Vacation Days Calculator
Prorated vacation = yearly days × months worked ÷ 12. Someone entitled to 15 days a year who starts in July gets 7.5 days for the rest of the year. Add carryover and days already taken to see what is left.
- Prorated days = annual days × months worked ÷ 12.
- 15 days a year = 1.25 days per month.
- Remaining = prorated + carryover − used.
- US law does not require paid vacation; the EU requires at least 4 weeks.
How to calculate prorated vacation
- Start with the annual entitlementFrom the contract or policy — e.g. 15 days.
- Prorate for the part of the year worked15 × 6 ÷ 12 = 7.5 days for a 1 July start. Some employers prorate by days or pay periods instead of months.
- Add carryover, subtract days taken7.5 + 2 carried over − 3 taken = 6.5 days left.
- Convert to hours if your system uses hours6.5 × 8 = 52 hours.
How to use the Vacation Days calculator
Fill in the fields above and press Calculate. Results appear straight away, in your browser — nothing is sent or stored.
- Vacation days per year — starts at 15; replace it with your own figure.
- Months worked this year — Use 6 for someone who started 1 July.
- Days carried over
- Days already taken
- Hours per workday — starts at 8; replace it with your own figure.
Change any value and press Calculate again to compare scenarios. All figures are estimates for planning; check them against your own policy, contract and local rules before using them for payroll.
Vacation proration table
Prorated vacation days by months worked for common annual entitlements:
| Months worked | 10 days/yr | 15 days/yr | 20 days/yr | 25 days/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| 2 months | 1.7 | 2.5 | 3.3 | 4.2 |
| 3 months | 2.5 | 3.8 | 5.0 | 6.2 |
| 4 months | 3.3 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 8.3 |
| 5 months | 4.2 | 6.2 | 8.3 | 10.4 |
| 6 months | 5.0 | 7.5 | 10.0 | 12.5 |
| 7 months | 5.8 | 8.8 | 11.7 | 14.6 |
| 8 months | 6.7 | 10.0 | 13.3 | 16.7 |
| 9 months | 7.5 | 11.2 | 15.0 | 18.8 |
| 10 months | 8.3 | 12.5 | 16.7 | 20.8 |
| 11 months | 9.2 | 13.8 | 18.3 | 22.9 |
| 12 months | 10.0 | 15.0 | 20.0 | 25.0 |
Many employers round to the nearest half or whole day; your policy decides which.
Vacation days: quick answers
How many vacation days do I get if I get 15 days a year and start on 1 July?
7.5 days for the rest of the year.
How many vacation days do I get if I get 20 days and start on 1 April?
15 days (9 months).
How many vacation days do I get if I get 10 days and start on 1 October?
2.5 days (3 months).
How many vacation days do I get if I get 25 days and leave on 30 September?
18.75 days earned (9 months).
How many vacation days do I get if I get 15 days, carried over 3 and used 8?
10 days left for a full year.
How many vacation days do I get if I get 20 days a year — how much per month??
1.67 days a month.
Vacation rules around the world
- United States: no federal requirement for paid vacation. Employers set policies; some states regulate payout and forfeiture of earned vacation.
- European Union: the Working Time Directive guarantees at least 4 weeks of paid annual leave, and many countries give more.
- United Kingdom: 5.6 weeks of statutory leave (28 days for a 5-day week, which can include public holidays).
- Other countries: minimums vary widely; many set entitlements that rise with years of service.
For distributed teams, keep each person’s entitlement under their own country’s rules — StaffTiming for global teams records leave against local calendars.
Worked examples
Real-world scenarios, worked through step by step.
Mid-year starter
20 days a year, starts 1 May (8 months): 13.33 days, rounded to 13.5 under a half-day policy.
Leaver
15 days a year, leaves 31 August having taken 9 days: earned 10 days, so 1 day may be owed (if the policy or state law requires payout).
Tier change
Moves from 15 to 20 days on 1 September: 8 months × 15/12 + 4 months × 20/12 = 10 + 6.67 = 16.67 days.
Part-time
Works 3 days a week; full-time entitlement 20 days → 12 days (20 × 3 ÷ 5).
Vacation by years of service
Many US employers increase vacation with tenure, for example 10 days in years 1–2, 15 days from year 3 and 20 days from year 6 or 10. These tiers are employer policies, not legal requirements. When someone moves up a tier mid-year, prorate each tier separately: 4 months at 10 days and 8 months at 15 days = 3.33 + 10 = 13.33 days for that year.
Vacation days vs PTO
Some employers keep separate banks for vacation, sick days and personal days; others combine them into a single PTO bank. Either way the arithmetic is the same — the difference is what the time can be used for. If your time off builds up each paycheck rather than being granted yearly, use the pto accrual calculator.
Counting vacation in working days
Vacation is taken in working days: a week off Monday–Friday uses 5 days, and a public holiday inside the week normally does not use a vacation day. The work days calculator counts the working days in any date range, with US federal holidays excluded.
