How do I calculate my PTO accrual rate per hour?

Divide the PTO hours you get a year by the hours you work a year. 80 hours of PTO at 40 hours a week (2,080 hours a year) is 80 / 2,080 = 0.0385 hours of PTO per hour worked, or 3.08 hours per biweekly pay period.

How much sick leave is 1 hour for every 30 hours worked?

0.0333 hours per hour worked. At 40 hours a week that is 1.33 hours a week, 2.67 hours per biweekly pay period and about 69 hours a year, before any cap your employer or state law allows.

Does PTO keep accruing when I reach the cap?

Not under a cap policy: accrual pauses while your balance is at the cap and starts again once you use some leave. Hours you would have earned in the meantime are lost, which is why it pays to watch your balance.

PTO Accrual Calculator

Work out how much paid time off or sick leave you earn: per hour worked, per pay period and per year, and your balance pay period by pay period, including when you hit your employer's cap. Nothing leaves your browser.

Per hour worked–hours of PTO

Per pay period–

Per year–

Balance in 12 months–

Let your hours keep the count. Clockbird (iPhone) tracks the hours you work, overtime and pay periods. Its next update adds leave balances that accrue from the hours you clock (1 per 30, per pay period, with a cap) and come off when you log a sick day or vacation.

Balance by pay period, first 12 months

Pay period	Earned	Used	Balance

How PTO accrual is calculated

Accrual rate per hour = PTO hours a year ÷ hours worked a year. Full time is 40 × 52 = 2,080 hours, so 80 hours (two weeks) of PTO is 80 ÷ 2,080 = 0.0385 hours per hour worked.
Per pay period = PTO hours a year ÷ pay periods. 80 hours paid every two weeks is 80 ÷ 26 = 3.08 hours a paycheck; twice a month it is 80 ÷ 24 = 3.33.
"1 hour for every 30 hours worked" = 1 ÷ 30 = 0.0333 per hour: 1.33 hours in a 40-hour week, 2.67 per biweekly period, about 69 hours (8.7 days) a year.
Cap: many policies stop accrual while your balance is at a maximum (for example 80 hours) and restart it once you take time off. The calculator shows when you reach the cap and how many hours you would lose by not using any.

PTO per pay period by yearly PTO (40-hour week)

PTO a year	Per hour worked	Weekly	Every two weeks	Twice a month	Monthly
40 h (5 days)	0.0192	0.77	1.54	1.67	3.33
56 h (7 days)	0.0269	1.08	2.15	2.33	4.67
80 h (10 days)	0.0385	1.54	3.08	3.33	6.67
96 h (12 days)	0.0462	1.85	3.69	4.00	8.00
120 h (15 days)	0.0577	2.31	4.62	5.00	10.00
144 h (18 days)	0.0692	2.77	5.54	6.00	12.00
160 h (20 days)	0.0769	3.08	6.15	6.67	13.33
200 h (25 days)	0.0962	3.85	7.69	8.33	16.67

Hours of PTO, 8-hour days. Part time? Enter your own weekly hours above: per-hour accrual earns less, per-pay-period accrual does not.

Paid sick leave laws

Several US states and cities require paid sick leave that accrues from hours worked. California, New York, New Jersey, Colorado and Arizona use at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked; Washington uses 1 hour for every 40. These laws also let employers cap the balance or the hours used a year, and the limits differ by state and employer size, so check your state labor department and your employee handbook. Your employer's policy can always be more generous than the law.

FAQ

Does overtime count toward PTO accrual?

For per-hour accrual under state sick leave laws, generally yes: every hour worked counts, overtime included. Company vacation policies may count only regular hours. If yours does, enter only your regular weekly hours.

Do I earn PTO while I'm on PTO?

Per-hour accrual counts hours worked, so paid time off usually doesn't earn more; per-pay-period accrual keeps adding the same amount every paycheck.

Is unused PTO paid out when I leave?

It depends on the state and the policy. Some states (California among them) treat earned vacation as wages that must be paid out at the end of a job; paid sick leave usually is not paid out. Your pay stub or HR can confirm your balance.

Need your hours first? The free time card calculator adds up a week with breaks and overtime, and the overtime calculator works out time and a half.

Information, not legal advice: your employer's records, your contract and the law where you work decide what you are owed. Accrual rates checked on 2026-10-05 against California DLSE: paid sick leave, New York Paid Sick Leave, Arizona A.R.S. § 23-372 and Washington L&I: paid sick leave. Corrections: [email protected] · how we check facts.