Vacation & PTO Calculator 2026
Calculate vacation accrual by hours per pay period or days per year. PTO balance, carryover, and payout value. Free—no sign-up.
Available balance
6.9 days
Accrued to date: 6.9 days
Carryover applied: 0.0 days
Used: 0.0 days
How to calculate PTO accrual
PTO (paid time off) and vacation accrual are often defined as days per year (e.g. 15 days) or hours per pay period (e.g. 3.08 hours biweekly). To find accrual per period from days per year: divide days by pay periods per year (e.g. 15 ÷ 26 ≈ 0.58 days per biweekly period, or about 4.6 hours at 8 hours/day). Our PTO calculator above supports both: choose "Days per year" or "Hours per pay period," select your pay period (weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly), and enter periods elapsed and how much you've used. Add carryover and optional max carryover if your policy allows rollover. The result is your PTO balance and, if you enter annual salary, an estimated payout value in dollars.
PTO balance formula: accrued, used, and carryover
PTO balance = accrued to date + carryover − used. Accrued to date = accrual rate per period × number of pay periods elapsed. If your employer caps carryover (e.g. max 40 hours), the calculator applies that cap. Enter your accrual rate, pay period, periods worked this year, hours or days used, and any carryover in the calculator to see your current balance. For take-home pay so you can compare salary and PTO value, use our US Tax Calculator.
PTO payout value and payout at termination
Many employers pay out unused PTO when you leave—either by policy or by state law (some states require vacation payout). To estimate the dollar value of your PTO balance, enter your annual salary in the calculator: it converts your balance to an approximate payout using your effective hourly rate (salary ÷ paid hours per year). For tax on PTO payout at termination (often withheld like supplemental pay), see our Severance Pay Calculator and Bonus Tax Calculator. For full severance including PTO, use the severance calculator.
When to use a PTO calculator
Use a PTO calculator or vacation accrual calculator when you want to: (1) see how much PTO you've accrued so far this year, (2) track your balance after use and carryover, (3) estimate the cash value of your balance for planning or resignation. Works for any pay schedule—biweekly (26 periods), semi-monthly (24), monthly (12), weekly (52). If you're comparing job offers or planning time off, pair this with our US Tax Calculator for take-home pay or Pay Raise Calculator for salary comparison.