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Final paycheck calculator
Put your final hours, hourly rate and unused vacation hours in: 24 hours at $25.00 plus 16 vacation hours pay $1,000.00.
★ MONEY · PAY · FINAL PAYCHECK
Final Paycheck Calculator: $1,000.00 Final Pay & Payout
On the defaults — 24 final hours at $25.00 an hour plus 16 unused vacation hours — your final paycheck is $1,000.00: $600.00 of final regular pay plus $400.00 of vacation payout. This is the FINAL-PAY version — hours worked in the last period plus unused vacation at the same rate — the travel-pay-calculator page is the TRAVEL version — trips times miles plus paid travel hours; the mileage-reimbursement-calculator page is the MILEAGE version — miles times a rate plus out-of-pocket costs; the overtime-pay-calculator page is the OVERTIME version — extra hours at a premium rate; and the how-to-calculate-final-paycheck guide is the METHOD version — the same 24 hours at $25.00 worked step by step.
What does a $1,000.00 final paycheck mean?
It means the last pay period closes with two lines that add up to $1,000.00: 24 hours worked at $25.00 an hour, which is $600.00 of final regular pay, plus 16 unused vacation hours paid out at the same $25.00 rate, which is $400.00 of vacation payout. The vacation payout is the whole story in miniature — unused leave is not lost time, it is time already earned and paid at the rate in force when employment ends, so the same rate prices both lines and the total is one multiplication per line plus one addition. The part people get wrong is expecting the final paycheck to look like a normal one: a normal period has a full week or two of hours and no payout line, while a final period has a short run of hours and a payout line that can be the bigger half, so comparing the total against a usual paycheck tells you nothing.
Three things to check before you trust the number
Is $25.00 the rate at the end, not the start? The rate prices both lines, so a rate error doubles up: the $20.00 branch pays $800.00 and the $30.00 branch pays $1,200.00 on the same 24 hours and 16 vacation hours, so a $5.00 error in the rate moves the total by $200.00. Use the rate on your last payslip, including any raise that took effect before your last day, and if the rate changed mid-period, split the hours at the change rather than averaging.
Are the vacation hours really payable? Vacation hours are the other swing input: the no-vacation branch pays $600.00 and the 40-hour branch pays $1,600.00, so a 16-hour error moves the total by $400.00. Only vested, payable hours count, and the rules vary: some employers pay out every unused hour, some pay only up to a cap, and some pay none at all, so confirm the balance and the payout rule with payroll before counting on the $400.00 line. Sick leave is usually a different bucket and usually does not pay out.
What else sits on a real final paycheck? This page covers the two gross lines — hours worked and vacation payout — and a real final paycheck may carry more: overtime in the final period, a bonus or commission, and deductions for tax, benefits and any overpayment recovery. Overtime belongs on the overtime calculator, not folded into the regular rate, and deductions come off the gross total shown here, so treat $1,000.00 as the gross final paycheck and check the payslip for the net. If the last period includes overtime hours, price them at the overtime rate first and add them as a third line.
Worked example
On the defaults: 24 final hours, $25.00 an hour, 16 unused vacation hours.
- Final regular pay: 24 × $25.00 is $600.00.
- Vacation payout: 16 × $25.00 is $400.00.
- Total final paycheck: $600.00 + $400.00 is $1,000.00.
And the other way: the final hours behind $1,000.00 are 24 hours, the hourly rate behind $1,000.00 is $25.00, and the vacation hours behind $1,000.00 are 16 hours.
Every branch, checked
- 12 final hours, same rate and vacation hours: 12 final hours, same rate and vacation hours: $700.00 final paycheck.
- 40 final hours, same rate and vacation hours: 40 final hours, same rate and vacation hours: $1,400.00 final paycheck.
- $20.00 hourly rate, 24 final hours: $20.00 hourly rate, 24 final hours: $800.00 final paycheck.
- $30.00 hourly rate, 24 final hours: $30.00 hourly rate, 24 final hours: $1,200.00 final paycheck.
- No unused vacation hours, 24 final hours: No unused vacation hours, 24 final hours: $600.00 final paycheck.
- 40 unused vacation hours, 24 final hours: 40 unused vacation hours, 24 final hours: $1,600.00 final paycheck.
The reverses, worked backwards
- Final hours behind $1,000.00: 24 final hours — at 24 final hours the figures are $1,000.00 final paycheck.; at the lower neighbor the figures are $900.00 final paycheck.; at the upper neighbor the figures are $1,100.00 final paycheck..
- Hourly rate behind $1,000.00: $25.00 an hour — at $25.00 an hour the figures are $1,000.00 final paycheck.; at the lower neighbor the figures are $900.00 final paycheck.; at the upper neighbor the figures are $1,100.00 final paycheck..
- Vacation hours behind $1,000.00: 16 vacation hours — at 16 vacation hours the figures are $1,000.00 final paycheck.; at the lower neighbor the figures are $900.00 final paycheck.; at the upper neighbor the figures are $1,100.00 final paycheck..
