Work out how many hours you earn on each paycheck, add that amount every pay period, and
subtract the time off you use. For example, 10 days a year at 8 hours a day is 80 hours;
on a biweekly schedule with 26 paychecks, that is about 3.08 hours per pay period.
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Doing it by hand
Find your accrual rate in your employer’s policy. It is usually stated as days per
year, hours per year, hours per pay period, or hours earned per hours worked.
Convert it to hours per paycheck: annual hours divided by paychecks per year — 52
weekly, 26 biweekly, 24 semi-monthly, or 12 monthly.
If you earn by hours worked (for example, 1 hour off for every 40 worked), multiply the
hours you worked in the period by that rate instead.
Keep a running ledger with one row per pay date: previous balance, plus accrual, minus
time used, equals the new balance. A spreadsheet works well.
Check it against your pay stub or HR portal every few paychecks. Employers round
differently (3.08 versus 3.077 hours), and small differences add up over a year; when
the numbers disagree, start again from your employer’s figure.
Where PTO Minder helps
Your real pay schedule: weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly,
with configurable semi-monthly pay days.
Accrual the way your policy states it, in days or hours: per year
(spread evenly across paychecks), per pay period, an annual lump sum, a monthly grant,
or per hours worked for hourly and part-time jobs, based on your estimated hours per
week.
A pay-period ledger with accrual, usage, and the running balance for
each period, carried forward into a forecast.
Reconciliation: when a balance does not match your pay stub, enter the
pay stub’s number and PTO Minder corrects course from there.
The free version covers one employer and one balance-bearing PTO bank,
with forecasting, the calendar, holidays, reconciliation, and backup. No account is
required.
Its limits
PTO Minder does not connect to payroll, HR, or employer systems. You enter your own
rules, and your employer’s records are the authority.
More balance-bearing banks, accrual caps, carryover and expiration tracking, and
scheduled accrual changes are part of PTO Minder Plus, a one-time in-app purchase.
iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later; the Apple Watch app is part of Plus.