FERS Sick Leave Conversion Chart and Calculator

OPM converts your unused sick leave to months and days of service with its 2,087-hour chart, and for a FERS annuity based on a separation after 2013 it counts 100% of those hours. Look up your hours in the full chart below, or use the calculator to see your total service, your pension with and without the sick leave, and how many more hours reach the next month. For the rest of the pension formula use the FERS retirement calculator.

Maintained by Archie Chang · OPM Handbook chart and statute checked October 24, 2026 · Methodology & sources

FERS sick leave calculator

hours
$

Enter creditable service without sick leave (civilian plus any military service you paid a deposit for). An annuity needs at least 5 years of civilian service (5 U.S.C. 8410), so do not count military service toward those 5 years. Hours with up to two decimals are rounded up to the next number on the chart, as OPM directs.

1000 hours = 5 months 23 days of service credit

Chart entry used: 1,003 hours. Total service with sick leave: 25 years 5 months 23 days. OPM drops the 23 leftover days, so 25 years 5 months is used in the formula.

Pension without sick leave

$25,000.00 a year

$2,083 a month before any reduction

Pension with sick leave

$25,416.70 a year

$2,118 a month before any reduction

What the sick leave adds

$416.70 a year

$35 a month, at 1.0% of high-3 per year of service

Are a few more hours worth it?

The next month of credit starts at 1,039 hours, which is 39 more than you entered. It would raise your pension by $83.30 a year (total $25,500.00). Hours below that point add nothing, because OPM drops leftover days.

Basic annuity only: no survivor benefit cost, no MRA + 10 age reduction, no special category 1.7% rate, no COLA. Amounts follow OPM Chart 6 and Chart 7 factors and round to the cent.

OPM sick leave conversion chart (2,087 hours)

Read across for the months and down for the days. If your exact number of hours is not on the chart, use the next highest number, as OPM instructs. For example, 1,500 hours is not listed (1,496 and 1,501 are), so use 1,501 hours, which is 8 months and 19 days. A year takes 2,087 hours, so for more than that, take whole years first and look up the rest.

OPM Chart 2: hours of unused sick leave for each combination of months and days of service credit (2,087 hours = 1 year).
Days0 months1 month2 months3 months4 months5 months6 months7 months8 months9 months10 months11 months
001743485226968701,0441,2171,3911,5651,7391,913
161803545287018751,0491,2231,3971,5711,7451,919
2121863595337078811,0551,2291,4031,5771,7511,925
3171913655397138871,0611,2351,4091,5831,7571,930
4231973715457198931,0671,2411,4151,5881,7621,936
5292033775517258991,0721,2461,4201,5941,7681,942
6352093835577309041,0781,2521,4261,6001,7741,948
7412143885627369101,0841,2581,4321,6061,7801,954
8462203945687429161,0901,2641,4381,6121,7861,959
9522264005747489221,0961,2701,4441,6171,7911,965
10582324065807549281,1011,2751,4491,6231,7971,971
11642384125867599331,1071,2811,4551,6291,8031,977
12702434175917659391,1131,2871,4611,6351,8091,983
13752494235977719451,1191,2931,4671,6411,8151,988
14812554296037779511,1251,2991,4721,6461,8201,994
15872614356097839571,1301,3041,4781,6521,8262,000
16932674416157889621,1361,3101,4841,6581,8322,006
17992724466207949681,1421,3161,4901,6641,8382,012
181042784526268009741,1481,3221,4961,6701,8442,017
191102844586328069801,1541,3281,5011,6751,8492,023
201162904646388129861,1591,3331,5071,6811,8552,029
211222964706438179911,1651,3391,5131,6871,8612,035
221283014756498239971,1711,3451,5191,6931,8672,041
231333074816558291,0031,1771,3511,5251,6991,8732,046
241393134876618351,0091,1831,3571,5301,7041,8782,052
251463194936678411,0151,1881,3621,5361,7101,8842,058
261513254996728461,0201,1941,3681,5421,7161,8902,064
271573305046788521,0261,2001,3741,5481,7221,8962,070
281623365106848581,0321,2061,3801,5541,7281,9012,075
291683425166908641,0381,2121,3861,5591,7331,9072,081

Source: OPM CSRS and FERS Handbook, chapter 50, section 50C1.1-1, Chart 2 “Sick Leave Chart 2087 Hours”. Every cell was checked against OPM's PDF. In the 25-days row the 0-month cell reads 146, which is what OPM prints. The worked examples on this page (2,000, 1,500 and 1,571 hours) are from the CSRS section of the same chapter, which uses this chart; for FERS the credit rules come from 5 U.S.C. 8415(m) and OPM BALs 11-102 and 18-103.

