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, 13 well-placed days become 49 days off in 2027.
Paid holidays your employer gives (untick the ones you work)
PTO days used
13
of 15
Days off in total
49
across 11 breaks
Multiplier
3.8×
days off per PTO day
Take PTO on
PTO
You are off
Days
Around
Mon, Jan 4
1
Fri, Jan 1 – Mon, Jan 4
4
New Year's Day
Fri, Jan 15
1
Fri, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 18
4
MLK Day
Fri, Feb 12
1
Fri, Feb 12 – Mon, Feb 15
4
Presidents' Day
Fri, May 28
1
Fri, May 28 – Mon, May 31
4
Memorial Day
Thu, Jun 17
1
Thu, Jun 17 – Sun, Jun 20
4
Juneteenth
Fri, Jul 2
1
Fri, Jul 2 – Mon, Jul 5
4
Independence Day
Fri, Sep 3
1
Fri, Sep 3 – Mon, Sep 6
4
Labor Day
Fri, Oct 8
1
Fri, Oct 8 – Mon, Oct 11
4
Columbus Day
Fri, Nov 12
1
Thu, Nov 11 – Sun, Nov 14
4
Veterans Day
Mon, Nov 22 – Wed, Nov 24
3
Sat, Nov 20 – Sun, Nov 28
9
Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving
Thu, Dec 23
1
Thu, Dec 23 – Sun, Dec 26
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 2027 plan with 15 PTO days and federal holidays
Take PTO on
PTO days
Days off
Total
Mon, Jan 4
1
Fri, Jan 1 – Mon, Jan 4
4
Fri, Jan 15
1
Fri, Jan 15 – Mon, Jan 18
4
Fri, Feb 12
1
Fri, Feb 12 – Mon, Feb 15
4
Fri, May 28
1
Fri, May 28 – Mon, May 31
4
Thu, Jun 17
1
Thu, Jun 17 – Sun, Jun 20
4
Fri, Jul 2
1
Fri, Jul 2 – Mon, Jul 5
4
Fri, Sep 3
1
Fri, Sep 3 – Mon, Sep 6
4
Fri, Oct 8
1
Fri, Oct 8 – Mon, Oct 11
4
Fri, Nov 12
1
Thu, Nov 11 – Sun, Nov 14
4
Mon, Nov 22 – Wed, Nov 24
3
Sat, Nov 20 – Sun, Nov 28
9
Thu, Dec 23
1
Thu, Dec 23 – Sun, Dec 26
4
Total
13
11 breaks
49
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.
2027 holidays used by the optimizer
New Year's Day · Fri, Jan 1MLK Day · Mon, Jan 18Presidents' Day · Mon, Feb 15Memorial Day · Mon, May 31Juneteenth · Fri, Jun 18Independence Day · Mon, Jul 5Labor Day · Mon, Sep 6Columbus Day · Mon, Oct 11Veterans Day · Thu, Nov 11Thanksgiving Day · Thu, Nov 25Day after Thanksgiving · Fri, Nov 26Christmas Day · Fri, Dec 24Christmas Eve · Fri, Dec 24 (optional)New Year's Day (observed) · Fri, Dec 31New Year's Eve · Fri, Dec 31 (optional)
Book PTO on the workdays that connect weekends to federal holidays. With 15 days and the standard holidays, the plan above turns them into 49 days off in 11 breaks — about 3.8 days off per PTO day. The most efficient single break in 2027: PTO Mon, Jan 4 (1 day) for 4 days off.
New Year's Day: Fri, Jan 1; MLK Day: Mon, Jan 18; Presidents' Day: Mon, Feb 15; Memorial Day: Mon, May 31; Juneteenth: Fri, Jun 18; Independence Day: Mon, Jul 5; Labor Day: Mon, Sep 6; Columbus Day: Mon, Oct 11; Veterans Day: Thu, Nov 11; Thanksgiving Day: Thu, Nov 25; Christmas Day: Fri, Dec 24; New Year's Day (observed): Fri, Dec 31. Federal holidays that land on a weekend are observed on the nearest weekday, and the observed date is what the optimizer uses.
It scores every possible block of workdays by the consecutive days off it produces (the block plus the weekends and holidays touching it) divided by the PTO days it costs, then picks the best-scoring non-overlapping blocks until your budget is used. A one-day bridge between a Monday holiday and a weekend scores 4 or 5; a full week between two long weekends scores 2–3.
Untick the ones you work — many private employers skip Columbus Day, Veterans Day and Presidents’ Day — and tick the extras you do get, such as the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve. The plan recalculates instantly. Private employers give about 8 paid holidays on average; federal employees get 11.
In the 15-day plan the longest stretch is 9 days off (Sat, Nov 20 – Sun, Nov 28) for 3 PTO days. Spending more PTO on one block always yields fewer total days off than spreading it over several bridges, so decide whether you want one long trip or many long weekends.