PTO Accrual Calculator
How much paid time off you are actually banking, what your carryover cap really allows, and how many hours you will forfeit this year at your usage rate.
| Accrued per pay period | — |
| Accrued per month | — |
| Annual grant (hours) | — |
| Typical balance peak (after your usage) | — |
| Forfeited at year end | — |
| Forfeit value ($) | — |
| Carryover into next year | — |
Balance model: accrual runs steady through the year, usage spread evenly. Peak assumes the cap year resets at year end with a carryover.
How the math works
Accrual: annualGrant = days × hoursPerDay. Per period = annualGrant ÷ payPeriods. Biweekly 15-day grant at 8 h = 120 ÷ 26 = 4.615 h per check.
Balance model: steady accrual, even usage; balance peaks just before the plan's forfeiture date, then cap carries over and the cycle repeats. Year-end: forfeited = max(0, balance − cap), carried = max(0, min(balance, cap)); usage above the grant means the bank runs out mid-year, not negative carryover.
Forfeit value: forfeited hours × hourly pay, a real wage figure on wage-law states where that time is legally paid (CA and 20+ states require payout at separation; mid-year forfeiture is where plan law is split by state).
Provenance: accrual conventions are the standard US plan structures (BLS employer benefits data, 10-15 days for mid-career private-sector workers); state payout rules from state wage-and-hour summaries (CA Labor Code 227.3, IL 820.155, MI MDL 408.487 and peers), verified 2026. 24+ states restrict forfeiture in some form.
Frequently asked questions
How is PTO usually accrued?
Most US plans accrue per pay period: 1.538 hours per week for 2 weeks a year on a 40-hour schedule, so a biweekly paycheck banks about 3.08 hours. Ten days a year is the mid-career standard, 15-20 at senior levels.
What happens to unused PTO at year end?
Plans with carryover caps bank a set number of hours into next year and forfeit the rest. Use-it-or-lose-it plans zero out on the annual date. 24 of 50-plus states restrict forfeiture, so check your state's rule; California requires payout of accrued PTO at separation.
Is unused PTO paid out when I quit?
It depends on the state and the plan. CA, IL (wage act), MI, MA, NV, MT and others require payout of accrued vacation under wage laws. TX, FL and most at-will states follow the employer's plan language, which often says forfeited.
How many PTO hours should I be using a year?
The US working year is 2,080 hours; 10 days PTO is 80 hours, 15 days is 120. Workers on 2-week plans commonly forfeit 20-40 hours a year, which at a $35 hourly is $700-1,400 of unpaid time off you already earned.