How Many Of Your PTO Days Should You Use Each Year?

I think it’s beneficial to philosophically define PTO (paid time off).

Personally, I believe that PTO is meant to be used for vacation. It is critical that human beings take breaks to recharge, create memories, and come back to their work with a fresh perspective.

If you agree with my perspective of PTO, then you should never leave any PTO on the table.

You should also consider how your leadership utilizes its PTO as well. For example, let’s say a company gives you 4 weeks of PTO per year, but your boss, Director, and VP all only take 1 week of vacation per year.

In this instance, there is clearly a cultural precedent being set of how much vacation is “appropriate” to use. Personally, I would have a candid conversation with my manager and use all 4 weeks regardless.

But if you value your career at that company, then proceed with caution anytime you’re doing something that’s against the cultural grain.

Pro tip: next time you have a job offer, ask your manager how many days off they take each year. This will give you an idea of what to expect culturally before starting!

Alternatively, many individuals view PTO as more all-encompassing than vacation-only days (i.e. sick days, doctor and DMV visits, etc.).

If you agree with this perspective, you might want to “save” PTO days for a rainy day or “just in case” fund.

It’s worth checking with your current or future employer on what their policies are.

For example: how do they define their PTO policy? Do they give you an allotment of PTO days AND sick days? What happens if you need a day off for personal reasons and you are out of accrued days? Are you able to dip into the negative for PTO days? Do they require you to file doctors visits as PTO?

The final consideration for whether to use PTO days is financial. Some states require that companies pay you for any unused PTO days you’ve accrued.

If you plan on quitting or leaving your company, you might want or be relying on this payment.

Whether or not you want to save your PTO days for this reason is entirely up to you based on your financial circumstances. However, here are a few things to be aware of:

1. Make sure you are aware of your state / company’s policy re: paying out for unused days.
   
2. Unlimited PTO means that you don’t actually have any PTO days accrued. Therefore, you will never receive a payment for unused days upon leaving a company with unlimited PTO.
   
3. If you are paid out for unused days, this amount will usually be taxed quite heavily. If you’re relying on this payment, do your research or talk to a CPA beforehand to get an accurate idea of how much this amount will be post-taxes.

Over the long-term, using as much of your PTO as possible will energize you, make you happier, and make you a better employee.

It will also make you a better conversationalist, as you will have more life experiences to draw from.

Ultimately, you should always do your own research, trust your own judgment, and assess your own comfort levels when determining your personal stance on PTO usage.

p.s. If you haven’t gone on your honeymoon yet, take AS MUCH PTO AS POSSIBLE whenever that time comes for you. It’s the only time in your career where no one will question you for taking 2+ weeks off in a row.

p.s.s. I was featured in LinkedIn News for discussing this topic as well! See their full article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/should-you-ever-leave-pto-sick-days-unused-/