r/povertyfinance • u/Poncha87 • 1d ago
If you have paid PTO, please use it Wellness
Both of my parents didn't grow up with money. They were born in a third-world country and immigrated to the U.S., where they worked like crazy and scrapped every penny they could for the family.
This instilled a sense of hard work from which I have benefitted. However, there is one thing that I've always hated — the non-stop nature of their work ethic.
My mother is a few months from retiring and I'm helping her with the paperwork. Yesterday, she mentioned she has over 400 hours of vacation time and over 600 hours of sick time. She was happy because her union recently got the company to agree to pay all the vacation time of people retiring and half of the sick time.
I can count on my fingers the number of times my parents took vacation. It was always this precious thing because it was so rare. Most summers I spent on my own (I'm an only child), and once I turned 13, I was also working or volunteering. As for sick time, only in the past three years has she started to use her sick time. Before, there was always this idea of working through the pain. Even I was sent to school if I was sick.
I'm almost 40 now, and yesterday, when I saw how much unused PTO time she has, all I could think about was why she didn't want to spend more time together. I'm not even thinking of some grand vacation; I would have been so happy if she had taken a few Fridays off during the summer so we could just hand out together.
Since I joined the workforce, I have made it a point to use my paid PTO whenever I wanted or needed to. I refuse to follow the same mindset. Yes, work hard, but don't drive yourself to the ground or miss on spending precious time with your family.
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u/Due-Addition7245 1d ago edited 1d ago
PTO normally has carryover and/or accumulation limit. So use it before you lose it
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u/DucksDoFly 1d ago
I’m from Sweden, so I’m curious to how many PTO hours you get per year in the states.
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u/Poncha87 1d ago
It depends on where you work. I accumulate about six hours of vacation and three sick per paycheck and get paid twice weekly. In a previous position, I had a fixed three days of paid sick time and one week of vacation per year for the first two years; then, the number increased to six days of sick and two weeks of vacation.
Some businesses don't give you any sick or vacation, or they might give you some time, but it's not paid.
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u/ohlookahipster 18h ago
Or it has no monetary/redeemable value and it’s unlimited PTO like what I get.
It’s available from day 1 but I can’t “cash it out” or anything.
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u/quiteCryptic 1d ago edited 1d ago
Most people get around 15 days I'd say. This is for white collar, full time jobs. Of course most people work 5 days a week, so also can say 3 weeks vacation. In addition most people get at least 8 or so federal holidays off.
A not insignificant amount of people get less than that though.
5 weeks would be on the very high end, but not unheard of at all.
The other thing is, I have never seen anyone take more than 2 weeks off at a time.
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u/Fantastic_Lady225 1d ago
PTO - 120 hours (3 weeks)
11 Federal holidays
Also it's an unwritten rule that the facility closes 1-4 hours early the day before a major federal holiday and those hours are paid by the employer, they're not taken from your PTO balance.
I can also work flex time, so a 40-hour workweek could be five eight hour days, four ten hour days, four nine hour days and one four hour day, etc. As long as we have coverage (which we work out among ourselves), and the work gets done properly and on time, my boss doesn't care, he just wants everyone to tell him our schedules each week. He's not a micromanager. In return we bust our a$$es for him.
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u/PlainSimpleGarak10 8h ago
US federal law doesn't require ANY PTO, sick time, or benefits. Most minimum wage/service industry jobs get no PTO or sick time unless they're in a state or city/county that requires some insufficient minimum amount of it (there's a city nearby me that requires 6 sick days to be granted per year; my employer pulled out of that city when they passed the ordinance). On average, most hourly non-degree/non-trades jobs in the US will have access to 40 hours per year and 80 after 5. I'm lucky enough that I only had to put up with 10 years in a job I honestly hated to get to 160 hours... then end up in a role where they can't afford to let me use it until it's forfeited.
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u/steve-d 1d ago
I get 27 days of PTO each year, but I don't have a separate sick days pool to use.
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u/AnitaBeezzz 1d ago
That is a solid amount.
I get 6 weeks, paid vacation, each year and I use every day of it. Plus three paid sick days
But, if we don’t use the vacation time, it gets paid out at the end of each year.
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u/kehrw0che 10h ago
What happens after the 3 sick days? Do you fall back to 80% or 60% pay?
I e.g. have 6 weeks of holiday and 6 weeks of sick leave and afterwards fall down to 70% pay for 72 weeks. After the 72 weeks I'd only get unemployment money.