Planning leave across a team is easier with a shared view of who is off when — see attendance tracking.
Vacation payout: what to check
When an employee leaves, unused vacation may have to be paid out. Check three things:
- State law: some states treat earned vacation as wages that must be paid at termination; others allow the written policy to decide.
- Your written policy: payout, forfeiture and caps should be stated clearly and acknowledged by employees.
- The calculation: prorated entitlement + carryover − days taken, multiplied by the daily rate.
A negative balance (more taken than earned) can be recovered from final pay only where state law allows it — check before deducting.
Planning vacation across a team
Most coverage problems come from clustering: everyone wants the same summer weeks and the same days around holidays. A shared leave calendar, a request deadline for peak periods and a minimum-cover rule per team solve most of it. Count requests in working days with the work days calculator so public holidays are not charged as vacation.
How different industries use it
- healthcare: Vacation is planned around minimum staffing per ward; requests for holiday periods need early deadlines.
- accounting firms: Busy season blackouts are common; vacation is concentrated in quieter months.
- call centers and bpos: Leave is capped per day to protect service levels.
- Distributed teams: Entitlements follow each country’s rules; see the global teams guide.
- ecommerce and retail: Peak trading periods often restrict leave; communicate the dates at the start of the year.
Do it in Excel or Google Sheets
Annual days in B1, start date in B2 (for a calendar leave year).
- Months remaining in the year
=13-MONTH(B2) - Prorated days
=B1*(13-MONTH(B2))/12 - Days remaining (carryover C2, used D2)
=B1*(13-MONTH(B2))/12+C2-D2 - Round to nearest half day
=MROUND(E2,0.5)
The month formula counts the start month as a full month; use a day-based proration if your policy requires it.
Who uses the Vacation Days calculator — and why
- HR calculating entitlements for starters and leavers.
- Payroll calculating vacation payout.
- Employees planning trips.
- Managers approving leave.
- Small businesses writing a first vacation policy.
- International teams comparing entitlements.
How we calculate
- Prorated entitlement = annual days × months worked ÷ 12.
- Available = prorated + carryover − used; hours = days × hours per day.
- There is no US federal requirement to provide paid vacation; policies and some state laws on payout differ.
- All calculations run in your browser; nothing you type is sent to StaffTiming or stored.
Formulas checked against the sources above. Last reviewed: October 2026. This tool gives estimates for planning, not legal, tax or payroll advice.
Key terms explained
- Vacation entitlement
- Paid vacation days per year under the contract or policy.
- Proration
- Giving a share of the annual entitlement for part of a year.
- Carryover
- Unused days moved into the next year.
- Payout
- Paying unused vacation when employment ends.
- Tenure tiers
- Entitlements that increase with years of service.
- Working Time Directive
- EU law setting at least 4 weeks of paid leave.
- Statutory leave
- Leave required by law.
- Leave year
- The 12-month period the entitlement applies to.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate prorated vacation days?
Multiply the annual days by the months worked and divide by 12.
How many vacation days is standard in the US?
There is no legal standard. Many employers offer 10–15 days to start, rising with tenure.
Is paid vacation required by US law?
No federal law requires it.
How many days of leave do EU workers get?
At least 4 weeks of paid annual leave under EU law.
Do part-time employees get vacation?
If the policy includes them, usually prorated by days or hours worked.
Are public holidays part of vacation days?
Usually not in the US; in the UK the statutory 5.6 weeks can include bank holidays.
Is unused vacation paid when I leave?
It depends on the state and the policy.
How do I convert vacation days to hours?
Multiply by your hours per workday — 10 days × 8 = 80 hours.
What if I take more vacation than I have earned?
Policies differ; some allow a negative balance and recover it from final pay where state law permits.
Can I carry over vacation days?
If your policy allows it. Some states prohibit forfeiture, so policies use caps.
How much vacation per month is 15 days a year?
1.25 days.
How is vacation prorated for a leaver?
The same way: annual days × months worked ÷ 12, minus days taken.
How do I calculate vacation days for a part-time employee?
Multiply the full-time entitlement by the employee’s days per week ÷ 5, or use hours: full-time days × hours per week ÷ 40.
How do I calculate vacation days by days worked instead of months?
Annual days × days employed in the year ÷ 365 (or ÷ working days in the year if your policy uses working days).
What is the average vacation in the US?
There is no legal minimum. Paid vacation commonly grows with years of service; check your employer’s policy.
Are sick days part of vacation?
Only if your employer uses a combined PTO bank. Many keep sick leave separate, and several states require it.
Can I cash out vacation days?
Some employers allow it; some states require payout at termination. It depends on the policy and state law.
How do I calculate vacation for someone who changes hours mid-year?
Prorate each period separately by the hours or days worked in it, then add the results together.
Automate this with real tracked data.
StaffTiming records hours as they happen and turns them into payroll-ready timesheets, so you never re-type a calculation.