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FMLA Leave Calculator: Rolling 12-Month Period, Hours & Dates

Last updated: 2026-10-07 · Counting rules from 29 CFR 825.200–.205 and DOL Fact Sheets #28H and #28I

Enter the leave an employee has already taken and the leave they're asking for. The calculator applies your 12-month method day by day, converts weeks to hours (12 × the normal workweek), handles intermittent and reduced-schedule leave and the 26-week military caregiver period, and tells you the last FMLA-protected day. Download an Excel tracker that keeps calculating as you add days.

FMLA leave balance calculator

Eligibility test, leave balance under all four 12-month methods, and notice deadlines. Saved in this browser only.

On any day, the employee has 12 workweeks minus whatever FMLA leave they used in the 12 months before. Leave 'comes back' one year after each day it was used. Prevents stacking but takes the most tracking.

h/wk

12 weeks = 480 h for this schedule

Full day = 8 h

FMLA leave already taken

One row per block of leave. Use the same start and end date for a single day; set hours per day below a full day for intermittent or reduced-schedule leave. Only scheduled workdays count.

  • No leave entered — the employee has the full entitlement.

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Estimates under 29 CFR Part 825 — not legal advice. Airline flight crews follow day-based rules (72 / 156 days) not modeled here.

The four 12-month methods at a glance

MethodHow the available leave is figured
Calendar yearEveryone's leave year runs January 1 through December 31. Simple, but an employee can take 12 weeks at the end of one year and 12 more at the start of the next (up to 24 weeks in a row).
Fixed leave yearA fixed 12-month year that starts on a date you choose (for example your fiscal year). Same back-to-back stacking risk as the calendar year.
Forward from first leaveEach employee's leave year starts on the first day they use FMLA leave and runs 12 months. The next leave year begins the first time they take FMLA leave after that year ends.
Rolling (look-back)On any day, the employee has 12 workweeks minus whatever FMLA leave they used in the 12 months before. Leave 'comes back' one year after each day it was used. Prevents stacking but takes the most tracking.

Questions

How do you calculate FMLA leave in hours?

Multiply the employee's normal workweek by 12. A 40-hour employee has 480 hours; a 50-hour employee has 600; a 30-hour part-timer has 360. When the employee misses part of a week, only the hours actually missed count (DOL Fact Sheet #28I). If the schedule varies too much to know, use the weekly average of hours scheduled over the 12 months before leave.

How does the rolling 12-month look-back work?

On the day leave starts, look back 12 months and subtract every hour of FMLA leave used in that window from the 12-week entitlement. DOL's example: leave starting November 1 looks back from November 2 of the prior year through November 1. An hour used on March 3 comes back on March 3 of the next year. The calculator lists those dates and the day a full 12 weeks is available again.

Which 12-month method should my business use?

Any of the four is lawful if used for everyone. The calendar and fixed-year methods are easiest to administer but let an employee take 12 weeks at the end of one year and 12 at the start of the next. The rolling-backward method prevents that stacking. If you never chose a method, the employee gets whichever is most beneficial to them, and switching requires 60 days' notice.

Do holidays count against FMLA leave?

If the employee is out on FMLA leave for the entire week, the whole week counts even if it contains a holiday. If they take leave for only part of a week, a holiday they weren't scheduled to work doesn't count. Days the business is shut down for a week or more (e.g., a plant shutdown) don't count.

What happens when the employee runs out of FMLA leave?

Leave beyond the entitlement isn't FMLA-protected, but it may still be protected by a state leave law, paid sick leave, workers' compensation, or the ADA (extra leave can be a reasonable accommodation). The designation notice must tell the employee when the entitlement is exhausted.

Need the full rules — who's covered, notices, state leave laws? Read the FMLA requirements guide.

Official Sources

Figures checked against these sources on 2026-10-07

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General information, not legal advice. Confirm designations with the DOL Wage and Hour Division or counsel.