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u/AnitaBeezzz 7h ago
I don’t know what you mean by ‘falling back’. We have no change with the salary or hourly wages. If you use more vacation time it becomes unpaid vacation pay.
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u/kehrw0che 4h ago
Not vacation days. Sick days!
Say you are sick for 8 months. What pay would you get?
I would get full pay the first 1.5 months and then the next 6.5 months my take home pay would reduce to 70%.
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u/Due-Addition7245 1d ago
I worked for non profit and got 25 days per year, which is 200 hours. Accumulation limit is 360 hours
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u/Saffron_Maddie 1d ago
It depends where you work, every company has different policy. Average is 10 days (2 weeks) and over so many years it gets increased. Some company's are more generous. Additionally, a lot of company's let you carry unused PTO to the next year, but many don't and will offer a pay out, but it's not always the whole amount
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u/denavail 19h ago
I have an office job, and I get 1.25 days per month of sick time and 4 weeks per year of vacation. The sick time is the same for everyone regardless of how long you've worked there, and the vacation time is based on time with the employer. In another year, I'll start getting 5 weeks per year vacation (that's the max).
In the past, I've had quite a few other (worse) jobs where I got nothing for vacation or sick time.
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u/Hijkwatermelonp 1d ago
Nah
Mine carries over unlimited to the next year.
After 400 hours you stop accumulating more though.
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u/Critical_Success_936 1d ago
...How is it unlimited then? Your limit sounds like 400 hours.
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u/Hijkwatermelonp 1d ago
At 400 you stop accumulating more PTO but you never lose PTO you already earned.
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u/bellj1210 1d ago
so if you hit 400- you start to lose out on what you would have otherwise gained- so you need to use it before you hit that limit.
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u/Soeffingdiabetic 1d ago
Being the only night guy at one job I had to fight for a single day off, whereas the 5 day guys could disappear for two weeks and no one would notice because they had the coverage.
I walked away from 12 hours pto when I quit that job, it sucked but it was the best decision. Use the PTO even if you have to fight for it. It's a benefit, not a privilege.
(Also just being pedantic so don't mind me, "paid PTO" is redundant.)
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u/UpperLeftOriginal 1d ago
I see your pedanticism, and raise you one. ;) PTO could stand for Personal Time Off, in which case paid PTO wouldn't be redundant.
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u/Soeffingdiabetic 1d ago
Huh, I'm used to vto instead of personal time off. Could be that I've never worked for a company that acknowledged personal time haha
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u/JoelEightSix 18h ago
All depends on how your employer structures their Paid Time Off. I have 4 banks for time off with my employer. Vacation, Sick, Personal, and Compensatory. PTO to me reads as Personal.
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u/Much_Essay_9151 1d ago
Shouldnt they be required to pay it out after you leave? They did for me back in 2006 in my 20s. I quit a job without notice and had some pto built. I thought it was just gone. But they paid it to me over the course of a couple checks(why not all at once? I dont know, but they paid it)
Man that saved me when i was looking for my new job
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u/Soeffingdiabetic 1d ago
Not in my state. They can choose to do so but it is not a requirement.
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u/NemaKnowsNot 1d ago
Texas here. I just left a job where I had 118 hours accumulated. Lost the hours and no payout. Should be illegal.
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u/Much_Essay_9151 1d ago
Yea. Not sure why they would have paid it out if they didnt have to. Because i just no called no showed.
It was a very by the book factory so probably had their standard protocols and i was just a number
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u/bellj1210 1d ago
depends on state and contract.
Most places i have lived- there is 2 pools. Vacation is paid out when you leave (but is often capped) and sick can accumulate forever, but is not paid out.
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u/Much_Essay_9151 1d ago
I forget how it was. Im guessing actual vacation time. Because my next job offered PTO and i remember having to learn that term
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u/Flat_Bumblebee_6238 1d ago
Not all states. My company doesn’t pay out because they want to encourage you to use it.
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u/squatracktexter 1d ago
My dad has terminal cancer and will most likely die next year. He left the military with 1 year of PTO to my knowledge. I don't have 1 good memory of him taking me to any of my games, any field trips, practices, nothing. Now he lays on his death bed and wishes he had more time.
I will never be that man. Wife needs a good day, f it we both calling in. The weather is good and the wife wants to do something. PTO day here we come. life is not about working until you are dead. Enjoy it while you can because you never know when your last day will be.
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u/elainegeorge 1d ago
My dad didn’t make it to retirement. The only thing that matters in life is how we choose to spend our time. Use the PTO.
