has one. It is for employees checking a pay stub, new hires estimating their first months, and anyone answering “how much PTO will I have earned by…?”
How to use the PTO Accrual Calculator
- Choose how your policy states PTO: hours a year, hours per pay period, or hours earned per hour worked.
- Choose how often PTO is added — weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly — and enter the rate.
- For an annual allowance, choose a calendar year or a year from your start date, and how a year with an extra pay period is handled.
- Enter the start date and the date to count through. If your pay periods don’t start on that date, enter any date a pay period starts.
- Add a starting balance or a cap if you have one, then read the total, the ending balance, and the period-by-period table. Copy Result copies the table for a spreadsheet.
The formula
Annual allowance: hours per period = allowance ÷ periods in that allowance year
Fixed rate: hours per period = the rate, every period
Per hour worked: hours per period = hours earned ÷ hours worked to earn them × hours worked
Prorated partial period = full-period hours × days counted ÷ days in the period
An annual allowance is spread over the periods that actually end in each year, so a 27-period year earns the same 120 hours as a 26-period year — or, if you choose the standard rate, the 27th period earns nothing once the allowance is reached. A fixed rate per period has no annual total to protect, so the extra period earns its hours. The capped example earns only 10 hours because the balance reaches 40 in the second month.
| Accrual rule | Schedule | PTO earned |
|---|---|---|
| 120 hours a year (annual allowance) | Biweekly; a year with 26 periods | 120 hours |
| 120 hours a year (annual allowance) | Biweekly; a year with 27 periods | 120 hours |
| 4.62 hours per pay period (fixed rate) | Biweekly; a year with 27 periods | 124.74 hours |
| 1 hour per 30 worked; 80 hours a period | Biweekly; a year with 26 periods | ≈ 69.33 hours |
| 6.67 hours a month; 30-hour start, 40-hour cap | Monthly, January to December 2026 | 10 hours |
Calculated on your device
- The calculation runs in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server.
- Your dates, hours, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored.
- The calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics, so what you enter isn’t captured in recordings.
Limitations
- This follows the accrual rule you enter. Employers set their own accrual rates, waiting periods, caps, carryover limits, and rounding, and some state and local laws set minimums for paid sick leave. Check your employer’s written policy.
- PTO is credited on the last day of each pay period. Waiting periods before accrual starts, year-end carryover limits, use-it-or-lose-it resets, and your employer’s rounding are not applied.
- Semi-monthly periods run from the 1st to the 15th and from the 16th to the month’s last day. Partial periods are prorated by calendar days, not workdays.
- Up to 260 pay periods at a time — about 5 years weekly, 10 biweekly, or 21 monthly. Hours are shown to 2 decimal places; totals use the exact figures.
Related calculators
- Biweekly Paycheck Date CalculatorList paycheck dates on a biweekly schedule.
- Annual Work Hours CalculatorAdd up work hours across a year from the schedule you enter.
- PTO Balance Projection CalculatorEstimate how your PTO balance changes over time.
- PTO Payout CalculatorEstimate a PTO payout from the balance and rate you enter.
Guides
- Paid vs Worked HoursWhy a 2,080-hour year has fewer hours actually worked, how paid and unpaid time off change each figure, and which one a calculation needs.
- PTO Accrual MethodsFront-loaded vs accrued PTO, and how a per-period rate, a per-hour rate, and an annual allowance compare for full-time, part-time, and 27-paycheck years.
- PTO Rate Per Pay PeriodAnnual PTO allowances from 40 to 200 hours as hours per weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, and monthly pay period, with rounding and 27-paycheck years explained.
- PTO for New HiresHow PTO accrues when you start or leave mid-period or mid-year: prorated periods, waiting periods, and what a calendar-year allowance gives a new hire.
PTO Accrual Calculator FAQ
- How do I calculate PTO accrual per pay period?
- Divide the annual allowance by the number of pay periods in a year. 120 hours a year paid biweekly is 120 ÷ 26 ≈ 4.62 hours a period; paid semi-monthly it is 120 ÷ 24 = 5 hours.
- What happens to an annual PTO allowance in a year with 27 paychecks?
- Some years have 27 biweekly periods. At 120 ÷ 26 per period, the 27th would push the year to about 124.62 hours. The calculator either divides that year’s allowance by 27 (≈ 4.44 hours each) or keeps the 26-period rate and stops at the allowance, so the 27th period earns nothing — both add up to exactly 120. If your policy states a fixed rate per period instead, choose that rule and the 27th period earns it too.
- How does PTO accrue per hour worked?
- You earn a set amount for each hour worked, such as 1 hour for every 30. Working 80 hours in a pay period at that rate earns 80 ÷ 30 ≈ 2.67 hours.
- Do I earn PTO for a partial pay period?
- That depends on your employer. Some credit PTO only for complete periods; others prorate. Prorated by calendar days, 11 of a 14-day period at 4 hours a period is 4 × 11 ÷ 14 ≈ 3.14 hours.
- What is a PTO accrual cap?
- A maximum balance. Once your balance reaches it, new PTO stops being added until you use some. With a 40-hour cap, a 38-hour balance gains only 2 of an 8-hour accrual; the other 6 are not added.
- Are the hours and dates I enter sent anywhere?
- No. The calculation runs in your browser as you type. Your hours, dates, and results are not sent to Looty Tools or stored, and the calculator area is masked from session-recording analytics. Refreshing the page clears it.
