Leave Balance Calculator
Check your remaining leave balance in seconds. Enter your annual entitlement, carried-over days, and leave already taken — see exactly how many days you have left, plus the rules on carry-over, pro-rating, and encashment.
Quick answer: Leave balance = entitlement + carry-over − taken − booked. With 20 days entitlement, 3 carried over, 7 taken and 2 booked, you have 14 days available. Mid-year joiners are usually pro-rated by month: joining July 1 on a 20-day policy gives about 10 days.
Leave Balance Formula
Leave Balance = Entitlement + Carry-over − Taken − Booked
Including "booked but not yet taken" is the step most people skip — and it's why employees think they have more leave than HR does. Your true available balance is what remains after every approved future booking, not just past absences.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — standard year. Nisha gets 20 days a year, carried over 3, has taken 7, and has 2 booked for December:
- Balance: 20 + 3 − 7 − 2 = 14 days available
Example 2 — mid-year joiner. Arjun joins on July 1 at a company giving 24 days per calendar year. His first-year entitlement is pro-rated: 24 × (6 ÷ 12) = 12 days. Having taken 4, his balance is 8.
Example 3 — accruing policy. At a company accruing 1.67 days/month (20/year), by end of August an employee has accrued 13.36 days. Taken 10? The usable balance is 3.36 — not the 10 that "20 minus 10" suggests. If your employer accrues monthly, calculate your accrued figure first with the PTO accrual calculator and use it as the entitlement here.
Statutory Leave Entitlements Compared
| Country | Statutory minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 28 days (5.6 weeks) incl. bank holidays | Pro-rated for part-time; 12.07% accrual for irregular hours |
| United States | None federally | Typical private policies: 10–15 days + holidays |
| India | ~12–21 days earned leave | Varies by state Shops & Establishments Act / Factories Act (1 day per 20 worked) |
| European Union | 4 weeks minimum | Working Time Directive floor; most countries exceed it |
| Australia | 4 weeks | 5 weeks for some shift workers |
Types of Leave That Make Up Your Balance
Most Indian employers split the pool: Earned/Privilege Leave (EL/PL) — the main bank, usually carries over and is encashable; Casual Leave (CL) — short-notice personal needs, typically lapses yearly; Sick Leave (SL) — often needs a certificate beyond 2-3 days, usually lapses. US/UK employers increasingly merge everything into one PTO pool. This calculator works for any single pool — run each type separately if your employer tracks them separately, because their carry-over rules differ.
Carry-Over Rules: What Happens to Unused Days
- Capped carry-over (most common): e.g. maximum 5 days into the new year, rest lapses. India's Factories Act pattern allows EL accumulation up to 30 days typically.
- Use-it-or-lose-it: balance resets January 1. Legal in most US states and in India for CL/SL — but illegal in California and restricted in several states where accrued vacation is earned wages.
- Unlimited accumulation: rare outside government; balances become a real liability, which is why finance teams push caps.
- UK nuance: statutory 4 weeks (EU-derived) generally cannot be carried over except around sickness/parental leave; the extra 1.6 UK weeks can, by agreement.
Practical rule: check your policy's carry-over section in October, not December — late enough to know your balance, early enough to actually book the days before they lapse.
Leave Balance When You Resign
Unused earned leave usually converts to money in your exit settlement. In India, EL encashment at (Basic + DA ÷ 30) × days is standard in the full and final settlement — estimate yours with the leave encashment calculator. In US payout states (California, Colorado, Illinois and others), accrued vacation must be paid at your final rate — the PTO payout calculator covers state rules. Two cautions: leave taken during notice may extend your notice period, and some policies exclude leave earned in the notice month from encashment.
Keeping Your Own Leave Ledger (and Why)
HR systems get leave balances wrong more often than you'd expect — untracked half-days, holiday overlaps, accrual timing bugs, and policy-tier changes at anniversaries are the usual culprits. A five-minute quarterly habit protects you: export or screenshot your official balance, reconcile against your own list of dates taken, and flag mismatches immediately (disputes about March are hard to win in December). The copy button on this calculator's result makes the ledger entry for you. This matters most in payout jurisdictions, where every wrongly-deducted day is literally money at your final rate of pay.
For Employers: Leave Liability Basics
Every unused day on the books is a debt priced at current salary — and it gets more expensive with every raise. A 100-person company averaging 8 unused days at a ₹3,000/day average carries a ₹24 lakh liability. Standard controls: carry-over caps, use-it-or-lose-it where lawful, encashment windows to burn down balances at known cost, and nudging high-balance employees to actually take leave — which also correlates with lower absenteeism and better retention.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate my leave balance?
Add annual entitlement and carry-over, then subtract leave taken and leave booked. 20 + 3 − 7 − 2 = 14 days remaining.
Do unused leave days carry over to next year?
Depends on policy and law. Many employers cap carry-over (e.g. 5 days) or apply use-it-or-lose-it. California prohibits forfeiting accrued vacation; India typically allows EL accumulation to around 30 days.
How is leave balance calculated for mid-year joiners?
Entitlement is pro-rated by months worked. Joining July 1 with a 20-day annual policy gives roughly 10 days for that year.
What is the difference between EL, CL, and SL?
Earned/Privilege Leave accrues with service, carries over, and is encashable. Casual Leave covers short personal needs and usually lapses yearly. Sick Leave covers illness, often needs a certificate, and usually lapses.
Can my employer refuse my leave request?
Generally yes, for business reasons with proper notice — but they cannot prevent you from ever using statutory minimum leave (UK/EU) or violate their own written policy.
Is my leave balance paid out when I quit?
Earned leave usually is: India encashes EL in the FnF settlement; US payout states require accrued vacation payout; UK employers must pay untaken statutory holiday on termination.
Does leave accrue during notice period?
Usually yes for served notice, since you remain employed. However, some policies exclude notice-month accrual from encashment, and leave taken during notice can extend your end date.
What is a healthy leave balance to maintain?
Keep 3–5 days as an emergency buffer and use the rest deliberately. Sitting at your accrual cap means every extra week worked is compensation you are declining.
How do half-days affect my balance?
Half-days deduct 0.5 from your balance. This calculator accepts 0.5 steps in every field, so enter them exactly — untracked half-days are the most common source of HR balance mismatches.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: July 10, 2026