How sick leave raises a FERS pension

  1. Convert the hours. Use the chart above. 2,087 hours is one year of service.
  2. Add them to your service. Add the credit to your civilian and military service, carrying 30 days into a month and 12 months into a year.
  3. Drop leftover days. OPM uses whole months only. In the Handbook example (in the CSRS section of chapter 50, which uses the same chart), 30 years 1 month 16 days of civilian service, 2 years 10 days of military service and 1,571 hours (9 months 1 day) total 32 years 10 months 27 days. The 27 days are dropped and 32 years 10 months goes into the formula.
  4. Multiply. Your high-3 times 1% (or 1.1% if you are 62 or older with at least 20 years) times the total service (5 U.S.C. 8415(a), (i)). The 20 years for 1.1% include your sick leave credit: OPM BAL 18-103 says a retiree at least 62 whose actual service is under 20 years but reaches 20 with unused sick leave added is computed at 1.1%. Sick leave still does not help you qualify to retire.

What sick leave does not do

  • It does not count toward the service you need to qualify to retire. Unused sick leave is excluded from annuity eligibility (5 U.S.C. 8415(m)).
  • It is not part of your high-3 average pay (same provision).
  • It is not credited to a deferred annuity. The statute applies when you retire on an immediate annuity or die leaving a survivor entitled to an annuity. See our FERS minimum retirement age page for which retirements are immediate.
  • It is only credit for unused leave under a formal leave system that you were not paid for.

100% since 2014

Public Law 111-84 (2009) added the general sick leave credit to 5 U.S.C. 8415(m); before it, that provision covered only Veterans Health Administration registered nurses. Under 8415(m)(2)(B) the credit was 50 percent for separations from enactment through December 31, 2013, and is 100 percent for separations after December 31, 2013. OPM confirms both percentages in Benefits Administration Letter 11-102 (2011) and explains how sick leave interacts with the 1.1% formula in BAL 18-103 (2018). The Handbook's chapter 50 FERS pages date from 1998 and predate the 2009 law, so the 100% figure comes from the statute and those two letters.

FERS sick leave conversion chart questions

How does OPM convert unused sick leave to FERS service credit?

OPM's Chart 2 in chapter 50 of the CSRS and FERS Handbook converts hours to months and days, with 2,087 hours equal to one year. Find your hours on the chart, or the next highest number if your exact figure is not listed. For example, 2,000 hours is 11 months and 15 days, and 1,500 hours is not listed, so OPM uses 1,501 hours, which is 8 months and 19 days.

Does 100% of my unused sick leave count for a FERS pension?

Yes, if your annuity is based on a separation after December 31, 2013. 5 U.S.C. 8415(m)(2) credits 100 percent of unused sick leave for those annuities. For separations from the date the law was enacted in 2009 through December 31, 2013 it credited 50 percent.

Does sick leave count toward the 5, 10, 20 or 30 years I need to retire?

No. The statute and the Handbook both say unused sick leave is not counted for annuity eligibility or for the high-3 average. It is added only after you qualify, when your pension is computed. The 1.1% rule is different: OPM Benefits Administration Letter 18-103 says a retiree who is at least 62 and reaches 20 years only with unused sick leave added is computed at 1.1%.

Do the leftover days from sick leave count?

Only inside the sum. OPM adds sick leave to your civilian and military service, then drops any leftover days under a full month. In the Handbook example, 30 years 1 month 16 days of civilian service plus 2 years 10 days of military service plus 1,571 hours (9 months 1 day) total 32 years 10 months 27 days, and 32 years 10 months is used for the computation.

Which FERS annuities get sick leave credit?

The statute credits sick leave when an employee retires on an immediate annuity or dies leaving a survivor entitled to an annuity. A deferred annuity is not an immediate annuity, so it gets no sick leave credit. OPM lists MRA + 10 under immediate retirement. The pages we reviewed do not say whether a postponed MRA + 10 start date changes that, so confirm with OPM if you plan to postpone. Disability retirement uses a different formula and is not covered here.

How much is a month of sick leave worth?

One month of credit is 1/12 of one year, so it adds 1/12 of 1% of your high-3 (or 1/12 of 1.1% at 62 or older with 20 or more years of service) to your yearly pension. On the chart, the first month takes 174 hours and a full year takes 2,087 hours. The calculator above shows the dollar effect for your own numbers.

Is there a FERS sick leave conversion chart PDF?

OPM publishes the chart in chapter 50 of the CSRS and FERS Handbook, a PDF on opm.gov (see the source links below). This page reproduces Chart 2 in full as a table you can search and print.

Estimate for planning. OPM computes your official annuity from your own records and your agency's sick leave balance. Check your leave balance on your final pay statement and use OPM's retirement estimates for decisions.

Authoritative sources: OPM Handbook chapter 50 (chart PDF) · OPM FERS computation · OPM BAL 11-102 · OPM BAL 18-103 · 5 U.S.C. 8415 · 5 U.S.C. 8412