How much does PTO cost an employer?

Asked by: Bertrand O'Kon  |  Last update: June 5, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (13 votes)

Different types of paid leave benefits. Paid leave benefits cost employers on average $2.94 dollars per hour in September 2022, representing 7.4 percent of total compensation costs.

How much does an employee actually cost an employer?

According to the Small Business Administration, hiring a new employee can cost 1.2 to 1.4 times their salary. This means if you hire a part-time employee, who will likely make $10,000 based on their hours worked and wages, you will actually end up paying $12,000- $14,000, all things considered.

Does a job have to pay you for PTO?

These rules differ depending on the state. California, for example, requires all unused PTO, regardless of when it was earned, to be paid out at the employee's current rate of pay. Several states required earned PTO to be paid to the employee as part of the final wages they receive upon termination of employment.

How is the cost of PTO calculated?

Calculating the Value of Your PTO

You can calculate the value of your yearly set PTO and accrued PTO with the same calculation. Simply divide your annual salary by the days you work in a year and you get the value of one PTO day.

How much do employee benefits cost a company?

Let's talk about the cost of employee benefits for a minute. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of benefits per employee in the private industry is $10.88 per hour — around 30% of the total cost of hiring an employee. The actual amount varies based on things like industry and base salaries.

Paying Employee PTO: How to Budget for This - Business Management

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How do you calculate the cost of benefits for an employee?

Take the total annual employer costs of each benefit to get the total cost of yearly benefits. Then, divide the total yearly benefits expense by the employee's annual salary. This will help you calculate the individual benefits as a percentage of the person's salary.

What is the average PTO in the US?

Let's delve into the statistics. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American worker receives 11 paid vacation days yearly, increasing to 15 after five years and 20 after two decades. However, these are averages; no federal mandate for guaranteed PTO exists.

How much does PTO cost employers?

Paid leave benefits cost employers on average $2.94 dollars per hour in September 2022, representing 7.4 percent of total compensation costs. The cost of paid leave is calculated by multiplying the total leave time used by the rate at which the employee was paid during the used leave time.

What is a typical PTO accrual rate?

What is the average PTO accrual rate? In addition, the average PTO for those who've been working in the private sector for more than 5 years is 15 days. So, the average accrual rate for long-term employees is 1.25 days per month. You can use these stats to come up with a fair accrual rate for your business.

Why is my PTO payout taxed so high?

Vacation money is not considered part of your regular salary; rather, it is considered a bonus. Imagine that an employee accumulates money from unused vacation days. The IRS taxes it at a rate of 22% rather than utilizing the standard tax brackets.

How to calculate PTO payout?

Salaried employees

Let's say your full-time employee makes $60,000 a year and has 45 hours of accrued PTO. You'll divide $60,000 by 2080 hours, which is the equivalent of a full-time employee. $60,000 / 2,080 = $28.85 per hour. Now you can calculate the PTO payout: $28.85 x 45 = $1,298.25.

Do you lose PTO when you quit?

A few states have laws requiring companies to pay employees for their unused PTO without exceptions. If you work in these states, you can generally expect to receive payment for your PTO when you leave a company. These states are: California.

Should I use my sick days before quitting?

Requesting to take PTO or sick days during the resignation period is oftentimes frowned upon by employers, and may be viewed as unprofessional. It is generally expected that the employee will give proper notice and work out the entire 2-week period, to minimize operational disruptions.

What is the biggest cost to an employer?

Labor costs generally account for a company's largest operating expense.

How much does it cost an employer to pay an employee $15 an hour?

Here's a labor cost example: Let's say an employee is paid $15 per hour. If they work 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, they will work 2,080 hours, which makes their labor cost $31,200 (pre-tax) per year.

How much will your work cost your employer?

The Basic Formula for Estimating Employee Cost

A commonly used formula estimates that the total cost of an employee is 1.25 to 1.4 times their base salary. This figure considers the additional expenses employers incur, such as benefits, payroll taxes and even recruitment costs.

Is 20 days of PTO good?

If they're talking specifically about vacation days, then 10-20 days of paid vacation is very good. You'll be getting anywhere between two and four weeks off work per year, all of which is paid – and it doesn't include sickness or holidays! In conclusion, it is normal to receive around 10 vacation days per year.

How do most companies calculate PTO?

Accrual per hour worked

To determine the amount of PTO, employers need to determine the hourly accrual rate. The calculation is based on the amount of PTO offered per year divided by the number of work hours per year. This can vary quite a bit depending on your situation and policy.

What is the standard PTO policy for a small business?

The average vacation time is based on how many years an employee works for your small business. The average paid vacation days per year for employees who have been with a business for 1-5 years is ten days. Employees who have been with a business for 5-10 years receive an average of 15 days for vacation.

How much does a company spend on benefits per employee?

The average benefit-cost ratio is approximately 30% to 40%. This means an additional 30 to 40 cents will be spent on employee benefits for every dollar spent on wages or salaries. However, this ratio can vary depending on the benefits offered and the industry.

What is a fair PTO policy?

It depends. Every PTO plan is different, but while traditional leave policies typically grant employees 30 paid days off per year — 10 days of paid vacation, 8 sick days, 2 personal days, plus 10 paid holidays, most PTO policies give employees between 15 and 20 days plus company-observed holidays.

What is generous PTO?

Here's how I'd define generous and average time off compensation: Generous Vacation = 20+ days, average = 10-15 days. Generous Sick Time = 15+ days or "as needed" policy. Average 12 days (1 per month).

What is a reasonable PTO?

Most satisfied workers take an average of 15 days of PTO

This survey also showed that, in general, remote employees take an average of 14 PTO days annually. On the other hand, on-site workers need 15 days off on average.

How to negotiate more PTO?

How to negotiate vacation time
  1. Understand the company's PTO policy. ...
  2. Practice your request. ...
  3. Communicate with your supervisor. ...
  4. Ask for more vacation time, if needed. ...
  5. Follow the requested protocol.