PTO Payout Calculator
Enter your unused PTO, your hourly rate, and how much of it your employer pays out, to estimate the gross payout — and, if you enter them, what is left after deductions.
PTO Payout Calculator calculates in your browser.
Estimate what unused PTO is worth
When you leave a job — or at year end, if your employer cashes out PTO — unused hours can turn into a payout. The arithmetic is hours × rate, but policies often change the hours: only a share of the balance, or no more than a set number of hours. This calculator applies those limits in a stated order and shows the gross amount. It does not assume a payout is owed or guess at taxes; if you enter withholding percentages or other deductions from a pay stub, it shows what would be left after those.
How to use the PTO Payout Calculator
- Enter your unused PTO in hours, or in days with the hours in one PTO day.
- Enter the hourly rate your employer uses for payouts.
- If your policy pays out only part of the balance, enter the share; if it caps the hours paid out, choose “Up to a maximum” and enter it.
- Optionally enter deductions as a percentage of the payout and/or a fixed amount.
- Read the gross payout, the hours paid and not paid, and the estimate after the deductions you entered.
The formula
Hours paid out = unused hours × share paid out, then no more than the maximum
Gross payout = hours paid out × hourly rate
After deductions = gross − (gross × deduction %) − fixed deductions, not below $0
The share is applied before the maximum: half of 80 hours is 40, and a 30-hour maximum then pays 30. The second example’s 29.65% is only an illustration of combined withholding — use the rates on your own pay stub.
| Unused PTO | Rate and policy | Gross payout | After entered deductions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 hours | $25/hr; all paid out | $2,000.00 | — |
| 10 days of 8 hours | $30/hr; 29.65% withheld | $2,400.00 | $1,688.40 |
| 80 hours | $25/hr; half paid out, up to 30 hours | $750.00 | — |
| 120 hours | $40/hr; up to 80 hours | $3,200.00 | — |
| 40 hours | $18.50/hr; $100 other deductions | $740.00 | $640.00 |
Calculated on your device
- The calculation runs in your browser as you type; nothing is sent to a server.
- Your hours, pay rate, deductions, 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
- Whether unused PTO is paid out at all depends on your employer’s policy and the law where you work — some states require it, many leave it to the employer. This tool doesn’t decide that. It applies the share, limit, and deductions you enter, and it doesn’t calculate taxes.
- Taxes are never estimated for you. Federal, state, and local withholding, Social Security, Medicare, and retirement deductions depend on your situation; enter the rates or amounts you want included.
- One hourly rate is applied to every hour paid out. If your employer uses an average of recent pay, a different rate for salaried staff, or pays in installments, enter the rate it uses.
- Up to 10,000 hours and $10,000 an hour; money is rounded to the cent.
Related calculators
- Partial Pay Period Salary CalculatorEstimate salary for an incomplete pay period, using the figures you enter.
- PTO Accrual CalculatorEstimate PTO earned from the accrual rule you enter.
- PTO Balance Projection CalculatorEstimate how your PTO balance changes over time.
- Percentage CalculatorFind a percentage of a number.
Guides
- Calculating a PTO PayoutThe PTO payout formula with day-to-hour and salary-to-hourly conversions, partial-payout policies, maximums, and which hourly rate is used.
- PTO Payout Gross vs NetWhy a PTO payout deposit is smaller than the gross: supplemental wage withholding, Social Security and Medicare, state tax, and a worked $2,000 example.
- Unused PTO When You LeaveHow state law and your employer’s written policy decide whether unused PTO is paid when you leave, and what to ask HR before you resign.
PTO Payout Calculator FAQ
- How is a PTO payout calculated?
- Multiply the hours being paid out by your hourly rate. 80 unused hours at $25 an hour is a $2,000 gross payout.
- Do employers have to pay out unused PTO?
- It depends on where you work and on the policy. A few states, such as California, treat earned vacation as wages that must be paid when you leave; many others leave it to the employer’s written policy. Check your handbook and your state labor department.
- Why is a PTO payout check smaller than the gross amount?
- A payout is usually taxed as wages. In the US it is often treated as supplemental wages, and employers can withhold federal income tax on it at a flat 22%, on top of Social Security, Medicare, and any state tax. Enter the percentages from your pay stub to estimate what is left.
- How do I convert PTO days to hours?
- Multiply the days by the hours in one PTO day. 10 days of 8 hours is 80 hours.
- What if my policy pays out only part of my balance?
- Enter the share and any maximum. Half of an 80-hour balance is 40 hours; with a 30-hour maximum, 30 hours are paid — $750 at $25 an hour.
- What hourly rate should I use if I’m salaried?
- Your employer’s rate for payouts. A common equivalent is annual salary ÷ 2,080 hours, so $52,000 a year is $25 an hour.
- Are the amounts I enter sent anywhere?
- No. The calculation runs in your browser as you type. The amounts, rates, 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.
