Does PTO roll over to the next year?

That depends on the employer's policy. Common setups carry all unused days forward, cap them at a limit, or reset the balance. In Time-Out Zone each leave type has its own carry-over policy, applied automatically at cycle end.

How much PTO can you carry over?

As much as the policy allows. A partial carry-over caps carried days at a fixed number or a percentage of the yearly allotment; days beyond the cap are forfeited. Time-Out Zone applies the cap automatically at year end.

Can carried-over days expire?

Yes. In Time-Out Zone carried days can expire after a set number of days or months from the cycle reset. Employees are reminded 30 days before expiry, and expired days are forfeited automatically with a durable record.

What is a use-it-or-lose-it PTO policy?

A use-it-or-lose-it policy forfeits unused days at the end of the cycle instead of carrying them over. In Time-Out Zone that is the Reset strategy; a partial carry-over is the softer version, keeping days up to a cap. Some regions restrict use-it-or-lose-it rules, so check local requirements.

Can unused PTO be paid out?

Many companies pay out some or all unused days. Time-Out Zone's Payout and Payout & carry-over strategies calculate and record the days to pay at cycle end; the payment itself runs through your payroll. Whether payout is required varies by region.

Decide what happens to unused days at year end

Carry unused days forward, cap them, reset them, or record them for payout. Time-Out Zone runs your PTO rollover rules automatically at every cycle end.

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See how each strategy crosses the year-end boundary

Every leave type, its own rule

Carry-over policies are templates. Vacation, sick leave, and custom types each get their own rule.

Caps in days or percent

Limit carry-over to a fixed number of days or a percentage of the yearly allotment. Days beyond the cap are forfeited.

Expiry with reminders

Carried days can expire after a set number of days or months. Employees get a reminder 30 days before.

A separate bucket, used first

Carried days live in their own bucket, separate from the new allotment, and are consumed first.

Five carry-over strategies

Full carry-over

Every unused day rolls into the next cycle.

Partial carry-over

Days carry over up to a cap: fixed days or a percentage of the allotment. The rest is forfeited.

Reset

Nothing crosses the boundary. The balance starts fresh: use it or lose it.

Payout

Unused days are recorded for payout at cycle end, ready for payroll.

Payout & carry-over

Unused days are split between payout and carry-over at a ratio you choose.

Each policy runs automatically on the leave type's calendar or work-anniversary cycle. The default is Full Reset / No Carry-Over, so every leave type has explicit year-end behavior.

Cycle end

Year-end processing you never run by hand

When a cycle ends, Time-Out Zone applies each leave type's carry-over policy automatically.

Works with lump-sum, accrual, and hybrid grant models.
No manual year-end close, no spreadsheet reconciliation.

Expiry

Carried days that expire on schedule

Set an expiry window of days or months after the cycle reset. Expired days are forfeited automatically, with a durable record.

Employees get a reminder 30 days before expiry.
Forfeited days stay visible in the history.

Transparency

Employees see exactly what carried over

The balance view shows the carried-over bucket, its expiry date, and any forfeited days. Nobody argues about lost days in January.

Carried days are consumed before the new allotment.
The policy view explains the rule in plain words.

Migration

Bring carried days from your old system

The opening balance import takes carried-over days and their expiry dates, so year-end history survives the switch.

Expiry date required when the assigned policy expires carry-over.
Preview every row before anything changes.

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Feature

Ready to get started?

Give us a call. We'll map your year-end rules to carry-over policies together.

Grant Models

Grant time off upfront, through accrual, or both.

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Opening Balances

Bring existing balances over with a CSV import and preview.