What this measures
When you leave a job, or sometimes at year end depending on your employer's policy, unused paid time off can be paid to you in cash instead of taken as days off. This calculator turns your unused hours or days into that dollar figure, using your actual rate of pay.
The formula
If you think in days instead of hours, we convert using the hours-per-workday figure you enter. If your employer caps how much they'll pay out, turn that on in Advanced mode and only the capped amount is used in the calculation.
A quick example
Say you earn $25 an hour and have 30 unused PTO hours when you leave. That's a gross payout of $750. If your employer caps payouts at 24 hours instead, you'd receive $600, the extra 6 hours wouldn't be included.
Frequently asked questions
Am I actually owed a payout for unused PTO?
It depends entirely on where you work and your employer's written policy. Some places treat accrued vacation as earned wages that must be paid out no matter what, others leave it entirely up to the employer's policy, and some allow "use it or lose it" rules. Check your employee handbook or local labor law rather than assume either way.
Why would my employer cap the payout?
Some policies let you carry over or bank unused time up to a limit, and anything earned beyond that limit either gets forfeited or simply isn't included in a payout. It's a policy choice, not something this calculator decides for you, so only turn the cap on if you know your employer actually has one.
How accurate is the take-home estimate?
Only as accurate as the percentage you enter. Real withholding depends on your location, your total income for the year, and your employer's payroll system, none of which this calculator knows. Treat the net figure as a rough guide, not a paycheck prediction.
Can I use my salary instead of an hourly rate?
Yes. Switch "I know my" to annual salary, and it converts to hourly using a standard 2,080 hour work year (40 hours a week for 52 weeks), the same convention used across our other pay calculators.
Does this include sick time or only vacation?
That depends on how your employer structures time off. Some combine vacation and sick time into one PTO bank that gets paid out together, others keep them separate with only vacation being payable. Enter whatever your policy actually pays out for.