How fast paid time off builds, when you hit the cap, and what it is worth
Updated October 2026
Yearly hours = PTO days × hours in a workday. Per paycheck = yearly hours ÷ paychecks a year (52 weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semi-monthly, 12 monthly). Per hour worked = yearly hours ÷ (weekly hours × 52). Paychecks to a target = (target − current balance) ÷ per-paycheck rate, rounded up, because accrual posts only on payday.
With the defaults: 15 days × 8 hours = 120 hours. 120 ÷ 26 = 4.615 hours a paycheck, and 120 ÷ 2,080 = 0.0577 hours per hour worked, or 1 hour for every 17.33. From a 24-hour balance, the 80-hour goal is 56 hours away: 56 ÷ 4.615 = 12.13, so 13 paychecks. The 160-hour cap is 136 hours away, 29.47 rounded up to 30 paychecks. At $30 an hour, the current 24 hours are worth $720.
Your plan’s days per year and any cap are in the employee handbook or benefits portal; your current balance is usually on the pay stub. If your employer states accrual as “1 hour per X hours worked,” enter the yearly total that produces (2,080 ÷ X hours for full time).
| PTO per year | Hours per year | Per biweekly paycheck | Per semi-monthly paycheck | 1 hour per ... hours worked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 days | 80 | 3.08 | 3.33 | 26.00 |
| 15 days | 120 | 4.62 | 5.00 | 17.33 |
| 20 days | 160 | 6.15 | 6.67 | 13.00 |
| 25 days | 200 | 7.69 | 8.33 | 10.40 |
Starting from a zero balance and taking no time off:
| Plan | Per paycheck | Rate per hour worked | Paychecks to 80 h | Paychecks to 160 h cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 days, paid weekly, 40 h/week | 1.54 h | 1 per 26.00 h | 52 (52 weeks) | 104 (104 weeks) |
| 15 days, paid biweekly (default plan) | 4.62 h | 1 per 17.33 h | 18 (36 weeks) | 35 (70 weeks) |
| 15 days, paid twice a month | 5.00 h | 1 per 17.33 h | 16 (35 weeks) | 32 (69 weeks) |
| 20 days, paid biweekly | 6.15 h | 1 per 13.00 h | 13 (26 weeks) | 26 (52 weeks) |
| 25 days, paid monthly | 16.67 h | 1 per 10.40 h | 5 (22 weeks) | 10 (43 weeks) |
| 15 days on a 32-hour week (not prorated) | 4.62 h | 1 per 13.87 h | 18 (36 weeks) | 35 (70 weeks) |
Pay frequency changes the size of each deposit, not the yearly total. The last row shows a limit of the calculator: it keeps the full-time allowance on a 32-hour week, which raises the per-hour rate. Many employers prorate PTO for part-time staff, so enter the prorated days if yours does.
Federal law does not require paid vacation. The U.S. Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act “does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays”; those benefits are a matter of agreement between employer and employee. State law fills the gap unevenly:
California. No employer has to offer vacation, but once earned it vests as wages. A use-it-or-lose-it policy is illegal; a reasonable cap that stops further accrual is allowed. All earned, unused vacation must be paid at the final rate of pay when employment ends for any reason (Labor Code section 227.3), and the Labor Commissioner treats combined PTO banks the same way.
Colorado. An employer that provides paid vacation must pay all vacation pay “earned and determinable” at separation.
Many other states follow the employer’s written policy, which may allow forfeiture if it is clearly communicated. Your state labor department’s wage-payment page is the place to check.
Many states and cities require paid sick leave with their own accrual, cap and carryover rules. California, for example, requires at least 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, lets employees use at least 40 hours or 5 days a year, allows a cap of no less than 80 hours or 10 days, and does not require payout at separation. A combined PTO bank can satisfy the sick-leave law only if it meets those minimums and can be used for the same purposes.
Assuming the cap is a yearly limit. A cap limits the balance, not the year’s accrual. Take time off and accrual resumes; sit at the cap and you earn nothing extra.
Dividing by 24 when paid biweekly. Biweekly means 26 paychecks (27 in some years), so each deposit is smaller than a semi-monthly one.
Counting overtime. Accrual “per hour worked” may or may not include overtime hours, depending on the policy. The calculator uses your regular weekly hours.
Valuing PTO at today’s rate after a raise. In California, payout uses the final rate of pay, so a raise increases the value of hours already banked.
It does not know your employer’s policy: waiting periods for new hires, front-loaded grants at the start of the year, tenure-based increases, holidays counted separately, carryover limits or proration for part-time schedules. It also cannot decide whether a payout is legally owed in your state. For a dispute over unpaid vacation at separation, contact your state labor department’s wage claim office or an employment attorney.