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u/pashapook 1d ago
Sometimes I worry that I should save more PTO and get more hours on the clock. This is nice to hear. My kids are little and I know they'd rather me be at home.
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u/bellj1210 1d ago
it is a balancing act. I can go months without using any time- so it is there when I want to actually use it.
I end up using what will expire, but when i need a long weekend for mental health- it is there.
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u/Faiths_got_fangs 1d ago
It's a balancing act. Save enough so that you are covered in an emergency, use everything before it expires.
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u/Hot_Nothing_4358 1d ago
I save my PTO & sick days! I was able use 120 hours when my husband got sick.
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u/ThrowRAColdManWinter 1d ago
Yeah my PTO gets paid out if I get fired or quit, so I definitely use it, but I keep a bank of like 6 weeks (240 hours) as a nice severance / e-fund supplement.
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u/immanewb 1d ago
I'm not even thinking of some grand vacation; I would have been so happy if she had taken a few Fridays off during the summer so we could just hand out together.
Say it louder for the folks in the back! We might not think much of it as adults and parents, but the kids will almost certainly remember, even if it's just the good feeling of having their mom or dad there with them.
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u/Ravenseye 1d ago
My boss always complains because I take all of my time I get.
I am a school bus driver and get a sick day per month while working. We work 10 months so I accumulate 10 days a year. It rolls into personal bank at the end of the year.
I keep 10 days stocked in my personal days, and burn the rest... it's my time, and I'm keeping it. :)
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u/Let_me_tell_you_ 1d ago
I earn 6 hours of annual leave and 4 hours of sick leave every 2 weeks. I can only carry over 240 hours of annual leave but my sick leave never expires. I keep my max of annual leave in case of an emergency (as if today, I have approx 4 months of total paid leave saved up). I have seen coworkers use all their leave and have nothing once they actually need it and then begging for donations.
PS: I work credit hours and since I must use at least 4 weeks of vacation a year, I do take off a month during the summer and 3 weeks during Christmas.
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u/bellj1210 1d ago
i hate those co-workers. I had one guilt me over having to work the week over christmas since they had already used all of their leave and had nothing in the bank. I could tell they wanted me to donate some of mine so they could go away- but there was no emergency in their prior useage or this usage. We all get the same amount of leave- and i just save mine for big events.
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u/Let_me_tell_you_ 1d ago
I donate only to people that I know have been responsible. A coworker had a stroke and he had about a month of leave saved up but it was not enough. U gave him some. Same with another coworker who had cancer. She had saved leave but with so many appointments, she eventually ran out.
But there are other people who are always taking 3-day weekends and do not save for a rainy day. Sorry but I will not donate to them.
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u/Wasps_are_bastards 1d ago
It’s crazy that ‘if you have paid time off’ is even a thing. Everyone should have paid time off. It’s needed.
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u/bellj1210 1d ago
1099 generally does not get pto- but if you are on a w2 you really should..... i also think that it is insane to be a 1099 employee as your main gig.
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u/Wasps_are_bastards 1d ago
I don’t really know what that means, sorry.
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u/ohlookahipster 18h ago
I think the balance is between the classic “accruing PTO and cashing it out” vs the newer “unlimited PTO” models.
I’ve never had the former but I imagine it’s because people like getting an additional paycheck at the end of the year? For me I can take eight weeks off or eight days in a single year and it doesn’t matter. I can’t “cash” out my vacation days.
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u/Wasps_are_bastards 16h ago
We don’t have unlimited time off but do get 35 days paid holiday entitlement along with 6 months full pay on sick pay. My company lets you carry 5 days leave over until the next year, but pushes people to take it to prevent burn out. If you haven’t booked anything line managers start reminding you ro.
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u/bored_ryan2 1d ago
I definitely understand the sentiment of wishing she has used the time off she had accrued to spend more quality time with you or other family. Unfortunately you can’t get that time back.
Hopefully she’s still healthy enough and able to take advantage of this windfall and maybe do something she’d never dreamt of doing. She’ll be getting 20 weeks worth of pay. Encourage her to do something great like maybe take a river cruise through Europe for a couple weeks or a trip to Australia and New Zealand, etc.
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u/maywellflower 1d ago
I'm on PTO now - company only allows to rollover 5 days and those 5 days have to be used up by March 15. So hell yeah been using my PTO - I used them for my doctor appointments since I'm diabetic, birthday vacation and whatever is leftover after that is winds up Christmas / New Years & whatever Fridays I can take off in last quarter of the year.
