How much PTO do you have?

welly01 · June 2014

I know I've seen this question before but just wanted to check again.

How much PTO do you have? Is it one pool or do you have vacation/sick/etc?

I'm reluctantly looking for a job but I know my current job has some pretty competitive benefits so it makes it hard to want to leave. I currently get 5 1/2 weeks in one pool of PTO. Just trying to see if 2 weeks is pretty standard or if people are getting a little more lately.

Has anyone negotiated for more PTO that is more than company policy?

jlaOK · June 2014

I get 2 weeks of sick and vacation. It sucks and I feel like it isn't enough especially with young kids who get sick a lot.

cecilyandgautam · June 2014

I think I could make 2 weeks vacation work if the company is one that also is closed xmas - new years & friday after thanksgiving. I also could make due with less sick leave if the company had a specific maternity leave policy; I currently hoard up my sick leave for maternity purposes and have been for years.

To answer your question though, I get 4 weeks vacation & 2.5 weeks sick. We get off federal holidays, but nothing else so aside from xmas week, that leaves about 3 weeks of vacation time a year - which again, I hoard up for maternity leave. I haven't taken a vacation other than to see family on holidays since my honeymoon.

mlee116 · June 2014

We get 10 hours vacation/month (=3 weeks) plus 8 hours a month sick. We also get most holidays but they do float some until the end of the year so that we are off 7-8 days around Christmas. If you are here over 5 years, vacation goes up to 14 hours a month.

I feel like I have a good amount of time compared to other places I've worked.

mae0111 · June 2014

I get 20 days vacation, 3 floating holidays, and unlimited sick time. The result is that I rarely take an actual sick day. I work as much as I can from home when I or the nanny/kids are sick. My coworkers have similar attitudes - it's rare that they're not online for at least part of a sick day.

Tink112011 · June 2014

I get a lot. I get 27 vacation days each year.

We also start with 22 sick days in a bank, and add 8 days to that bank every year. That all rolls over.

We also get 9 paid holidays each year.

I have been at my job 5 years, and that is the amount of PTO I started with.

This amount of PTO is definitely a large consideration when I think about changing jobs.

momofcatan · June 2014

I get 12 vacation/personal days, and 2 sick days (don't get me started on how stupid I think that is). We shut down between x-mas and new years, but need to use our PTO or not get paid. My biggest wish for this job would be more PTO, I use all my days just taking of for Jewish holidays and the x-mas shut down.

DiveFrog · June 2014

I currently get 5 weeks vacation. Sick and personal time is unlimited and by manager approval. We also get somewhere around an additional 20 paid holiday days. The exact number fluctuates based on the calendar.

The down side to our PTO benefit is my company will often dictate which weeks some of your vacation must be taken. Traditionally, we are always told we must take the first 2 weeks of July off.

Also, we aren't able to accumulate and roll over any days from one year to the next.

New hires start out with 3 weeks vacation. After 5 yrs. it goes up to 4 weeks, and you get 5wks at 10yrs service.

The PTO benefits and specifically the unlimited personal and sick time definitely makes me think twice about moving to a different company. I do however think quite often about changing jobs within my company.

EDIT IT TO ADD: The other thing that really bites about all the time I get off is DH's job is horrible about time off. He basically gets 10 days PTO/yr. period. No paid holidays. So, if anything needs to be done where one of us would need to take time off it is ALWAYS me. And I am often leaving DH at home and "vacationing" without him.

VOR · June 2014

22 vacation
3 personal
15 sick
16 holidays

I work for a state university. The above is why it's VERY hard to leave my job. It lends me a LOT of flexibility.

shopgirl78 · June 2014

10, only 5 allowed for personal. And no more than 3 in a row. But I'm off all summer (mins a couple of days for PD) and all school holidays.

rockychryslerb2010 · June 2014

25 vacation days and 3 personal days, plus 9 holidays throughout the year.

They are pretty flexible with sick leave and stepping out for appointments. We used to have 6 sick days to use, but they recently got rid of them.

Nothing carries over. I'm also at the cap of vacation days - based on my time with the company and position, I won't be able to get more. It is hard enough to take the 25 days a year anyway!

vvvvvfee · June 2014

12 paid holidays
20 vacation days
1 personal day
12 sick days, plus flex time for doctor's appointments (starting later this year i will be getting 24 sick days per year, since i will have been at my current job f/t for 10 years)

sick/vacation time are earned per month of work, though, so you don't get all your sick/vacation time up front each year.

DH, on the other hand, gets 20 days of PTO time and just the 5 major holidays off.

groovygrl · June 2014

22 vacation, sick is pretty loose, i believe it is up to 6 weeks but i have a role in my organization that allows for flexibility & I don't do a timesheet or anything. I document all of it on a spreadsheet in case anyone ever asks or questions my time. 2 weeks combined sick/vacation seems crazy to me, but in my field/workplace settings that is not really the norm so I guess it all depends.

