Vacation Accrual Projector
Project vacation/PTO accrual over time.
These calculators are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice.
How the Vacation Accrual Projector works
The Vacation Accrual Projector takes your annual paid-time-off entitlement and shows how it builds up month by month across the year. Enter the total days you earn per year, and the tool divides that figure evenly into twelve monthly increments and reports the running balance at the end of each month — so you can see roughly how much leave you will have accrued by any point in the year before you book time off.
Most employers accrue PTO steadily rather than granting it all on January 1st. If your policy is 15 days a year, you earn about 1.25 days each month, and the balance you can actually take grows gradually: a little over 6 days by the midpoint of the year, the full 15 only once the year is complete. Booking a week off in spring against an annual figure you have not yet earned is the classic way people end up with a negative balance at year-end.
The projection assumes a simple, even monthly accrual — entitlement divided by twelve — which is the most common scheme and a good planning baseline. Real policies layer on details this view does not model: caps that stop accrual above a ceiling, carry-over limits, waiting periods for new hires, and tenure tiers that raise the rate after a few years. Use the monthly balances as a guide to pace your time off, then confirm the exact figure against your employer's policy and your latest payslip.
Worked example
Your policy grants 18 days of PTO per year. Dividing by twelve, you accrue 1.5 days each month. By the end of March you have earned 4.5 days; by the end of June, 9 days; by the end of September, 13.5; and only at the end of December do you reach the full 18. So a 10-day holiday planned for July draws against a balance of 10.5 days — just barely covered, and only if you have taken nothing else.
Frequently asked questions
How is the monthly accrual calculated?
The tool divides your annual entitlement evenly by twelve, so 12 days a year accrues at 1 day per month and 20 days a year at about 1.67 days per month. It then shows the cumulative balance at the end of each month, which is the most common straight-line accrual scheme employers use.
Does it account for accrual caps or carry-over rules?
No. The projection is a clean even accrual and does not model caps that pause earning above a ceiling, carry-over limits between years, new-hire waiting periods, or tenure-based rate increases. Treat the result as a planning baseline and check your actual policy for those adjustments.
Can I use this to check my real PTO balance?
It is best used to plan and pace time off, not as a system of record. Your employer's HR or payroll system reflects your true balance including any adjustments, unpaid leave, and prior bookings. Compare the projected figure here against your most recent payslip or HR portal before committing to a booking.