Free staff pay & hr tool
PTO Calculator: Accrual Rate, Cap and Balance Projection
To calculate PTO accrual, divide the hours worked by the accrual ratio. At 1 hour of PTO per 30 hours worked, a full-time employee on 40 hours a week works 2,080 hours a year and earns 2,080 ÷ 30 = 69.3 hours, about 8.7 eight-hour days. Paid biweekly, that is 2.67 hours per pay period. The calculator below also handles per-period and annual plans, a balance cap and a 12-month projection.
Prepared by Prospyr · Reviewed October 3, 2026 · Free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
1 hour of PTO for every 30 hours worked is 30.
Used only to show days.
Spread evenly over the year.
PTO earned per year
69.33hours
That is 8.67 workdays of 8 hours.
Per pay period
2.667 h
26 pay periods
Per hour worked
0.0333 h
2,080 hours a year
Balance after 12 months
69.3 h
8.67 days
Lost to the cap
0 h
No cap set
A math aid. Your written PTO policy and state law decide what employees earn, carry over and are paid out. This is not legal advice.
12-month balance projection
| Month | Earned | Taken | Balance (hours) | Balance (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 5.78 | 0 | 5.3 | 0.67 |
| Month 2 | 5.78 | 0 | 10.7 | 1.33 |
| Month 3 | 5.78 | 0 | 18.7 | 2.33 |
| Month 4 | 5.78 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| Month 5 | 5.78 | 0 | 29.3 | 3.67 |
| Month 6 | 5.78 | 0 | 34.7 | 4.33 |
| Month 7 | 5.78 | 0 | 40 | 5 |
| Month 8 | 5.78 | 0 | 45.3 | 5.67 |
| Month 9 | 5.78 | 0 | 53.3 | 6.67 |
| Month 10 | 5.78 | 0 | 58.7 | 7.33 |
| Month 11 | 5.78 | 0 | 64 | 8 |
| Month 12 | 5.78 | 0 | 69.3 | 8.67 |
Months are the next twelve months, counted on an even pay-period schedule. Earned and taken are monthly averages; the balance is simulated pay period by pay period.
PTO accrual formula: per hour worked, per pay period and per year
All three accrual styles reduce to hours of PTO per year, then a split across pay periods.
- Per hour worked: PTO hours per year = hours worked per year ÷ hours worked per 1 hour of PTO.
- Per pay period: PTO hours per year = hours per pay period × pay periods per year.
- Per year: PTO hours per pay period = annual hours ÷ pay periods per year.
Pay periods per year are 52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semimonthly and 12 monthly. Hours worked per year is hours per week × 52.
Worked example: 40 hours a week, biweekly pay, 1 hour per 30 worked
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Hours worked per year | 40 × 52 | 2,080 h |
| PTO earned per year | 2,080 ÷ 30 | 69.33 h (8.67 days of 8 h) |
| PTO per pay period | 69.33 ÷ 26 | 2.67 h |
| With a 60 h cap, 0 taken | Balance reaches 60 h in pay period 23 | 9.33 h lost to the cap by period 26 |
Add a starting balance and the PTO the employee expects to take, and the projection table shows the balance month by month.
PTO accrual calculator with a cap and balance projection
Turn on the cap to see when an employee would stop earning and how many hours that costs them. The projection runs pay period by pay period, then reports the balance at each month. Taking PTO spaces the balance out below the cap, which is the point of many capped plans.
Your inputs stay in the page URL, so you can send a scenario to a colleague. Print the table to attach to an offer letter or a policy draft.
Paid time off calculator for practice managers
A practice with a small team feels every absence on the schedule. Knowing how many PTO hours each provider and front desk team member will earn lets you plan coverage and block the calendar before requests stack up. For the pay side of the same plan, see the hourly to salary calculator and the nurse injector pay calculator.
Prospyr's online scheduling lets patients book only the hours your providers are working, so approved time off does not turn into a double-booked day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate PTO accrual?
Work out how many hours of PTO the plan gives per year, then divide by the number of pay periods. For an hourly accrual plan, divide hours worked by the ratio: 2,080 hours ÷ 30 = 69.3 hours a year. For a per-period plan, multiply the hours per period by the number of periods: 3.08 hours × 26 = 80 hours.
How much PTO do I earn per pay period?
Annual PTO divided by pay periods gives the per-period amount. 80 hours a year is 3.08 hours biweekly (26 periods), 3.33 hours twice a month (24), 6.67 hours monthly (12) and 1.54 hours weekly (52). Enter your plan above and the per-period figure updates.
How many PTO hours is 1 hour per 30 hours worked?
For someone working 2,080 hours a year, 1 hour per 30 hours worked is about 69.3 hours, or 8.7 workdays. At 1 per 40 it is 52 hours (6.5 days), and at 1 per 20 it is 104 hours (13 days). Part-time employees earn less because they work fewer hours.
What is a PTO cap and how does it work?
A PTO cap is a maximum balance an employee can hold. In this calculator, accrual stops while the balance sits at the cap, and the hours that would have been earned are shown as lost to the cap. Cap rules differ between plans and states, so follow your written policy.
Does federal law require paid time off?
No. The U.S. Department of Labor states that the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or holidays. Those benefits are set by the employer's policy or agreement, though state and local laws can add requirements.
Should PTO accrue per hour worked or per pay period?
Per pay period is simpler to run and explain; per hour worked tracks actual time, so part-time and variable-schedule staff earn in proportion. Annual lump-sum grants are the simplest of all but give no gradual build-up. Pick the method your payroll system supports and write it into the policy.
Will my PTO balance carry over or pay out?
This calculator does not decide that. Carryover, caps and payout at separation come from your company policy and state law, and they differ by state. Check your handbook or your state labor department before relying on a projected balance.
Sources and scope
- U.S. Department of Labor: Vacation Leave
States that the FLSA does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays.
A math aid, not legal advice. Your written PTO policy and applicable state and local law decide what employees earn, carry over and are paid out.