Jenn06L80 · June 2014

I get 10.16 hours a paycheck. I get paid 26 times a year so 264.16 hours total. I can acculmate up to 320 before I cap.

lilies&orchids · June 2014

20 vacation days + 10 sick days

Slb22 · June 2014

I get 3 weeks vacation and 2 weeks sick time. I lose whatever I don't take at the end of the year.

Myaflowers · June 2014

I get 4 weeks of vacation per year. It stops accruing at 160 hours but as long as we don't hit the max, it rolls over. We get 8 hours of sick time per month. I'm not sure if there is a limit on how much sick time you can accrue, but if there is, I think it's 200+ hours at least.

ETA: 8 paid holidays, if I counted correctly.

IrishTraveler · June 2014

I have a total of 28 days/year of PTO in addition to several paid holidays. My time does not roll over.

kikimeemee · June 2014

My company offers two weeks (40 hrs) vacation, 5 sick days (use or lose each year), 3 floating holidays (24 hrs). Sick can truly only be used for illness so I bet people get creative and call in "sick" when you haven't been sick all year and want to use up some days. I'm grateful I get sick days but haven't used a single one in almost two years of employment so it's not a benefit I can use each year unless I lie. :-/

Oh, and I get six paid holidays.

ricekez · June 2014

I get 15 vacation days, unlimited sick days (kind of, if I go over 3 in a row, I'd have to have a doctor's note, if my boss suspects I'm abusing the policy, I would get in trouble. I have as many sick days as I actually get sick.) and I have 12 paid holidays. I work for a diversified industrial manufacturing company and our benefits are pretty competitive from what I understand.

junebugrbig · June 2014

I work for the Federal government...I accumulate 25 vacation days and 10 sick days each year. I can roll those over into the next year (vacation up to 6 weeks roll over; sick days unlimited roll over)...yea but with kids, this never happens. Plus 10 Federal holidays and awesome flexibility to telework when I need to. I. AM. NEVER. LEAVING.

ccam · June 2014

I get 3 weeks of vacation, 3 weeks of sick and 3 personal days every year. The sick carries over indefinitely, the vacation has a max that I can carry over (its something really high though) and the personal days need to be used within the year.

welly01 · June 2014

I'm glad to hear that 2 weeks paid vacation is not the standard anymore. PTO is definitely a benefit that is really important in choosing a new job.

Thanks for all your replies!!

jtmomma13 · June 2014

I am in MA and I get 2 weeks vacation time and 4 sick days. But I also have the ability to work from home.

I took all my sick time within the first few months I was back at work because a horrible puke bug went around daycare. However, my work is very understanding and as the only one in the office with a baby and the first one to have a baby (we didn't even have a maternity policy), I am shocked they are so understanding.

jlaOK · June 2014

welly01 said:

I'm glad to hear that 2 weeks paid vacation is not the standard anymore. PTO is definitely a benefit that is really important in choosing a new job.

Thanks for all your replies!!

I keep trying to tell my boss this. He is married with no kids and a workaholic so little PTO hasn't been an issue for him. Right now I get paid hourly and take unpaid time for sick leave. He wants me to be salary (easier for accounting) but I've told him that I need more leave in order to do that. We'll see what happens...

welly01 · June 2014

Momtobe2912 said:

At my company it is not something they negotiate, it is corporate based on job class. I get 5.5 weeks, which is given divided equally on paychecks. Depending on the circumstance they may allow you to use a bit more than in your bank. I also get I believe 8 paid holidays, then can save a week of vacation year to year. Something really neat we can also do is buy a week which they divide out among paychecks. Many of us with small children do this for their sick days or daycare closings. If we don't use it at the end of December they cash it out like payroll and you can even do it for partial week. All mine falls into one pool. This is one of my huge job perks .

This is also what I'm afraid of. Your PTO is just based on your length of service, or whatever. Something generic across the whole company. I've never tried to negotiate for more PTO before.

DH can also buy a week but he never uses it, so its kinda like his Christmas bonus every year.

ss265 · June 2014

I negotiated an extra week of vacation when I started my current job. They initially offered me 3 weeks of vacation - I asked for an extra week because I had 4 weeks at my old job and all the bank holidays. With my current job, they only have 3 holidays a year (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day) but give you three floating holidays which are unofficially used for the major holidays they don't give you automatically off.

I also have 6 sick days. I do have a lot of flexibility though in that my boss doesn't care if I take a sick day or choose to work from home if DS can't go to day care for illness and I work from home one day a week.

jellybean529 · June 2014

Right now I have none...,my company doesn't give PTO until you've been there for six months. I will have been next month though and I'll have 3 sick and 5 vacation.

SoMoNY · June 2014

6 weeks vacation

a few personal days

unlimited sick but if out 4+ days you need a note from doctor saying you are cleared to return to work

standard holiday set

We start analysts and managers off with 2 weeks of vacation, directors start with 3 weeks, VPs 4 weeks and then the top ranks seem to be based on what they negotiated.

