How is accrued leave calculated?

Accrued leave equals the per-period accrual rate multiplied by the number of completed periods since the joining date. For monthly accrual, the rate is the annual entitlement divided by 12; for bi-weekly accrual it is divided by 26. The current balance is accrued leave minus leave already taken.

What is the most common accrual rate?

UK statutory minimum: 28 days per year including bank holidays (5.6 weeks). US federal law has no mandatory PTO requirement — employer averages are 10–15 days/year for new employees, rising to 15–25 days with tenure. EU Working Time Directive mandates a minimum of 4 weeks (20 days) paid annual leave. Competitive packages at tech and professional services firms typically offer 20–30 days/year.

What is the difference between accrual and frontloaded leave?

Frontloaded leave credits the full annual entitlement at the start of the year or on the employment anniversary date — employees have immediate access to their full balance. Accrual earns leave gradually per pay period or per month. Frontloaded is more attractive to employees but creates employer liability: an employee who takes all their leave then resigns shortly after may owe repayment in some jurisdictions.

What happens to unused accrued leave?

Policies vary widely. Use-it-or-lose-it: unused leave expires at year end and does not carry over. Carry-forward: unused leave rolls over to the next year, typically capped at a maximum (e.g., 5 days). Paid out at year end: unused leave is converted to a cash payout. On termination: many countries (UK, EU) legally require employers to pay out all accrued unused leave at the employment rate.

Does probation affect leave accrual?

Policies vary by employer and jurisdiction. Some employers pause leave accrual entirely during probation (typically 3–6 months) and begin accruing only from confirmation. Others accrue from day one but restrict when leave can be taken — no approved leave during probation. In the UK, statutory holiday entitlement begins on the first day of employment regardless of probation status — employees can take leave and must be paid for it.

Is my data sent to a server?

No. The accrual calculation runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. No dates or leave figures are uploaded, logged, or stored anywhere. You can use this calculator on sensitive HR data without any privacy concern.

Free Leave Accrual Calculator — PTO & Annual Leave Balance

Leave accrual is the process of earning paid time off incrementally over a period of employment. This calculator computes the total accrued leave balance based on joining date, accrual rate (days per month or per year), accrual frequency, and any leave already taken.

Free — No SignupRuns in BrowserData Never Uploaded

Calculate accrued leave days based on joining date, policy type, and accrual rate.

Calculates accrued leave from joining date and accrual rate
Supports monthly, bi-weekly, and annual accrual frequency
Subtracts leave already taken to show current available balance
Shows per-period accrual rate for payslip reconciliation
Projects year-end balance so employees can plan time off before it is lost
Client-side only — no dates or leave figures are uploaded or stored

Features

Everything you need in one Leave Accrual Calculator

Accrued vacation calculator

Counts completed accrual periods since the joining date and multiplies by the per-period rate to show exactly how much leave has been earned.

Three accrual models

Handles monthly and bi-weekly gradual accrual as well as annual frontloading, so it matches whatever policy your organization runs.

Current PTO balance

Subtracts leave already taken and adds any carried-over balance, giving the real number of days available to book today.

Year-end projection

Projects the balance forward to December 31 of the current year, so employees and managers can plan time off before it is lost.

How It Works

How to use Leave Accrual Calculator

Enter joining date and accrual rate

Set the employee's start date and how many days of leave they earn per year (e.g. 20 days/year).

Choose accrual frequency

Select monthly, bi-weekly, or annual accrual. Annual gives the full balance at the start of the year; monthly and bi-weekly accrue gradually.

Subtract leave taken

Enter days already taken. The calculator shows remaining balance as of today.

Format Comparison

Leave accrual rate reference

Annual entitlement	Monthly accrual	Bi-weekly accrual
10 days / year	0.83 days	0.38 days
15 days / year	1.25 days	0.58 days
20 days / year	1.67 days	0.77 days
25 days / year	2.08 days	0.96 days
28 days / year (UK statutory)	2.33 days	1.08 days
30 days / year	2.50 days	1.15 days

Troubleshooting

How to fix common syntax errors

Most “invalid JSON” failures come from a small set of mistakes. Paste the failing JSON above, click Validate, and the tool points you at the exact line and column.

Using today's date instead of joining date as accrual startAccrual start = current month instead of hire month

Accrual always begins on the employee's first day. Even a mid-month start earns a partial period. Enter the actual joining date — the calculator counts completed periods from that point forward.

Applying full annual entitlement to part-time employees20 days entitlement for 3-day-per-week employee

Part-time entitlement is pro-rated by contracted hours: a 3/5 FTE employee earns 3/5 × 20 = 12 days. Enter the pro-rated annual entitlement, not the full-time equivalent.

Assuming carry-over when the policy is use-it-or-lose-itBalance = current accrual + previous year unused

Only add a carry-over balance if your policy explicitly allows it. Use-it-or-lose-it resets to zero at year end. Enter 0 in the carry-over field unless the HR policy document confirms rollover.

Counting calendar days instead of accrual periodsDays worked = 365 days × rate

Monthly accrual counts calendar months (12/year), not working days. Bi-weekly counts 26 pay periods/year. Dividing annual entitlement by 365 gives a daily rate for termination payouts — not for mid-year balance calculation.

Ignoring probation restrictions on accrual startAccrual from day 1 when policy freezes during 3-month probation

Check your policy. Some employers start accrual from confirmation date, not hire date. If your policy freezes accrual during probation, set the joining date to the confirmation date for an accurate balance.

Rounding accrued days up instead of truncating or banking partial days1.67 days rounded to 2 days each month

Most HR systems accumulate fractional days and only round at the point of booking — booking 5 days draws down 5.00 from a balance of 8.34. Do not round per period; let fractions accumulate until leave is taken.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Leave accrual is the process of earning paid time off incrementally throughout the year rather than receiving the full annual balance on a set date. An employee with a 20-day annual entitlement accrues 1.67 days per month (20 ÷ 12). Accrual benefits employers by limiting payout liability when an employee leaves mid-year, while frontloaded systems — crediting the full balance at year start — are more attractive to employees.

Free Software

Genius HRM — Free HR Management Software

Beyond calculators — manage your entire HR operation with Genius HRM. Self-hosted, open source, and free forever. Payroll, leave management, attendance tracking, performance appraisals, and employee records all in one platform.

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