Calculator
FERS Sick Leave Conversion
See how much your unused sick leave adds to your retirement pension. FERS retirees receive 100% service credit for all unused sick leave under the OPM 2,087-hour conversion chart.
Reviewed by Jonathan D., 20-year federal employee · Formulas verified against OPM.gov ·
Editorial note — not financial advice
This tool is independent journalism and education for federal employees. It is not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice, and FedTools is not your fiduciary. Verify anything you read here with your HR Benefits Officer, a fee-only financial planner, or a qualified tax professional before acting. See our editorial standards and terms for details.
Your retirement inputs
Check your latest LES or eOPF. Federal employees earn 4 hrs per pay period (13 days/yr).
Your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay, including locality.
Creditable civilian service, not counting the sick-leave conversion.
Used to determine if you qualify for the 1.1% multiplier (age 62+ with 20+ years).
How many years you expect to collect your pension. Default is 25; range is 5–45.
FERS annuity multiplier
1.1% applies if you retire at 62+ with at least 20 years of service. Otherwise 1.0%.
What your sick leave is worth
Your 800 hours of sick leave add 4 mo 18 days of service credit, worth $9,100 over a 25-year retirement. Don’t burn it before you retire.
4 mo 18 days
Added service credit
4.6 months · OPM 2,087-hr chart
$364/yr
Extra annual pension
For life · FERS COLA rules apply
$30
Extra per month
Added to your annuity
$9,100
Lifetime value
Over a 25-year retirement
Extra annuity = (Sick leave hours ÷ 174 ÷ 12) × Multiplier × High-3. Every 174 hours of unused sick leave converts to one month of service credit. Sick leave boosts your pension but cannot establish retirement eligibility.
| Sick leave hours | Service credit | Decimal years |
|---|---|---|
| 174 hrs | 1 month | 0.083 |
| 522 hrs | 3 months | 0.250 |
| 870 hrs | 5 months | 0.417 |
| 1,044 hrs | 6 months | 0.500 |
| 1,566 hrs | 9 months | 0.750 |
| 2,087 hrs | 1 year | 1.000 |
Source: OPM Sick Leave Conversion Chart — 5 U.S.C. § 8415 (FERS). Based on a 2,087-hour federal work year.
Sick leave tips for federal employees
Do not drain sick leave before retiring — unlike annual leave, it is not paid out in a lump sum; it converts directly to pension credit.
You earn sick leave at 4 hours per biweekly pay period (13 days/year). There is no accrual cap — it carries over indefinitely.
FERS employees received 50% sick-leave credit from 2010 through 2013, and none before 2010. All FERS employees retiring on or after January 1, 2014 receive 100% credit.
Sick leave is not used to establish retirement eligibility — only creditable worked service counts toward the minimum service requirement.
OPM uses your official leave records. Verify your balance in your agency HR system or eOPF before retiring.
How the OPM 2,087-hour conversion works
When a FERS employee retires, OPM takes the unused sick-leave balance and converts it to additional service credit using a fixed chart based on a 2,087-hour work year — the official federal work-year standard. Every 174 hours of unused sick leave equals one additional month of service credit.
That service credit is added to your total creditable service before OPM applies the FERS annuity formula: High-3 × total service years × multiplier. It will not, however, make you eligible to retire — only actual worked service counts toward the age-and-service thresholds.
The FERS sick leave formula
Extra annuity = (Sick leave months ÷ 12) × Multiplier × High-3
Worked example: 1,044 hours of sick leave
Inputs: 1,044 sick-leave hours · $100,000 High-3 · 1% multiplier
Step 1 1,044 ÷ 174 = 6.0 months exactly
Step 2 6 months ÷ 12 = 0.5 years
Step 3 0.5 × 1% × $100,000 = $500 / year additional annuity
Lifetime value $500 × 25 years = $12,500
From 50% to full credit
FERS employees once received no credit for unused sick leave. The NDAA for FY2010 introduced 50% credit, and the NDAA for FY2013 raised it to 100% for retirements on or after January 1, 2014.
| Period | FERS credit | CSRS credit |
|---|---|---|
| Before 2010 | No credit | 100% |
| 2010 – 2013 | 50% of unused | 100% |
| Jan 1, 2014 – present | 100% full credit | 100% |
All current FERS employees retiring today receive full (100%) credit. The transition and partial-credit rules are historical only.
Last reviewed June 2026 · we monitor legislative changes affecting federal retirement.