What the defaults assume
The defaults are 24 final hours, a $25.00 hourly rate and 16 unused vacation hours, so the headline is a short final period — about three days worked — plus two days of unused leave paid out. The model is two multiplications and one addition: hours times rate for the regular line, vacation hours times the same rate for the payout line, and their sum for the total. The hours reverse is checked at 4 hours either side, because 4 hours at $25.00 is $100.00; the rate reverse is checked at $2.50 either side, because $2.50 on 40 hours in total is $100.00; the vacation reverse is checked at 4 hours either side, for the same $100.00 reason. The model does not include overtime, bonuses, commissions, deductions or taxes — those belong on the payslip, not in the gross arithmetic.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Final regular pay | final-period hours × hourly rate | $600.00 — 24 × $25.00. |
| Vacation payout | unused vacation hours × hourly rate | $400.00 — 16 × $25.00. |
| Total final paycheck | final regular pay + vacation payout | $1,000.00 — $600.00 + $400.00. |
| Final hours behind a target total | (target total ÷ hourly rate) − vacation hours | 24 hours — ($1,000 ÷ $25.00) − 16. |
| Hourly rate behind a target total | target total ÷ (final hours + vacation hours) | $25.00 — $1,000 ÷ (24 + 16). |
| Vacation hours behind a target total | (target total ÷ hourly rate) − final hours | 16 hours — ($1,000 ÷ $25.00) − 24. |
| 12 final hours, same rate and vacation hours | same model | $700.00 final paycheck. |
| 40 final hours, same rate and vacation hours | same model | $1,400.00 final paycheck. |
| $20.00 hourly rate, 24 final hours | same model | $800.00 final paycheck. |
| $30.00 hourly rate, 24 final hours | same model | $1,200.00 final paycheck. |
| No unused vacation hours, 24 final hours | same model | $600.00 final paycheck. |
| 40 unused vacation hours, 24 final hours | same model | $1,600.00 final paycheck. |
| Final hours behind $1,000.00 | reverse | 24 final hours: $1,000.00 final paycheck. |
| Hourly rate behind $1,000.00 | reverse | $25.00 an hour: $1,000.00 final paycheck. |
| Vacation hours behind $1,000.00 | reverse | 16 vacation hours: $1,000.00 final paycheck. |
| 0 final hours, $0.00 rate and 0 vacation hours | same model | $0.00 final paycheck. |
| Negative final hours | same model | Final hours — 0 or more. |
| Negative hourly rate | same model | Hourly rate — $0 or more. |
| 0 final hours with 16 vacation hours | same model | $400.00 final paycheck. |
Who uses this
- An employee leaving a job — 24 final hours at $25.00 plus 16 vacation hours is $1,000.00 gross, with the two lines shown separately for the payslip check.
- A payroll clerk checking a final run — the reverses recover the hours, rate or vacation balance behind any quoted $1,000.00 figure.
- Someone with a large leave balance — the 40-hour branch shows the payout alone reaching $1,000.00 and the total reaching $1,600.00.
- Anyone comparing two rates — the $20.00 and $30.00 branches show what a raise before the last day is worth on the final paycheck.
Accuracy & limitations
Figures are the model’s own arithmetic on the numbers you type, computed from unrounded values and displayed rounded HALF_UP to 2dp. The main limitation is the payout rule, not the arithmetic: whether unused vacation pays out, and up to what cap, varies by employer and by state law, and this page applies one rate to every hour you enter. This page is a calculation tool, not payroll or legal advice.
Cite this calculator
24 final hours at $25.00 an hour plus 16 unused vacation hours pay a $1,000.00 final paycheck: $600.00 regular pay plus $400.00 vacation payout. Source: Bright Side Kit, https://brightoolbox.com/final-paycheck-calculator/, accessed 29 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is a final paycheck?
The last paycheck when employment ends: pay for the hours worked in the final period, plus any payable unused vacation, as here — 24 hours at $25.00 plus 16 vacation hours is $1,000.00 gross.
Are unused vacation hours always paid out?
Not always: some employers pay every unused hour, some pay only up to a cap, and some pay none, and the rules vary by employer policy and state law. Confirm the payable balance with payroll before counting on the payout line.
Is vacation paid at the same rate as regular hours?
In this model, yes: both lines use the hourly rate in force at the end of employment, so 16 vacation hours at $25.00 are $400.00. If your policy prices the payout differently, adjust the rate to match.
What if I worked overtime in my final period?
Price overtime separately at the overtime rate and add it as a third line: the regular line here covers straight-time hours only, and folding overtime into the regular rate understates the total.
Is the $1,000.00 figure gross or net?
Gross: it is the total before tax, benefits and any other deductions, which come off afterwards on the payslip. The net final paycheck will be lower than $1,000.00.
What if my final hours include partial hours?
Fractions work fine: the model multiplies whatever hours you type, so 24.5 final hours at $25.00 are $612.50 of regular pay, plus the vacation payout on top.