Inputs you will enter
- Unused sick leave hoursFrom your most recent Leave and Earnings Statement. Add the hours you expect to earn before you retire.
- Actual serviceYears, months and days from your service computation date to retirement.
- High-3 and multiplierOptional, to show the dollar effect.
- Work scheduleFull time or part time, because part-time schedules are converted differently.
How we compute it
We convert your hours with OPM's chart, which is based on a 2,087-hour work year. Hours that make full years come first, then full months, then days (OPM CSRS/FERS Handbook, retrieved 2026-07-05). We add that time to your actual service. OPM counts the combined total in full years and months and drops any leftover days, so we do the same.
To show the dollar effect, we multiply the added service by your high-3 and your multiplier. One year of sick leave at the 1 percent multiplier adds about 1 percent of your high-3 to your yearly annuity.
A worked example
You have 1,044 hours of sick leave, about half a year, and 29 years 9 months of actual service. The sick leave adds roughly 6 months, bringing your total to about 30 years 3 months for the computation. At a $90,000 high-3 and 1 percent, those extra 6 months add about $450 a year. Educational estimate on the assumptions shown.
What to do with your result
Add the converted time to the FERS pension estimator, and keep it out of the retirement date finder, because eligibility uses actual service only. See OPM's full chart on our sick leave conversion data page and the rules in the leave guide.
Not sure whether to use sick leave now or save it for retirement credit?
FFEBA is an education organization. If you want someone to look at your own numbers, we can match you with a Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC), a professional trained on federal benefits. The FRC designation is listed with FINRA. The first review is free, nothing is booked until you choose a time, and you are never obligated to work with anyone we introduce. Get matched with an FRC.
Questions about this calculator
How much sick leave counts toward FERS retirement?
FERS retirees receive credit for their unused sick leave in the annuity computation, converted at 2,087 hours per year.
Does sick leave help me retire earlier?
No. Unused sick leave is added only when OPM computes the amount of your annuity. It does not count toward the years of service you need to be eligible, and it cannot be used to reach your MRA.
How many hours of sick leave equal one month?
OPM's chart is built on a 2,087-hour year, which works out to roughly 174 hours per month. The chart then converts leftover hours into days. Our sick leave conversion data page shows the chart in full.
Can sick leave push me past a full month of service?
Yes. OPM adds your sick leave to your actual service, and the combined total is counted in full years and months. Extra days that do not make a full month are dropped, so a small amount of sick leave can complete a month.
Reviewed by the FFEBA education team. Last reviewed October 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, CSRS/FERS Handbook (creditable service, unused sick leave), retrieved 2026-07-05
Every government figure on this page carries its source and retrieval date. Worked examples are educational estimates on the assumptions shown, not a projection of any person's benefit. FFEBA is an education organization, not a financial advisor.