Sick leave conversion chart for federal retirement
OPM's 2087-hour chart converts your unused sick leave balance into months and days of additional service credit. Every 174 hours earns one full month; 2,087 hours earns one full year. The table below covers the most common balances — use the calculator above for any exact figure.
| Sick leave hours | Months added | Days added |
|---|---|---|
| 100 hrs | 0 | 17 |
| 174 hrs | 1 | 0 |
| 300 hrs | 1 | 22 |
| 400 hrs | 2 | 9 |
| 500 hrs | 2 | 26 |
| 600 hrs | 3 | 13 |
| 700 hrs | 4 | 1 |
| 800 hrs ★ | 4 | 18 |
| 900 hrs | 5 | 5 |
| 1,000 hrs | 5 | 22 |
| 1,044 hrs | 6 | 0 |
| 1,200 hrs | 6 | 27 |
| 1,392 hrs | 8 | 0 |
| 1,566 hrs | 9 | 0 |
| 1,740 hrs | 10 | 0 |
| 1,914 hrs | 11 | 0 |
| 2,087 hrs | 12 | 0 |
★ Approximate median balance for federal retirees. Values follow OPM's 2087-hour retirement-credit standard (5 U.S.C. § 8415): 174 hrs = 1 month, and leftover days use OPM's 360-day retirement year (about 5.8 hrs = 1 day). For balances over 2,087 hours, subtract 2,087 and repeat.
Federal retirement sick leave calculator: what it shows
This federal retirement sick leave calculator takes your unused hours, converts them to service credit using OPM's 2,087-hour chart, then applies the FERS annuity formula to show the exact dollar boost to your pension — both annually and as a projected lifetime total. Enter your hours, high-3 salary, years of service, and retirement age in the calculator at the top of this page.
The typical retiree's balance
Illustrative estimates of how unused sick-leave balances tend to be distributed at federal retirement — OPM does not publish an official distribution.
| Percentile | Sick leave | Credit added | Extra annuity* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | ~350 hrs | 2 months | ~$195/yr |
| Median (50th) | ~800 hrs | 4 mo 18 d | ~$445/yr |
| 75th percentile | ~1,400 hrs | 8 months | ~$778/yr |
| Full-year credit | 2,087 hrs | 1 year | ~$1,160/yr |
*Based on a GS-12 Step 5 Washington-DC locality salary ($116,071, 2026 rates) and the 1% FERS multiplier. The median retiree gains roughly $11,100 in additional lifetime pension income from unused sick leave alone.
Should you save your sick leave?
Reasons to preserve it
Converts to pension credit worth real dollars over a 25-year retirement.
No accrual cap — your balance carries over indefinitely.
Acts as an effective "annuity savings account" for retirement planning.
FERS sick leave earns at 4 hrs/pay period — about 104 hrs/year of potential credit.
When using it makes sense
Genuine illness — that is exactly what it is for.
Family care under FMLA-qualifying events.
If you already have a large balance and a low salary, the marginal value of more hours decreases.
Important: Sick leave cannot be used to bridge to retirement eligibility, avoid a reduction-in-force, or as terminal leave. Any attempt to use sick leave for non-medical reasons risks disciplinary action — use annual leave for personal time and preserve sick leave for its conversion value.
Frequently asked questions
OPM uses the 2087-hour chart: 174 hours of unused sick leave = 1 month of additional service credit. 2,087 hours = 1 full year. FERS employees receive 100% credit for all unused sick leave for retirements on or after January 1, 2014 (50% from 2010 through 2013; CSRS has always received full credit).
The formula is: (sick leave months / 12) × FERS multiplier × High-3 salary. For example, 800 hours of sick leave converts to 4 months and 18 days of credit. At a $95,000 high-3 with the 1% multiplier, that adds approximately $364/year — or about $9,100 over a 25-year retirement.
No. Sick leave credit cannot be used to establish retirement eligibility (e.g., reaching the minimum service requirement). It only applies AFTER you have already met eligibility requirements, adding to the annuity calculation.
If you leave without retiring, unused sick leave is not paid out and is not transferable. However, unlike annual leave, a sick leave balance is recredited to your account if you are later reemployed by the federal government — so it is not permanently forfeited.
Generally, do not drain sick leave before retiring. Unlike annual leave, sick leave is not paid out as a lump sum when you retire — it converts to pension credit instead. Using it all before retirement means forfeiting that pension boost. An 800-hour balance is typically worth several thousand dollars in lifetime pension income — enter your own high-3 in the calculator above for a personalized estimate.
The 1.1% multiplier applies if you retire at age 62 or older with at least 20 years of creditable service. The standard 1.0% multiplier applies otherwise, including MRA+10 retirees and those taking early retirement (VERA).
No. FERS employees received no credit for unused sick leave before 2010. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 granted 50% credit starting in 2010, and the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2013 raised it to 100% for retirements on or after January 1, 2014. CSRS employees have always received full credit.
A commonly cited estimate puts the median federal retiree near 800 unused sick leave hours, though OPM does not publish a formal distribution. Federal employees earn sick leave at 4 hours per biweekly pay period — about 104 hours (13 days) per year — with no accrual cap, so an 800-hour balance reflects roughly eight or more years of earning, net of any sick leave used.
Yes, the sick leave credit increases the total service credit used in the annuity calculation, which in turn slightly increases the base pension. Survivor benefit elections are based on this higher pension amount.
Check your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) issued each pay period, your agency HR system, or your electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF). Your agency HR Benefits Officer can also provide an official balance.
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