Two calculations that every employee needs but few people know how to do correctly:
"Am I getting the right holiday pay?"
"How many vacation days do I have left?"
I built free tools for both. Here's the math behind them.
Holiday Pay Calculation:
function calculateHolidayPay(hourlyRate, hoursWorked, multiplier = 1.5) {
const holidayPay = hourlyRate * multiplier * hoursWorked;
const regularPay = hourlyRate * hoursWorked;
const extraEarned = holidayPay - regularPay;
return { holidayPay, regularPay, extraEarned };
}
// Example: $22/hr, 8 hours, time-and-a-half
calculateHolidayPay(22, 8, 1.5);
// { holidayPay: 264, regularPay: 176, extraEarned: 88 }
The gotcha: There's no federal law requiring this. Your employer's policy determines whether you get 1.5x, 2x, or nothing.
Try it: Holiday Pay Calculator
Vacation Days Remaining:
function vacationDaysRemaining(annualDays, monthsElapsed, carryover, daysUsed) {
const earned = (annualDays / 12) * monthsElapsed;
const available = earned + carryover - daysUsed;
return Math.round(available * 100) / 100;
}
// 15 days/year, 6 months in, 2 days carried over, 5 used
vacationDaysRemaining(15, 6, 2, 5);
// 4.5 days remaining
Most employers track in hours (not days), which adds a conversion step. And if you have an accrual cap, the formula gets more complex.
Try it: Vacation Days Calculator
Why I built these as web tools instead of just formulas:
People don't want to do math. They want an answer.
Different shift lengths (7, 7.5, 8, 10, 12 hours) change everything
State laws vary (some states require holiday pay for retail workers)
Accrual caps and rollover policies add complexity
Sometimes the best developer tool is one that saves a non-developer 30 seconds of calculator math.
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