Automate PTO and Leave Tracking for Free: What Is Actually Free and What Costs About $2 a User

The honest answer is that PTO tracking can be free, but fully automated PTO tracking usually is not. A spreadsheet template costs $0 and needs manual updates, while the leave tools reviewed here start at roughly $1.50 to $2 per user per month and offer free trials rather than permanent free plans (all pricing as of 13 October 2026). For a 20-person company, that gap is about $30 to $40 a month.

This guide shows what each route gives you, which legal duties a tracker has to support, and when the spreadsheet stops being worth the time.

Does the law require you to track PTO at all?

Federal law does not require paid time off, but it does shape what you must record. The U.S. Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act "does not require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave or federal or other holidays" and that these benefits are matters of agreement between employer and employee.

Once you promise PTO in a policy or offer letter, though, you need balances you can defend. State law adds a second layer. California, for example, requires employers to keep records of sick leave earned and used for three years, as covered below.

What does the free spreadsheet route look like?

A Google Sheets template is the one option that stays free. Vacation Tracker publishes a free Google Sheets PTO template (page dated 8 July 2025) that needs only a free Google account. The company says you "update the tracker manually each time someone takes time off."

That manual step is the whole trade-off. The sheet shows who is off and the remaining balance, but it does not route requests to a manager, enforce an accrual rule, or message anyone. Vacation Tracker says those functions (approvals, accruals, TOIL, carryovers, and Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace integrations) belong to its paid product.

A sheet works best when:

• You have fewer than about 15 people and one person owns the file.
• Everyone gets the same fixed annual allowance, with no accrual by hours worked.
• You work in a state without mandated accrual rules.

Which leave tools have a free plan?

Few do. As of 13 October 2026, none of the four vendors below publishes a permanent free plan that includes leave approvals. The table lists what each vendor's pricing page says.

All figures are the vendors' own published prices as of 13 October 2026. Vacation Tracker's pricing page, last dated 18 November 2024, also lists minimum monthly charges (Core shows $50 in one place and $25 in another), so confirm the total before you start a trial. Timetastic's page shows dollar prices, though its structured data lists GBP 1.20 and GBP 2.00 for the two lower plans.

Clockify is the case to read carefully. Its Free plan is "$0 for up to 5 users," but time off and approval first appear on the Standard plan. A five-person team gets a free timesheet tool, not a free leave tracker.

How much does paid leave automation cost for a small team?

Using the published per-user prices, a rough monthly bill looks like this. The math is simple multiplication, and it ignores any minimum charges or annual discounts.

Timetastic Business does not include leave accruals, so a company that needs accrual by hours worked should price Pro. Vacation Tracker says its plans impose no user limits.

If you already pay for an HRIS or payroll product, check whether leave tracking comes bundled before buying another tool. Our guides on the free HRMS options small businesses overlook and what Gusto, ADP and Paychex publish on cost cover that angle.

Which rules should your tracker support?

Your tracker should handle the strictest rule that applies to any of your employees. Three examples show the range.

California paid sick leave. The state's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (page updated 31 December 2025) says accrual-plan employees must earn at least one hour for every 30 hours worked. Since 1 January 2024, employers must generally provide 5 days or 40 hours. Employees must satisfy a 90-day employment period before taking sick leave, and employers may cap total accrual at 10 days or 80 hours.

The record-keeping duty is the part a spreadsheet can miss. The DLSE FAQ says the available balance must appear on the pay stub or on a document issued the same day as the paycheck, and that employers must keep records of leave earned and used for three years. Electronic storage is allowed.

FMLA. The Department of Labor says eligible employees get up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year. Eligibility needs 12 months of employment, 1,250 hours over the past 12 months, and a worksite with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. A tracker that logs hours worked and leave taken makes those tests easier to check.

Your own policy. Carryover limits, waiting periods and payout rules are set by you unless a state says otherwise. Write them down before you configure any tool.

How do you set up a free tracker in five steps?

Start with the policy, then the tool. This sequence works for either a sheet or a trial of a paid app.

1. Write the policy. List leave types, annual allowances, accrual method, carryover cap and waiting period.
2. Collect start dates. Accrual and waiting periods both depend on hire date, so put it in one column.
3. Load opening balances. Use the last payroll record, not memory.
4. Name one owner and one approval path. Decide who approves, and who covers when they are away.
5. Reconcile monthly against payroll. Compare tracker balances with what payroll shows. Differences are how you find errors before an employee does.

If your payroll system is also a spreadsheet, fixing that first usually pays off more. See five payroll tools that replace spreadsheets and, for a larger team, BambooHR, HiBob and Rippling for 50 employees.

What's still unclear?

Several gaps remain, and the argument for paying has a weak point.

• Free tiers move. Plans, limits and trial lengths change often. The Vacation Tracker pricing page is dated November 2024 and shows two sets of figures for the same plan, so treat its numbers as a guide and check the live page.
• Not every tool was checked. This comparison covers four vendors, with prices as of 13 October 2026. Other products may offer a free tier with time off.
• Accrual support is thinly documented. Clockify's and Pebb's pricing pages do not state accrual rules, so a company with a mandated accrual schedule should ask the vendor before committing.
• Paid tools are not compliance. None of these vendors promises that its software satisfies a state's sick leave law. The employer is responsible for the policy and the records.
• The weakest point of the "pay $2" argument: for a small team with a flat allowance and no accrual rules, a well-kept sheet is cheaper and perfectly adequate. The tools earn their fee when approvals, accruals or chat-based requests become the bottleneck.