Vacation accrual calculator
Leave balance from the annual entitlement, months worked and days taken.
Fill in the fields and the result will appear here automatically.
Prorates the entered annual leave allowance by months worked within one 12-month period. With 28 days, the model gives 28/12≈2.333 days per month and retains the fraction to avoid accumulating rounding errors. This is a selected accounting method, not a statement about when law or contract grants leave. A negative balance means days used exceed modeled accrual; it does not determine a salary deduction on departure.
How it works
Formula and logic
For annual days D>0, months M from 0 to 12 and used days U≥0: monthly D/12, accrued A=(D/12)×M, balance B=A−U. Months and used days may be fractional; an entered part-month is used directly, without a calendar threshold. The result is not rounded to whole or half days for granting leave. Previous-year carryover, special arrangements and cash settlement are excluded.
Example
A 28-day entitlement after 7 months with 5 days taken leaves a balance of 11.333 days. With allowance 24 days, 0.5 months and 2 days used, accrual is 1 and balance −1. At 12 months, accrual equals the full allowance; 12.1 months exceeds one period and returns an error.
Fields and units
- Annual leave entitlement, days — days/year
- Months worked — months
- Days already taken — days
How to use
- — Enter the annual leave entitlement in days.
- — Enter how many months have been worked in the leave year.
- — Enter the days already taken.
- — Enter the part-month you want to model; legal counting and rounding rules require separate verification.
Method and limitations
- Calculation method
- Formula and logic
- Data or methodology source
- GOV.UK: specific UK accrual and rounding arrangements; not a universal leave rule
- Limitation
- One-year linear accrual determines no legal entitlement, rounding, carryover, compensation or deduction. Allowance and applicable rules must be established separately; language does not select the employment jurisdiction.
FAQ
Why is the monthly figure fractional?
Because 28/12 is not a whole number. The calculator retains the fractional allowance until display. This is not a rule for every payroll system: a specific UK first-year rule, for example, rounds 2.33 up to 2.5 days; it is not applied automatically here.
Can the balance be negative?
Yes. It is only the difference between linear accrual and used days. Advance leave, compensation and deductions depend on applicable rules and contract; the negative number is not a debt calculation.
Do part months count?
Yes. This model accepts 0.5 months and prorates directly. It does not count dates or declare a local threshold. If a contract uses another method, establish the appropriate month input separately.
Does unused leave carry over?
That depends on the jurisdiction and the contract. Some allow carry-over with a deadline, others require payment instead, and this calculation covers neither.