PTO Accrual Rate Calculator
Calculate PTO earned per pay period from an annual allowance, or PTO earned from hours worked and an hourly accrual rate. Supports weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, and monthly schedules.
Last updated: July 2026
This is a calculated accrual based on your inputs, not an official employer or payroll-system balance.
How is PTO accrual calculated?
For an annual allowance, Annual PTO hours ÷ Pay periods per year = PTO hours earned per pay period. If the allowance is in days, first use Annual PTO days × Hours per workday = Annual PTO hours. For an hourly rate, use Hours worked × PTO hours earned per work hour = PTO hours earned.
Pay periods used by this calculator
| Pay frequency | Periods per year |
|---|---|
| Weekly | 52 |
| Every 2 weeks (biweekly) | 26 |
| Semi-monthly | 24 |
| Monthly | 12 |
Biweekly means every 2 weeks; semi-monthly means twice per calendar month. Real payroll calendars can occasionally contain an extra period depending on employer timing. This calculator uses the standard annual counts shown above.
PTO accrual examples
15 annual days on a biweekly schedule
15 days × 8 hours = 120 annual PTO hours. Dividing by 26 gives 4.615384615… hours, displayed as 4.62 PTO hours per pay period. That is approximately 0.58 of an eight-hour PTO day.
120 annual hours, semi-monthly
120 ÷ 24 = 5 PTO hours per semi-monthly pay period.
180 annual hours, monthly
180 ÷ 12 = 15 PTO hours per monthly pay period.
PTO earned from 80 work hours
80 hours worked × 0.0577 PTO hours per work hour = 4.616 PTO hours, displayed as 4.62 hours.
Hourly accrual converted to days
100 work hours × 0.077 = 7.7 PTO hours. At 8 hours per workday, that equals 0.9625 days, displayed as 0.96 days.
80 annual hours, weekly
80 ÷ 52 = 1.538461538… PTO hours per weekly period, displayed as 1.54 hours.
Accrued PTO versus front-loaded PTO
Accrued PTO is earned gradually over time or work performed. Front-loaded PTO is granted as a larger balance at once, often at the beginning of a year or eligibility period. A per-period accrual rate may not describe a fully front-loaded policy.
Why an employer balance may differ
Actual PTO can depend on tenure, employment status, hours worked, accrual caps, waiting periods, unpaid leave, carryover rules, front-loading, and payroll-specific rounding. This calculator applies only the method and values entered; the employer’s official policy and records remain authoritative.
PTO and vacation terminology
PTO, paid time off, and vacation accrual may be defined differently by employers or local rules. This calculator simply converts an entered paid-time-off allowance or hourly rate and does not make legal or statutory entitlement claims.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate PTO earned per pay period?
Convert annual PTO to hours if necessary, then divide annual PTO hours by the number of pay periods per year.
How much PTO do I accrue biweekly?
For the standard biweekly conversion used here, divide annual PTO hours by 26.
What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly accrual?
Biweekly uses 26 standard periods per year, while semi-monthly uses 24.
How do I calculate PTO earned from hours worked?
Multiply hours worked by the PTO accrual rate per work hour.
How do I convert PTO days to hours?
Multiply PTO days by the number of work hours in one day.
Why might my employer's PTO balance differ?
Employer policies may use caps, waiting periods, payroll rounding, tenure tiers, or other rules not modeled here.