Factors that can affect PTO accrual rates
The rate at which an employee accrues PTO hours may be affected by several factors, like how many hours they work per period and how long they've worked for a business.
Part-time employee versus full-time employee
The IRS defines a full-time employee as someone who works for a company, on average, at least 30 hours per week each month. A part-time employee is generally an employee who works less than that. Because part-time employees work fewer hours per week or pay period than a full-time employee, they often accrue PTO at a slower rate. As of March 2021, 79% of private industry employees were offered some form of PTO, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A similar survey from 2019 showed that 91% of full-time employees had PTO, while only 42% of part-time workers had PTO. This means full-time workers were more than twice as likely as part-time workers to receive PTO from their employers.
New employee probationary period
Another aspect that might impact an employee’s PTO is the amount of time they have spent in a job. For example, some businesses do not let employees start using their benefits until they have been working in the role for a certain period of time. So, if an employee has been at a company for less than three months, for example, they may not have access to their PTO days yet.
Employee's tenure or length of service
Similarly, if an employee has been at a company for more than a year, they may be eligible for more time off. Private industry workers had, on average, 11 days of PTO after their first year in a job, the BLS reported in 2022. That number increased to 15 days after five years, and 18 days after 10 years.