PTO Optimizer 2026
Get the most days off for the fewest vacation days. Enter how many PTO days you have and which paid holidays your employer gives, and the optimizer finds the workdays that link weekends and holidays into the longest breaks — with 15 PTO days and the federal holidays, 14 well-placed days become 50 days off in 2026.
Paid holidays your employer gives (untick the ones you work)
PTO days used
14
of 15
Days off in total
50
across 11 breaks
Multiplier
3.6×
days off per PTO day
| Take PTO on | PTO | You are off | Days | Around |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 2 | 1 | Thu, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 4 | 4 | New Year's Day |
| Fri, Jan 16 | 1 | Fri, Jan 16 – Mon, Jan 19 | 4 | MLK Day |
| Fri, Feb 13 | 1 | Fri, Feb 13 – Mon, Feb 16 | 4 | Presidents' Day |
| Fri, May 22 | 1 | Fri, May 22 – Mon, May 25 | 4 | Memorial Day |
| Thu, Jun 18 | 1 | Thu, Jun 18 – Sun, Jun 21 | 4 | Juneteenth |
| Thu, Jul 2 | 1 | Thu, Jul 2 – Sun, Jul 5 | 4 | Independence Day |
| Fri, Sep 4 | 1 | Fri, Sep 4 – Mon, Sep 7 | 4 | Labor Day |
| Fri, Oct 9 | 1 | Fri, Oct 9 – Mon, Oct 12 | 4 | Columbus Day |
| Mon, Nov 9 – Tue, Nov 10 | 2 | Sat, Nov 7 – Wed, Nov 11 | 5 | Veterans Day |
| Mon, Nov 23 – Wed, Nov 25 | 3 | Sat, Nov 21 – Sun, Nov 29 | 9 | Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving |
| Thu, Dec 24 | 1 | Thu, Dec 24 – Sun, Dec 27 | 4 | Christmas Day |
Weekends and the ticked holidays are treated as days off; PTO is only spent on Monday–Friday workdays. Breaks are chosen greedily by days-off-per-PTO-day, without overlapping, until the budget is used.
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The 2026 plan with 15 PTO days and federal holidays
| Take PTO on | PTO days | Days off | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Jan 2 | 1 | Thu, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 4 | 4 |
| Fri, Jan 16 | 1 | Fri, Jan 16 – Mon, Jan 19 | 4 |
| Fri, Feb 13 | 1 | Fri, Feb 13 – Mon, Feb 16 | 4 |
| Fri, May 22 | 1 | Fri, May 22 – Mon, May 25 | 4 |
| Thu, Jun 18 | 1 | Thu, Jun 18 – Sun, Jun 21 | 4 |
| Thu, Jul 2 | 1 | Thu, Jul 2 – Sun, Jul 5 | 4 |
| Fri, Sep 4 | 1 | Fri, Sep 4 – Mon, Sep 7 | 4 |
| Fri, Oct 9 | 1 | Fri, Oct 9 – Mon, Oct 12 | 4 |
| Mon, Nov 9 – Tue, Nov 10 | 2 | Sat, Nov 7 – Wed, Nov 11 | 5 |
| Mon, Nov 23 – Wed, Nov 25 | 3 | Sat, Nov 21 – Sun, Nov 29 | 9 |
| Thu, Dec 24 | 1 | Thu, Dec 24 – Sun, Dec 27 | 4 |
| Total | 14 | 11 breaks | 50 |
Every row is a block of PTO plus the weekends and holidays it touches. The interactive optimizer above lets you change the budget and the holiday list; the plan recalculates for your employer’s calendar.
2026 holidays used by the optimizer
New Year's Day · Thu, Jan 1MLK Day · Mon, Jan 19Presidents' Day · Mon, Feb 16Memorial Day · Mon, May 25Juneteenth · Fri, Jun 19Independence Day · Fri, Jul 3Labor Day · Mon, Sep 7Columbus Day · Mon, Oct 12Veterans Day · Wed, Nov 11Thanksgiving Day · Thu, Nov 26Day after Thanksgiving · Fri, Nov 27Christmas Eve · Thu, Dec 24 (optional)Christmas Day · Fri, Dec 25New Year's Eve · Thu, Dec 31 (optional)
Full list with observed dates: federal holidays 2026. Other years: PTO optimizer 2027 · PTO optimizer 2028 · any year.
Frequently asked questions
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