PTO policies for small business
- Sections in the handbook
- 19
- Paid time off, hours a year
- 120
- PTO accrued per period, hours
- $4.62
Every figure on this page is computed from the inputs you enter, by the method stated below it. The only constants HeadcountDesk supplies are the published federal payroll tax rates and the overtime multiplier, each cited where it is used. The defaults are a worked example to replace with your own.
PTO policies for a small business come in two shapes, and the handbook picks one: accrual per pay period, which keeps the liability small and the balance visible, or a front-loaded allowance on a date, which is simpler and creates the liability on day one. Around either sit the same figures, the days, the cap, the carryover, the payout, the notice and the coverage rule, and the state's overlay on sick leave and payout. The employee handbook template on this site writes the section from your figures, free and without an account; HeadcountDesk Pro keeps the balances and applies the rules.
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Accrual
A fraction of the year's days each pay period, visible as a balance, with the cap stopping it growing forever. Suits a business with turnover in the first year, because nobody leaves in month two with a year's PTO paid out.
Front-loaded
The year's days on a date, usually the anniversary or January. Simpler to explain, and the handbook needs a rule for a leaver who has used more than they had earned.
The figures around either
Days, cap, carryover, payout, notice, coverage. The free employee handbook template on this site asks for each and writes the section; Pro applies them to every request.
The state overlay
Separate paid sick leave, mandatory payout at leaving and a ban on use-it-or-lose-it are state rules in some states; the addendum carries them. From the vendors' own pricing pages: Homebase lists Essentials at $24 per location per month billed annually or $30 monthly, with a free Basic plan for one location of up to ten employees; BambooHR lists Core at $10 and Pro at $17 per employee per month; Deputy lists Core at $6.50 per user per month. HeadcountDesk Pro is $24 a month per location.
PTO policies for small business: common questions
Accrual or front-loaded for a small business?
Accrual keeps the liability small and suits early turnover; front-loading is simpler. The handbook says which and the calculator applies it.
Is the handbook template free?
Yes, with the state addendum and no account. Pro keeps the balances.
Can I have different policies for different roles?
Yes, applied consistently within each group and written in the handbook.
Will it do what you need for PTO policies for small business?
Tell us what your business needs and we will tell you straight whether HeadcountDesk Pro does it today, whether it is coming, or whether you are better off with something else. A person reads these and replies.