Estimate how much paid time off an employee earns over a year.
PTO earned = hours worked ÷ hours of work per hour of PTO.
Policies differ. Some accrue per pay period, some use caps or waiting periods. Use this as an estimate and follow your written policy.
An employee working 2,080 hours at an accrual of 1 hour per 30 hours worked earns about 69.3 hours, or roughly 8.7 eight-hour days.
If an employee earns 80 hours of paid time off a year and is paid 26 times, each paycheck adds 80 ÷ 26 = 3.08 hours. A policy that grants 1 hour for every 30 hours worked gives a full-time employee 69.3 hours a year. Both are legitimate, but they feel different for part-time staff, so write down which one you use.
| Policy | Full time (2,080 h) | 20 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| 80 hours a year, flat | 80 | 40 |
| 1 hour per 30 worked | 69.3 | 34.7 |
Many employers cap the balance, for example at 1.5 times the annual amount, so people stop accruing once they reach it. Some states treat earned vacation as wages and restrict use-it-or-lose-it rules or require payout at separation. Check your state before writing a cap into the policy.
The pay stub or portal should show the accrual rate, the balance earned, the hours used and the hours remaining. Employees trust a policy they can check. If the balance on the stub differs from the calculator, look for a late posting, an unpaid leave period or a different accrual start date.
Policies are often written as a yearly amount but posted each payday. The same yearly amount gives different per-check figures depending on how often you pay.
| Pay frequency | Paychecks a year | 80 hours a year | 120 hours a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 | 1.54 | 2.31 |
| Biweekly | 26 | 3.08 | 4.62 |
| Semi-monthly | 24 | 3.33 | 5.00 |
| Monthly | 12 | 6.67 | 10.00 |
In a year with 27 biweekly paydays, a per-check rate set for 26 gives slightly more than the yearly amount. Decide in the policy whether the extra check accrues or not.
Federal law does not require paid vacation, but states do regulate it once offered. California treats earned vacation as wages: it cannot be forfeited under a use-it-or-lose-it rule, unused vacation must be paid at separation under Labor Code 227.3, and a reasonable cap on further accrual is allowed. Several other states require payout unless a written policy says otherwise. Separately, a growing list of states and cities require paid sick leave, often at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, which is why that ratio is a common default in this calculator. California raised its minimum to 40 hours or five days a year in 2024. If your PTO bank also covers sick leave, it has to meet the sick leave law as well.
A fictional employee hired on April 1 joins a plan that grants 80 hours a year. For the first calendar year they are in the plan for 9 of 12 months, so 80 × 9 ÷ 12 = 60 hours. On an hours-worked policy no proration step is needed, since accrual simply starts with the first hours they work. Write the method into the offer letter so the first pay stub matches what the person expects.
In EZTime, employees request time off from the app and can see their PTO balances, which cuts down on balance questions to managers.
Some policies cap balances. This calculator does not.
Rules depend on your state and policy.
A lump sum gives all PTO at once. Accrual builds gradually.
Many employers start from the first day. Others wait through a probation period. Say which in the policy.
Not always. Some states and cities require a minimum amount of paid sick leave with its own rules.
Many employers prorate by hours worked. Your state may require some paid leave regardless.
At 80 hours a year with no time used, about 78 weeks, or a year and a half. Once the cap is hit, accrual stops until the employee uses some time.
Only if the policy says so. Many policies accrue on all hours worked, while others count regular hours only. Either works if it is written and applied the same way.
EZTime records hours and totals them for payroll. Book a demo to see it with your own team.