Rex says
Unused PTO is money you already earned. In a handful of states your employer legally cannot keep it — check the balance before you give notice.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Some policies pay 100%, some pay half, some cap the payout.
Result
Gross PTO payout
$2,400
Estimated after withholding
$1,688
Payable hours
64.0
Equivalent workdays
8.0
Your effective hourly rate
$37.50
Estimated withholding
$712
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How to use this
- 1Enter how are you paid?.
- 2Enter annual salary (if salaried) ($).
- 3Enter hourly wage (if hourly) ($).
- 4Enter balance is measured in.
- 5Enter unused pto balance.
- 6Enter hours in your workday.
- 7Enter percent of balance your policy pays out (%) — Some policies pay 100%, some pay half, some cap the payout..
- 8Read your gross pto payout on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
When you leave a job, accrued and unused paid time off may be owed to you in cash. This calculator converts your PTO balance in hours or days into a payout using your actual pay rate, then applies the 22% supplemental federal withholding and FICA that employers typically take out of a final check.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- How are you paid?: Annual salary
- Annual salary (if salaried): 78000 $
- Hourly wage (if hourly): 26 $
- Balance is measured in: Hours
- Unused PTO balance: 64
- Hours in your workday: 8
- Percent of balance your policy pays out: 100 %
Results
- Gross PTO payout: $2,400.00
- Estimated after withholding: $1,688.40
- Payable hours: 64
- Equivalent workdays: 8
- Your effective hourly rate: $37.50
- Estimated withholding: $711.60
What each field means
Inputs
- How are you paid?
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: Annual salary, Hourly wage.
- Annual salary (if salaried) ($)
- The annual salary (if salaried) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 78000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Hourly wage (if hourly) ($)
- The hourly wage (if hourly) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 26 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Balance is measured in
- Pick the option that matches your situation — the maths changes per option. Choices: Hours, Days.
- Unused PTO balance
- The unused pto balance used in the calculation. Starts at 64 so you have a working example on load.
- Hours in your workday
- The hours in your workday used in the calculation. Starts at 8 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–24.
- Percent of balance your policy pays out (%)
- Some policies pay 100%, some pay half, some cap the payout.
Results
- Gross PTO payout
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated after withholding
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Payable hours
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Equivalent workdays
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Your effective hourly rate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated withholding
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Does my employer have to pay out unused PTO when I quit?
It depends on the state. California, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, and North Dakota treat accrued vacation as earned wages that cannot be forfeited. Many other states enforce whatever the written policy says — including 'use it or lose it' — so read the handbook before you resign.
How is a PTO payout taxed?
As supplemental wages. Employers commonly withhold 22% for federal income tax plus Social Security and Medicare, and state tax where it applies. It's ordinary income at filing time, so your real rate depends on your total year.
Should I take the time off instead of the payout?
Usually yes, if your employer allows it. Taking the days keeps you on payroll and on benefits during that period, and the days are worth the same gross either way — while a payout is taxed immediately at the supplemental rate.
Does sick leave get paid out too?
Rarely. Most policies and most state laws treat sick leave differently from vacation, and unused sick hours are typically forfeited unless your employer's policy or a union contract says otherwise.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). PTO Payout Calculator — Cash Value of Unused Vacation (2026). Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pto-payout-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pto-payout-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PTO Payout Calculator — Cash Value of Unused Vacation (2026) — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [PTO Payout Calculator — Cash Value of Unused Vacation (2026) — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pto-payout-calculator) (2026).