Days Off Calculator
Enter your annual leave entitlement, how many days you have already taken, and your daily pay rate to find your remaining paid time off, your accrued balance to date, and the cash value of any unused leave. Switch between US, UK, Canada, and Australia for country-specific legal minimums, or enter a custom entitlement. Results update as you type.
What is a days off calculator and who needs one?
A days off calculator helps employees and managers quickly answer three questions: how many paid leave days you are entitled to, how many you have already accrued this year, and how many you have left to take. Knowing your remaining balance prevents two common problems: running out of leave unexpectedly mid-year, and losing unspent days at year end because many employers do not allow carry-over. HR managers find it equally useful to track team leave usage in bulk payroll planning. This calculator covers the full picture: annual entitlement (adjusted for part-time hours), accrual to any point in the year, days already taken, the remaining balance, and the monetary value of that balance at your daily pay rate.
How annual leave entitlement works
Most countries set a statutory floor for annual paid leave. The United Kingdom, for example, requires at least 20 working days (28 when public holidays are included). Australia mandates 4 weeks. The United States is unusual in having no federal minimum at all, though most employers voluntarily offer 10 to 15 days. Part-time employees are entitled to a pro-rata share: if you work 20 hours a week in a 40-hour full-time role, you receive half the full-time entitlement. Your entitlement is fixed for the year, but when you can access it depends on your employer's accrual method. Some employers give all days upfront on day one of the leave year; others release them gradually with each pay period.
Accrual methods explained
The accrual method determines how quickly your leave balance builds up. With the "all upfront" method your full year's entitlement appears in your balance on the first day of the leave year, so you can book a two-week holiday in January if you want. Monthly accrual releases one-twelfth of your annual entitlement each month, bi-weekly accrual releases one twenty-sixth each pay period, and weekly accrual releases one fifty-second each week. If you accrue monthly and your year started six months ago, you have accrued roughly half your entitlement regardless of whether you have taken any days off. The remaining balance is simply your accrued total minus the days you have already taken. If you are on an incremental accrual scheme, this calculator also shows how many days you still have to earn before year end.
Valuing your unused leave
Unused leave has real monetary value, especially when you change jobs or when your employer allows a payout at year end. The simplest way to estimate this is to multiply the number of remaining days by your daily gross pay. Your daily rate is your annual salary divided by the number of working days in the year (typically 260 for a five-day, 52-week schedule). Many employment contracts cap how many unused days you can carry over or cash out, so check your contract alongside this figure. In some jurisdictions, such as Australia and the UK, employers are legally required to pay out accrued leave on termination.
Annual leave entitlements by country
| Country | Statutory leave (days) | Typical public holidays | Total (leave + holidays) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 0 | 11 | 11 | No federal mandate; median employer offer is 10 days. |
| United Kingdom | 20 | 8 | 28 | Statutory 5.6 weeks; may include up to 8 bank holidays. |
| Canada | 10 | 10 | 20 | 2 weeks after 1 year; rises to 3 weeks after 5 years. |
| Australia | 20 | 10 | 30 | 4 weeks annual leave + 10 public holidays is standard. |
| European Union | 20 | 9 | 29 | EU minimum is 4 weeks; most member states mandate more. |
| Germany | 20 | 10 | 30 | Federal minimum 20 days; many employers give 25-30. |
| France | 25 | 11 | 36 | 5 weeks is the French statutory floor. |
| Japan | 10 | 16 | 26 | 10 days after 6 months; rises to 20 days after 6.5 years. |
Statutory minimums (business days). Actual employer offers often exceed the legal floor.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my remaining days off?
Subtract the number of days you have already taken from your accrued balance. If your employer gives all leave upfront, your accrued balance equals your full annual entitlement. If you accrue monthly, multiply the number of months elapsed by your monthly accrual rate (annual entitlement divided by 12), then subtract days taken. This calculator does all of that automatically.
Do part-time employees get less annual leave?
Yes, pro-rata. A part-time employee working 20 hours in a 40-hour full-time role receives half the full-time entitlement. The formula is: (hours worked per week divided by 40) multiplied by the full-time annual entitlement. Most countries, including the UK and Australia, require employers to apply this formula.
What is the statutory minimum annual leave in the US?
There is no federal minimum. The Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to provide paid vacation, sick leave, or holidays. However, almost all sizable US employers voluntarily offer paid time off. The median is around 10 days for new employees, rising to 15 or more after several years of service. Some states and cities have their own leave mandates.
Can I carry over unused leave to next year?
It depends on your employer's policy and your country's law. UK law allows carry-over only in limited circumstances (for example, when leave could not be taken due to illness or maternity). Many US employers operate a "use it or lose it" rule at year end, or allow a limited carry-over of 5 to 10 days. Australian law permits unlimited carry-over, though employers may direct staff to take leave if the balance becomes excessive.
How do I convert my annual salary to a daily rate for the unused leave value?
Divide your gross annual salary by the number of working days in the year. For a standard five-day week over 52 weeks that is 260 days. For example, a $52,000 annual salary gives a daily rate of $52,000 / 260 = $200 per day. Multiply that by the number of remaining paid leave days to get the cash value of your unused leave.
What happens to my accrued leave if I leave my job?
In most countries, employers must pay out any accrued but unused leave on termination. This is a legal right in the UK, Australia, and most of Europe. In the US, whether unused PTO must be paid out depends on state law and your employment contract. Some states, such as California, treat accrued PTO as earned wages that must always be paid out; others allow "use it or lose it" policies.
Do public holidays count as annual leave?
Usually not, but it depends on your employment contract. In the UK, employers may count the 8 bank holidays as part of the statutory 28-day entitlement, which means the actual "free" vacation days above public holidays could be as few as 20. In Australia, public holidays are in addition to the 20-day annual leave entitlement. Always check your contract to see how public holidays are treated.