Superkoda / Leave Tracking / PTO accrual calculator
PTO accrual calculator
Work out how much paid time off an employee has accrued so far this year, per pay period or per hour worked, with prorating for new starters. Every result shows its working.
Available balance
- Accrued so far
- 0
- Accrual rate
- 0
- Prorated allowance for the year
- 0
Calculation
Convert PTO hours to days
Most policies count PTO in hours. Divide by the hours in a workday to get days.
At 8 hours a day: 40 hours is 5 days, 80 hours is 10 days, 120 hours is 15 days, 160 hours is 20 days.
What is accrued PTO?
Accrued PTO is the paid time off an employee has earned so far under an accrual policy. Instead of receiving the whole yearly allowance on the first day, the employee earns a share each pay period, or for each hour worked. Unused accrued PTO is their balance. Vacation accrual works the same way when vacation is tracked separately from sick leave.
How is PTO calculated?
Accrual per pay period = yearly allowance in hours ÷ pay periods in a year. A 15-day allowance at 8 hours a day is 120 hours. Paid every two weeks, that is 120 ÷ 26 = 4.62 hours per pay period.
Accrual per hour worked = yearly allowance in hours ÷ 2,080, the hours in a full-time year (40 × 52). The same 120 hours gives 0.0577 hours of PTO for every hour worked, so a 30-hour week earns 1.73 hours.
PTO accrual rate for common allowances
Full-time, 8-hour days.
| Yearly allowance | Every two weeks | Twice a month | Per hour worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 days (80 hours) | 3.08 h | 3.33 h | 0.0385 h |
| 15 days (120 hours) | 4.62 h | 5.00 h | 0.0577 h |
| 20 days (160 hours) | 6.15 h | 6.67 h | 0.0769 h |
| 25 days (200 hours) | 7.69 h | 8.33 h | 0.0962 h |
Prorated PTO for new starters and leavers
Prorated allowance = yearly allowance × days employed in the leave year ÷ days in the leave year. An employee who joins on 1 July in a calendar leave year works 184 of 365 days, so 15 days becomes 7.56 days. Your policy decides whether to round that up, down or to the nearest half day.
Many policies also cap carry-over, reset unused leave at year end, or raise the allowance with length of service. Those rules change the balance, which is why a spreadsheet stops being enough.
Leave Tracking
Leave Tracking applies your accrual policy to every employee and shows the working for each balance, as this calculator does.
14-day free trial. No credit card required.
Accrual weekly, per pay period, monthly or from hours worked, pro rata for joiners and leavers, carry-over limits and tenure increases. Employees see their balance on the web, a phone, Slack or Teams. Payroll gets an export per pay period. $99 a month for up to 75 employees, unlimited users.
PTO accrual FAQ
How does PTO accrual work?
The employee earns part of their yearly allowance each pay period, or for each hour they work, instead of receiving it all on the first day of the year. Their balance is what they have earned so far, plus any carry-over, minus what they have taken.
What is PTO accrual?
PTO accrual is the paid time off an employee has earned so far under an accrual policy. Accrued PTO that has not been used is the balance the employee can still take.
How do I calculate PTO accrual per hour?
Divide the yearly allowance in hours by 2,080, the hours in a full-time year. A 120-hour allowance gives 0.0577 hours for every hour worked, so 40 hours of work earns 2.31 hours of PTO.
How do I calculate PTO accrual per pay period?
Divide the yearly allowance in hours by the number of pay periods: 52 weekly, 26 every two weeks, 24 twice a month or 12 monthly. A 120-hour allowance paid every two weeks accrues 4.62 hours per pay period.
How is PTO accrual calculated?
Divide the yearly allowance in hours by the number of pay periods in a year (52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semi-monthly, 12 monthly). That is what each completed pay period adds. For accrual per hour worked, divide the yearly allowance by 2,080 hours.
How do I calculate prorated PTO for a new employee?
Multiply the yearly allowance by the share of the leave year the employee works. Someone who starts on 1 July in a leave year that begins on 1 January gets about half: 184 of 365 days.
What is a typical PTO accrual rate?
For 15 days (120 hours) a year paid biweekly, the rate is 4.62 hours per pay period, or 0.0577 hours per hour worked.
Does PTO accrue during the first pay period?
It depends on your policy. This calculator counts a pay period only if the employee was employed on its first day.