PTO Accrual Calculator
| PTO /yr | Hours | Per biweekly check | Per hour worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 days | 40 h | 1.54 h | 1 h per 52.0 |
| 10 days | 80 h | 3.08 h | 1 h per 26.0 |
| 15 days | 120 h | 4.62 h | 1 h per 17.3 |
| 20 days | 160 h | 6.15 h | 1 h per 13.0 |
| 25 days | 200 h | 7.69 h | 1 h per 10.4 |
PTO offers are quoted in weeks and paid out in hours, and the conversion is where people lose track: two weeks of vacation is 80 hours a year, which is 3.08 hours on every biweekly paycheck, 3.33 hours semimonthly, and about one hour banked for every 26 hours actually worked. Enter your days, salary and pay schedule and this calculator gives all of them, plus the one number worth knowing in a negotiation: what a day of your PTO is worth in dollars (salary divided by 260 working days - not 365, and not your daily hours times your wage).
The legal ground matters as much as the math: under federal law (FLSA), vacation leave is an agreement between employer and employee - no federal rule requires it or sets an accrual rate, so your handbook and state law govern everything, including whether an employer must pay out unused PTO when you quit (California says yes as earned wages; many states say nothing). Check both before you plan a balance into a budget.
How to use
- Enter your annual PTO days, annual salary, and pay schedule - the tool converts to hours per paycheck and hours per hour worked.
- Add your current balance to see what it is worth at your day rate, and what each remaining paycheck will add.
- Compare offers by total compensation: salary plus PTO value is the honest frame the table below supports.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is 2 weeks of PTO?
80 hours on the standard 8-hour day - 3.08 hours per biweekly paycheck, 26 paychecks a year. Companies that accrue per hour worked usually set it near 0.0385 hours per hour worked (80 divided by 2,080), so a 40-hour week banks 1.54 hours.
How much is a PTO day worth?
Your salary divided by 260 working days is the cleanest answer: a $78,000 salary makes each PTO day worth $300. Hourly workers value a day at hours-times-wage, but salaried day-rate division is what most payout policies actually use - and using 365 instead of 260 undervalues your day by 29%.
Does my employer have to pay out unused PTO when I quit?
Federal law does not require it - the Department of Labor treats vacation as a matter of employer agreement. State law decides the real answer: California treats accrued vacation as earned wages that must be paid out on separation, while several states allow a documented use-it-or-lose-it policy. Your handbook is the tiebreaker; read it before your last day, not after.
How much PTO is normal?
US averages run about 10-14 days of PTO after a few years of service, with 15-20 days typical for five-plus years at the same employer - often quoted as 2, 3 or 4 weeks. Compare in hours, not days: a company counting an 8-hour day against your 37.5-hour week is quietly charging you 2.5 extra hours per vacation week.