Terminal leave pay calculator.

Two ways to use unused leave

A member who is separating can take accrued leave before the end date, which keeps them on active duty and in pay status while on leave, or can be paid in cash for unused leave at discharge. Under 10 U.S.C. 701(d), leave taken before discharge is considered active service. The cash route is governed by 37 U.S.C. 501: a member with accrued leave at discharge is entitled to be paid in cash for that leave on the basis of the basic pay to which the member was entitled on the date of discharge.

The 60-day career limit

Section 501(f) says the number of days on which payment is based may not exceed sixty, less the number of days for which payment was previously made after February 9, 1976, without regard to any break in service or change in status. DoD’s Financial Management Regulation (DoD 7000.14-R, Volume 7A, chapter 35, March 2024) states the same rule in plain terms: generally, a Service member is entitled to payment for no more than 60 days of accrued leave during a military career. The tool subtracts the days you already sold from 60 to find your room.

There are exceptions. The limit does not apply to leave accrued by a Reserve Component member while serving on active duty in support of a contingency operation, or on active duty, full-time National Guard duty or active duty for training for more than 30 days but not more than 365 days, among other cases listed in the regulation. An enlisted member who would lose accumulated leave above 90 days under the special leave accrual rules may elect a one-time payment for up to 30 days, and that payment counts against the 60-day career limit. The tool does not model these; if one applies, your finance office can tell you the extra payable days.

How the lump sum is figured

The statute pays on basic pay. The FMR example in chapter 35 shows the daily value: an officer with monthly basic pay of $9,034.50 has 2.5 days of leave valued at $752.88, which is $301.15 a day, one-thirtieth of the monthly figure. The tool uses monthly basic pay divided by 30 and multiplies by the payable days. Allowances such as housing are not part of the payment, because leave is valued using basic pay only.

Taxes and what the lump sum is not

The FMR says payments for accrued leave are normally subject to income tax and withholding. A combat zone tax exclusion can apply to leave earned in a qualifying month, with officer limits, but this tool does not model it. Under 37 U.S.C. 501(c), paid unused leave is not considered service for any purpose, so it does not add time toward retirement. A member discharged under other than honorable conditions forfeits accrued leave under 501(e)(1), and a member discharged before six months of active duty for failure to serve satisfactorily can be required to forfeit it.

Why the 60-day accumulation ceiling matters

Under 10 U.S.C. 701(b), a member generally may not accumulate more than 60 days of leave, except that leave taken during a fiscal year may be charged to leave accumulated during that fiscal year, and subsection (e) lets the Secretary authorize certain members to retain up to 30 days of excess leave. If your balance is above 60, the tool warns you, because the excess may have been allowed under a special rule or may be at risk. Ask your leave office which rule applies.

Worked example

A member separates on March 31, 2027 with 45 accrued days, has never sold leave, and has monthly basic pay of $4,000. Room under the career limit is 60 days, so all 45 days are payable. The daily value is $4,000 divided by 30, or $133.33, and the lump sum before tax is $6,000.00. If the member instead takes all 45 days as terminal leave, counting back 45 calendar days from March 31 puts the start at February 14, 2027, and the member is paid as usual while on leave. If 20 days had been sold earlier, room would drop to 40 days and only 40 of the 45 could be paid, leaving 5 days to take as leave.

Limits of this page

This is an estimate from the rules we read. We read the FMR through an Internet Archive copy because comptroller.defense.gov refused an automated request, and the statutes on the Cornell Legal Information Institute mirror. We do not know your Service’s leave policy, final pay timing or tax withholding. Your finance office and your Service’s rules decide the actual amounts and dates.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• 37 U.S.C. 501, Payments for unused accrued leave (read November 2, 2026)
• 10 U.S.C. 701, Entitlement and accumulation (read November 2, 2026)
• DoD 7000.14-R, Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7A, Chapter 35, March 2024 (Internet Archive copy read November 2, 2026)