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u/irishladinlondon 1d ago
we are not allowed to nit take our holiday leave.
legally required to take the 27 days a year
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u/MomIsFunnyAF3 1d ago
I accumulated 130 hours of PTO and I am currently using it bc I had hip surgery 2 weeks ago. Otherwise I would have cashed it in at the end of the year. I usually save my time just in case so I'm glad I had it to use.
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u/Wise-Print1678 1d ago
When my mom passed away I remember struggling to recall spending time with her. It hit me hard and I prioritized taking time to make memories with my kids, even if it's free things. My dad also passed away and while they were both not well off, I had a ton more memories of spending time doing things with him. So I agree - take the time!!
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u/Saffron_Maddie 1d ago
My old company didn't let you carry over any PTO, you use it or lose it. Well, a ton of people started to all take their PTO at the end of the year claiming it had to be approved because it couldn't be carried over, and I work in healthcare so that's a problem. Then they started cashing it out if you didn't use it. I used to take 1 week PTO for my annual family vacation, and cash out the other week.
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u/plantgal94 11h ago
Agree. I have 4 weeks vacation and my employer makes us take it each year - they don’t want us to bank it! They want us to genuinely take time off.
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u/some_boring_dude 1d ago
One serious incident and all that leave could be gone. One illness, one broken bone etc... and you can burn 6 months pretty easily. Use it when you need it, use it before you lose it, but it's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.
Sounds to me like your parents worked their asses off to provide you a better life. I see no shame in that.
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u/Pleasant_Studio9690 1d ago
I have 10 hours of unused sick time this year that I’m losing. I’m telling myself it’s good to not use all of it every couple years for appearance, but it’s killing me. At least I used the other 50 hours.
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u/bellj1210 1d ago
know your policy- i get 4 days of personal that expire at the end of the year- so i am using it right now (only needed 4 days tot tkae the whole week off this week). My vacation is paid out when i leave but caps at i think 6 weeks i can carry over each year. Vacation not carried over converts to sick leave. Sick leave is not paid out when i leave- but can be used to extend family leave or other things like that too.
As a result, i end up carrying over almost all of my sick year over year, and use the vacation that would otherwise convert. Personal if i have not used it by now is almost always taken the week of christmas. The vacation and the occasional sick (since i can use them as mental health days) are normally long weekends when i feel like i need them. Sometimes a 3-4 day weekend in the city to catch a few extra ball games towards the end of the season.
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u/MarieNomad 19h ago
I use it when I have an event to do. One time I took a week long staycation on a whim and it was great.
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u/wagonsaburning 17h ago
This.. 100xs this. My parents never took to or sick time. They bitch at me when I do. We finally had it out a couple of years ago when I asked them if they understood how fd up my brother and I were bc of that. We feel guilty using pto bc they always told us those people were lazy. I understand having to grind, but you have to recharge and enjoy life.
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u/Imtifflish24 9h ago
Manager: oh, I see you’re using PTO for 4 days next week, what are you doing? Me: NOTHING!
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u/ThatTotal2020 6h ago
I would call in when I needed a me day. I would just say that I wasn't coming in. I learned that the reason wasn't really necessary but of course this doesn't work for several consecutive days.
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u/PositiveSpare8341 5h ago
When I used to be a W2 employee, I had about 5 weeks of PTO, not including sick time, just vacation. It expired December 31st every year. Use it or lose it.
I never wanted to take time off until March every new year. I didn't want to be in a PTO deficit if something happened, I didn't want to owe my employer.
I had a lot of time off and I used all of it every year, I hated that 0 hours rolled over though. Since then, I try to find somewhere warmer every February to get away from the long cold winter.
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u/RainAlternative3278 1d ago
I'd agree with u man . 600 hours is only 25 days and I'm sure it took years to make that 600hours
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u/noume 1d ago
600 hours is 25 of 24-hour increments, but if we're talking about work hours, it's 75 days if they worked 8 hours a day. If they worked eight hours a day for only five days a week, that's 15 weeks equivalent work time. Almost four months!
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u/RainAlternative3278 1d ago
That's a long time ! :/ I wouldn't do it id rather see my children grow up
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u/todaystartsnow 1d ago
PTO is my money. I'm using it even if I'm doing nothing exciting. It's my payment for the year. I'm using it this year. Not when I retire. Who knows what laws will be in place to limit it or if I'll live long enough to use it