How to Use the Paid Time Off Calculator
Step 1: Set Your Date Range
Start by entering the Start Date — the day your PTO period begins. This could be the first day of the year, your hire date, or the start of a new policy.
Then enter the End Date — the last day of your PTO period. Most people use a full year, like 01/01/2025 to 12/31/2025, but shorter cycles work too.
These dates tell the calculator how long to measure your PTO accrual, so make sure they match your company’s schedule.
Step 2: Add Any Previous Balance
If you already have PTO hours saved, enter that number under Previous Balance.
For example, if you carried over 16 hours from last year, type 16.
This helps the calculator add your old balance to any new hours you earn during the selected period.
Step 3: Choose How PTO Accrues
In the Accrue box, type how many hours of PTO you earn.
Then, in For Every, choose how often you earn it:
Hour Worked — Adds PTO each hour you work.
Week Worked — Adds PTO at the end of each week.
Month Worked — Adds PTO once a month.
Pick the option that matches your company’s policy. If you’re unsure, check with your manager or HR department.
Step 4: Enter Work Schedule Details (if using Hour Worked)
If you selected Hour Worked, the calculator will ask for a few more details.
Start with Hours Per Day — how long your typical workday lasts (usually 8).
Next, select which days of the week you normally work — Monday through Friday for most people.
Finally, add the number of Days Off you expect to take between the start and end dates, such as holidays or unpaid time off.
These details help the calculator create a more accurate estimate of your PTO.
Step 5: Set a PTO Limit (Optional)
If your company has a maximum number of hours you can save, type that under Max Hours.
For example, if your policy caps PTO at 80 hours, enter 80 here.
This ensures the calculator stops adding hours once you reach that limit.
Step 6: Calculate Your PTO
Once everything is filled in, click the Calculate PTO button.
Your results will appear in a green box below the calculator.
You’ll see how many PTO hours have accrued within the dates you selected — plus your total including any previous balance.
Step 7: Review and Adjust if Needed
If the number looks too high or low, double-check your inputs.
The most common issues come from an incorrect accrual rate or missing days off.
You can tweak the numbers anytime and click Calculate PTO again for updated results.
Step 8: Plan Your Time Off
Use your results to plan upcoming vacations, personal days, or holidays.
If you’re an employer, you can also use the calculator to see where each employee stands in their PTO cycle.
For more accurate, automated tracking, tools like OnTheClock can calculate PTO directly from real hours worked — no manual math required.
Due to the fact that we are not calculating PTO balances based on actual employee time cards, we are making the assumption that each day worked is exactly the amount you entered in the “Hours Per Day” field. In reality, most employees will work a bit more or less every day and this will skew the actual number.