HisChamaoleGirl · June 2014

I get 30 days a year and my sick days are not counted towards that. I just need a doctors note and I am off for the amount of time the doctor writes.

jjdillie · June 2014

I get 3 weeks vacation, 3 floater days, 9 holidays, and no clue on sick time. Next year I'll get 4 weeks vacation after 12 years of service with the company. The cap is 5 weeks (I think at 18 years of service). My boss is pretty flexible so I can work from home if DS or I get sick. I don't keep up with sick time.

kursem · June 2014

this company is HORRIBLE re benefits, but I relocated to a new area for DH's job and there aren't a ton of options here. My pay is decent. For the first year, I get no vacation (if I take time off it is unpaid). I start accruing sick time at one day per month after 6 months.

In year 2 (which will be 2015 as i started in early jan), I get 2 weeks of vacation, 5 days of sick. We also get around 8 paid holidays.

This is MUCH MUCH less than i'm used to (I used to have 4-5 wks PTO), but i made the sacrifice because we wanted to move and raise our children in a better environment than where we used to live. I will probably look for a different job after little one is here.

Allison546 · June 2014

1 pool of PTO. 22 days per calendar year (I've been at my company for 8 years); you can roll over up to 10 unused days from the previous year.

rubber_chicken · June 2014

Everyone at my company gets 10 sick days a year (can accrue up to 30), and 10 public holidays. Vacation time is accrued as follows:

new hires: 3 weeks/year, does not rollover

at 3 years: 4 weeks/year, does not rollover

at 7 years: 5 weeks/year, does not rollover (this is me next year!)

at 10 years, you're eligible to take a sabbatical, but I only know of one person who's done it.

I have a hard time imaging how full time employees live balanced, happy, productive lives with less than 3 weeks vacation and little to no sick time a year. I am a big proponent of federal standards on this issue.

kursem · June 2014

Here's a slightly off topic question - does anyone know the best way to find companies that have more generous PTO policies? Like perhaps websites like glassdoor.com etc? I didn't ask nearly enough questions when interviewing for this position (and I totally own that), but if I had known how little PTO you get I would never even have applied, let alone accepted the position (at least not without negotiating my butt off). My offer letter did not stipulate PTO, so i should have asked. Live and learn, I'm stuck until baby comes now

welly01 · June 2014

kursem said:

Here's a slightly off topic question - does anyone know the best way to find companies that have more generous PTO policies? Like perhaps websites like glassdoor.com etc? I didn't ask nearly enough questions when interviewing for this position (and I totally own that), but if I had known how little PTO you get I would never even have applied, let alone accepted the position (at least not without negotiating my butt off). My offer letter did not stipulate PTO, so i should have asked. Live and learn, I'm stuck until baby comes now

Maybe you should ask this as a separate question (so more people will see it). I'm interested to see if anyone knows how to do that. Its not appropriate to bring this up during an interview (not even a second interview, IMO). The only thing I can think of is working with a recruiter. My last job I got through a recruiter (3rd party) and I was able to find out a little more about the pay/PTO, etc before I actually accepted the job. I'd actually also like to know how to look at their health benefits before you accept an offer. Those are important details for a WM.

Unknown · June 2014

This content has been removed.

sweetsunnyc · June 2014

I get 160 hours of PTO total and my company does not categorize vacation/sick which is kind of nice. We also get all of the major holidays off and paid.

kmh2201 · June 2014

I get 6.46 hours of PTO per pay period (two weeks), which is about equal to 3 weeks per year. It is for vacation days, personal days, and sick days. Holidays are separate, and we have 6 holidays. I've work at this company for 4.5 years, and I'll get an increase to my PTO at 10 years of service.

I had 3 weeks of vacation plus 10 holidays at the employer I was at before my current employer, and I was able to negotiate for more PTO than I would have gotten had I not negotiated. (I was granted the second level of PTO, for someone with at least 5 years of service.)

I figure it doesn't hurt to try and negotiate for it, right?

nawlinsgrl · June 2014

I have very generous PTO. We get 14 paid holidays (including no work from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day), 21 vacation days, and anywhere from 12 to 21 sick days (It increases from 12 to 21 over a period of 10 years. I currently get 18 days sick leave.). After 15 years service, we get 24 days each vacation and sick leave.

PB&J714 · June 2014

*lurker here*

I am in the first year at my job and I have 2 weeks vacation, 12 sick days (5 of which can be used for family illnesses), and 3 floating holidays (essentially 3 more vacation days). Once I am here 2 years I will move up to 3 weeks vacation, after 5 years I'll have 4 weeks vacation, and after 25 years I'll have 5 weeks vacation. The 12 sick days and 3 floating holidays are always the same no matter seniority.

ETA: I forgot the standard 8 paid holidays as well.

I was mesmerized by the amount of vacation/sick days when I took this job. My previous job was a bank of 5 days for the year, TOTAL. Year 2 was 10 days. I mean wtf?

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