How do most companies track PTO?

Most companies start by tracking PTO in spreadsheets or even paper logs—which works fine until someone's request gets missed. Growing teams move to dedicated time-off management software like Homebase, so that requests, approvals, and accruals are all in one place and update automatically. That way, managers and employees are always looking at the same information.

Is there a free vacation tracker?

Yes! Homebase offers free PTO tracking for teams with fewer than 10 employees. It's a great option if you only need a simple way to manage time off on your schedule. For larger teams with more complex needs, such as custom accrual rates, blackout dates, or automated payroll syncing, our paid plans help save time and prevent errors.

How do I make my own PTO tracker?

You can build a basic PTO tracker in a spreadsheet by creating columns for each employee's available balance, requests, approvals, and running totals. It takes some setup, and you'll need to update it manually after every request or accrual. For most teams, dedicated PTO time-tracking software like Homebase is faster to set up and harder to mess up, since everything is calculated automatically.

PTO Tracking Software

No more lost time off requests.

Have full visibility into time-off accruals, balances, and requests for managers and employees—all in one app.

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Time-off tracking that runs itself.

Collect team availability.

Manage time off requests without paper forms, group chats, or sticky notes.

End scheduling conflicts.

See approved time off so you never schedule someone who’s on vacation.

Pay the right wages.

Vacation hours flow automatically to timesheets and payroll, so paid and unpaid time off is always accounted for.

Take vacation tracking out of spreadsheets.

Get started for free

PTO Management Software

Schedule with a full picture of your team’s time off.

See pending requests, upcoming time off, and approved hours by employee, all in one place.
Check if requests conflict with schedules or your time-off policy before approving.
Approve or deny requests in the app from anywhere, so your team always gets a quick answer.

A Homebase time-off request card from an employee named Clara R. for a paid vacation from March 17–20 for 16 hours, with a personal note to her manager and Decline/Approve buttons.

PTO Time Tracking Software

Track time off from request to paycheck.

Approved time off shows up in your schedule and timesheets automatically—no manual updates needed.
Track paid and unpaid time off separately so nothing gets miscalculated in your payroll runs.
PTO wages and accruals add up automatically in payroll for accurate paychecks.

A Homebase weekly schedule view showing staff shifts across roles — including Back of House, Front of House, and Cashier — alongside time-off blocks and a time-off request for March 27–31.

Vacation Tracking Software

Easier PTO management for you and your team.

Set blackout dates and advance notice requirements so you're never caught short-staffed.
Your team can check their time off balance without having to ask you every time.
Set custom PTO policies for different employee types, so accruals and wages are calculated automatically and applied consistently.

A Homebase time-off Policy basics screen showing a policy name field, Hourly and Fixed accrual options, and an earning rate of 1 hour per 40 hours worked.

“We really like the time off request feature. It makes things really easy. In the early days, people would email me or text me or tell me what days they’d like to take off, and I'd have to make a note. But I soon realized I could ask the employee to make the request in Homebase, because then when we're making the schedules, we know you've got that blocked off.”

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