Typical PTO policy
- 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.
A typical PTO policy for a small employer is not a number of days; it is the same seven decisions every employer makes, written into one handbook section: the days per year, accrual per pay period or a front-loaded allowance, the cap, the carryover, the payout at leaving where the state does not decide it, the notice to take time and the coverage rule. The employee handbook template on this site writes the section from your figures with a state addendum, free and without an account; HeadcountDesk Pro keeps the balances and applies the rules.
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The decisions everyone makes
Days, accrual, cap, carryover, payout, notice, coverage. The free employee handbook template on this site asks for each and writes the section.
The accrual choice
Per pay period with a cap, or front-loaded on a date with a rule for leavers who used more than they earned. Either is typical; the handbook says which.
Applied consistently
Every request against the balance and the coverage rule, decided and recorded. Pro does that.
The state
Paid sick leave, payout at leaving and 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.
Typical PTO policy: common questions
How many PTO days is typical?
No figure is quoted here; the number is the one you can afford and hire with, and the template takes yours.
Is the handbook template free?
Yes, with the state addendum and no account. Pro keeps the balances.
Should PTO include sick days?
Where the state requires separate paid sick leave, no; elsewhere one bank is common. The addendum says which applies.
Will it do what you need for Typical PTO policy?
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.