PTO Accrual Calculator Widget

Show employees how their paid time off builds up. The widget spreads an annual PTO entitlement across weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly or monthly pay periods, counts the paydays up to a chosen date, subtracts planned leave and applies a year-end carryover cap.

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<iframe src="https://a2z.tools/embed/w/pto-accrual-calculator" title="PTO Accrual Calculator by A2Z Tools" width="100%" height="700" style="border:0;width:100%" loading="lazy" allow="clipboard-write"></iframe>

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How it works

The annual entitlement is divided by the number of pay periods: 15 days a year paid biweekly accrues 15 / 26 = 0.5769 days, or 4.62 hours at 8 hours a day, each payday. The widget then counts the paydays between the balance date and the projection date. Weekly and biweekly paydays fall every 7 or 14 days from the balance date, semi-monthly ones on the 15th and the last day of each month, and monthly ones on the last day. From 1 January to 1 July 2026 a biweekly schedule has 12 paydays, so 6.92 days accrue. Whenever the projection crosses 1 January, any balance above the carryover cap is forfeited and shown separately. Planned leave is subtracted at the end. Entitlements can be entered in days or hours, and every result is shown in both.

Calculation method

  • Accrual per period = annual entitlement / periods a year (52, 26, 24 or 12)
  • Paydays counted in (balance date, projection date]
  • On each 1 January: balance = min(balance, carryover cap)
  • Projected balance = current balance + accrual x paydays - forfeited - leave taken

Worked examples

Half a year biweekly

Inputs: 15 days a year; biweekly; 8 h a day; 2026-01-01 to 2026-07-01; balance 0

Result: Projected 6.92 days (55.38 h); 0.5769 days per period; 12 pay periods

12 x 15 / 26.

Carryover cap

Inputs: 12 days a year; monthly; balance 10 on 2026-10-01; cap 5; project to 2027-02-28

Result: Projected 7 days; 8 days lost at year end

13 at 31 December, cut to 5, then two more monthly accruals.

An estimate for planning; your employer's policy and local leave law decide your actual balance.

Limitations

  • Assumes accrual is earned evenly on every payday - no accrual on hours worked, tenure tiers or waiting periods.
  • Leave taken is subtracted at the end, so leave used before a year-end reset is not credited against forfeiture.

Where publishers use it

  • HR portals and employee handbooks explaining an accrual policy
  • Payroll software blogs comparing biweekly and semi-monthly accrual
  • Small businesses answering how much vacation a new starter has by summer
  • Career sites helping employees plan a long trip around their balance
  • Policy pages showing the effect of a use-it-or-lose-it carryover cap

Questions

How much PTO do I earn per paycheck?

Divide the annual amount by your paychecks: 15 days biweekly is 0.5769 days (4.62 hours) per payday, 120 hours semi-monthly is 5 hours, and 12 days monthly is 1 day.

Why do biweekly and semi-monthly accruals differ?

There are 26 biweekly paydays but 24 semi-monthly ones, so each biweekly accrual is smaller - though both add up to the same annual total.

How does the carryover cap work here?

At every 1 January the balance is cut to the cap. With 12 days a year accrued monthly, a 10-day balance on 1 October grows to 13 by 31 December, drops to 5 on 1 January (8 lost), and reaches 7 by the end of February.

Is the first payday on the balance date?

No. Weekly and biweekly schedules count paydays 7 or 14 days after the balance date, so set the balance date to your last payday for the best match.

Does it handle accrual caps that stop accrual?

Only year-end carryover caps. Some employers stop accrual once a maximum balance is reached; that policy is not modelled.

What happens to accrued PTO on resignation?

Payout rules vary. Some US states, California among them, treat earned vacation as wages owed at separation, while elsewhere the employer's written policy decides. Check the rules where the employee works before relying on a forfeiture.

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A2Z Tools PTO Accrual Calculator
https://a2z.tools/embed/pto-accrual-calculator

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