Military Leave Calculator
Calculate your military leave balance at separation, compare sell-back vs terminal leave options, estimate sell-back pay, and find your last day of work. All calculations run in your browser — no data stored.
How the Military Leave Calculator Works
The Military Leave Calculator is a free, browser-based tool that projects your leave balance at separation and prices the two ways to cash it out: terminal leave or sell-back. Enter your current balance, ETS date and base pay, and it returns days at separation, sell-back value, and your last physical day of work in one second. Updated 2026-08-26.
Service members earn 2.5 days of leave per month (30 days per year). When separating from the military, you have three options for your accrued leave: take terminal leave (paid time off before your separation date), sell it back (receive a lump-sum payment for unused days, up to 60 days maximum), or a combination of both. This calculator helps you compare these options to make the best financial decision.
The calculator projects your total leave balance at separation by adding your current balance to the leave you will accrue between now and your ETS date. It then calculates the monetary value of selling back leave versus taking terminal leave, factoring in your base pay rate.
Key Formulas
Leave at Separation = Current Balance + (Months Remaining × 2.5) − Leave Used
Sell-Back Value = (Base Pay ÷ 30) × Days Sold (max 60 days)
Last Day of Work = ETS Date − Terminal Leave Days
Note: Sell-back pay is taxable income. Terminal leave is regular pay — you remain on active duty and receive full pay and benefits until ETS.
Terminal Leave vs Sell-Back
Terminal leave means you stop working but remain on active duty. You continue to receive full base pay, BAH, BAS, and health benefits (TRICARE) until your ETS date. This is often the better financial option because you receive your full compensation package, not just base pay. You can also start a civilian job while on terminal leave, effectively double-dipping on income.
Sell-back gives you a lump-sum payment for unused leave days, but the payment is calculated using only your base pay divided by 30 — it does not include BAH, BAS, or other allowances. Additionally, sell-back pay is taxable income and may push you into a higher tax bracket. The maximum you can sell back over your entire career is 60 days.
Tips for Maximizing Your Leave Value
- Take terminal leave whenever possible — you keep all benefits and can start a new job
- Plan ahead — start accruing leave months before separation to maximize your balance
- Combine both options — sell back some days and take terminal leave with the rest
- Factor in benefits — BAH alone can be worth more than the sell-back value per day
- Check your LES — verify your actual leave balance on your Leave and Earnings Statement
Important Considerations
Leave sell-back is limited to 60 days over your entire military career, regardless of how many days you have accumulated. If you have previously sold back leave during a reenlistment, that counts toward the 60-day lifetime cap. Leave beyond 60 days that is not used as terminal leave is simply lost — use it or lose it.
During terminal leave, you are still considered active duty. This means you must maintain military standards, can be recalled in an emergency, and continue to accrue leave (though any leave accrued during terminal leave is typically forfeited). Your DD-214 separation date remains your original ETS date, not your last day of physical work.
Use-or-Lose Leave and the 30 September Carryover Cap
Separation is not the only deadline that costs service members leave. Under 10 U.S.C. § 701, you may carry no more than 60 days of accrued leave across the end of the fiscal year on 30 September. Anything above 60 days on 1 October is forfeited outright — it is not paid out, and it does not roll into your sell-back entitlement. A member sitting on 71 days at the end of September loses 11 days, which at an E-6 base pay of roughly $4,200 a month is about $1,540 gone for nothing.
Two exceptions extend the cap. Special Leave Accrual (SLA) lets you hold up to 120 days when a deployment or operational assignment of 60+ consecutive days blocked you from taking leave; SLA days must then be used within the following fiscal years or they drop back to the 60-day ceiling. Career sell-back is capped separately at 60 days for an entire career under 37 U.S.C. § 501, and any leave you sold at a prior reenlistment already ate into that number.
Practical check each August: pull your current balance off your LES, add 2.5 days for September, and if the total tops 60, schedule the excess as ordinary leave before 30 September or convert it to terminal leave if your ETS is close. Run the numbers in the calculator above with your real ETS date before you request the leave — the sell-back figure is base pay only and usually loses to terminal leave once BAH and BAS are counted. Updated 2026-08-26.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much leave do military members earn?
Active duty service members earn 2.5 days of leave per month, totaling 30 days per year. Leave accrues on the first day of each month. Members can carry over up to 60 days into a new fiscal year (October 1), though special rules sometimes allow up to 120 days during certain periods.
What is terminal leave?
Terminal leave is authorized leave taken at the end of your service. You stop reporting to your unit but remain on active duty, receiving full pay and benefits (base pay, BAH, BAS, TRICARE) until your ETS date. You can start a civilian job while on terminal leave.
How is leave sell-back calculated?
Leave sell-back pay equals your daily base pay (monthly base pay divided by 30) multiplied by the number of days sold. The maximum you can sell back over your entire career is 60 days. Sell-back pay is taxable income and does not include allowances like BAH or BAS.
Can I take terminal leave AND sell back leave?
Yes. You can use a combination of terminal leave and sell-back, as long as your sell-back total does not exceed the 60-day career maximum. For example, if you have 75 days, you could take 45 days terminal leave and sell back 30 days.
Is terminal leave or sell-back a better deal?
Terminal leave is usually the better financial option because you receive full compensation (base pay + BAH + BAS + benefits), not just base pay. With terminal leave you can also start a civilian job, effectively earning two incomes. Sell-back only pays base pay divided by 30 per day and is taxable.
What happens to leave over 60 days on 30 September?
It is forfeited on 1 October. Under 10 U.S.C. 701 you may carry a maximum of 60 days of accrued leave across the end of the fiscal year, and anything above that is lost outright — not paid, and not added to your sell-back entitlement. A member holding 71 days loses 11, which at roughly $4,200 monthly base pay is about $1,540. Check your LES each August and schedule the excess before 30 September.
What is Special Leave Accrual and who qualifies?
Special Leave Accrual (SLA) lets you carry up to 120 days instead of 60 when a deployment or operational assignment of 60 or more consecutive days stopped you from taking leave. It must be authorized by your command, and the protected days must be used within the following fiscal years or the balance drops back to the standard 60-day ceiling. SLA does not raise the separate 60-day career cap on selling leave back under 37 U.S.C. 501.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. All calculations happen entirely in your browser. No data is transmitted to any server.