Leave HackerJoin the betaHow to turn 15 days of PTO into 40 days off in 2027
With 15 days of PTO and the six holidays employers give most often, you can have 40 days off in 2027 across 7 breaks. If you get all 11 federal holidays, it's 44. These are the exact days to take, assuming you work Monday to Friday and plan from January to December.
The 15-day plan with the usual six holidays
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. 7 breaks, at least two weeks apart, using 15 days of PTO.
New Year's Day: take 1 day, get 4 off
January long weekend: take 2 days, get 4 off
Memorial Day: take 1 day, get 4 off
Independence Day: take 1 day, get 4 off
Labor Day: take 1 day, get 4 off
Thanksgiving Day: take 4 days, get 9 off
Christmas: take 5 days, get 11 off
With all 11 federal holidays
Federal employees and some private employers get Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Juneteenth, Columbus Day and Veterans Day too. The same 15 days of PTO then make 44 days off:
- Fri, Jan 1 to Mon, Jan 4: 4 days off for 1 day of PTO
- Fri, Feb 12 to Mon, Feb 15: 4 days off for 1 day of PTO
- Fri, May 28 to Mon, May 31: 4 days off for 1 day of PTO
- Thu, Jun 17 to Sun, Jun 20: 4 days off for 1 day of PTO
- Fri, Sep 3 to Mon, Sep 6: 4 days off for 1 day of PTO
- Fri, Oct 8 to Mon, Oct 11: 4 days off for 1 day of PTO
- Sat, Nov 6 to Sun, Nov 14: 9 days off for 4 days of PTO
- Thu, Dec 23 to Sun, Jan 2: 11 days off for 5 days of PTO
More or less PTO?
| Days of PTO | Days off, usual six holidays | Days off, all 11 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 27 | 27 |
| 15 | 40 | 44 |
| 20 | 51 | 55 |
PTO in the US
- Federal law doesn't require paid vacation or paid holidays; they're up to your employer. U.S. Department of Labor
- Private-sector workers average 11 days of paid vacation after a year of service, 16 after five years, 18 after ten and 20 after twenty (March 2026). BLS
- They average 8 paid holidays a year (2025). BLS
- Of workers with paid holidays, 97% get Thanksgiving and Christmas, 94% Independence Day, 91% Labor Day, 90% New Year's Day and 89% Memorial Day; 39% get the day after Thanksgiving (2018). BLS
How this is worked out
- A break counts every day from your first day off to your last, weekends and holidays included.
- Holidays are on the dates OPM says they're observed: a Saturday holiday moves to the Friday, a Sunday one to the Monday.
- Only work days in 2027 use PTO. A break can run into January 2028 on free days, but never on next year's PTO.
- Breaks are kept at least two weeks apart. It's the same optimiser the Leave Hacker app uses.
Questions
How many days off can I get with 15 days of PTO in 2027?
40 with the usual six holidays, or 44 with all 11 federal holidays. With 10 days of PTO it's 27 either way; with 20, 51 or 55.
How much PTO is normal in the US?
There's no legal minimum. Private-sector workers average 11 days of paid vacation after a year with their employer and 16 after five years. BLS.
How do I get 10 days off at Christmas 2027?
Take Mon, Dec 27 to Thu, Dec 30 (4 days of PTO). You're off Friday, December 24, 2027 to Sunday, January 2, 2028.
What if I get the day after Thanksgiving, or different holidays?
Then the days to take change. The Leave Hacker app lets you pick the holidays your employer gives, then plans your PTO around them.