Sick Leave Conversion Calculator
Convert your unused sick leave hours into extra FERS service credit using OPM's 2,087-hour rule. See the added months and days of creditable service your sick leave balance buys, and roughly what that extra service is worth in annual annuity dollars.
Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works
Sick leave counts toward the annuity computation only — never toward retirement eligibility. Leftover days combine with your actual-service days at adjudication, so partial months still matter.
Verified 2026-07-30 against OPM — FERS computation, eligibility, creditable service & annuitant pamphlet (effective 2026-01-01)
Estimate only — not legal, financial, or benefits advice. Only OPM can determine your actual benefit.
Official source: OPM — sick leave credit for retirement ↗
🎓 Understand this tool
What it is
A converter that turns your unused sick-leave balance into the extra FERS service credit it becomes at retirement, and shows roughly what that credit adds to your annuity.
How it works
OPM converts sick leave using a 2,087-hour work year — about 174 hours per month of service credit. The added months attach to your actual service for the annuity computation (they cannot create retirement eligibility on their own). The annuity effect preview multiplies the added service by your multiplier and high-3.
Getting the most from it
- Enter your current sick-leave balance in hours from your leave statement.
- See the months-and-days of credit it converts to under the 2,087-hour rule.
- Optionally add your high-3 and multiplier to see the approximate annual annuity impact.
Reading your result
Leftover hours short of a full month combine with leftover actual-service days at retirement, so small balances still count. The dollar preview is an approximation of that mechanic, not a recomputation of your full annuity.
What it can't tell you
CSRS rules differ, and the interaction of leave-without-pay, rehired-annuitant status, or agency leave systems is outside this tool. OPM applies the official conversion chart at adjudication.
Frequently asked questions
At retirement, unused sick leave hours are converted to additional creditable service using OPM's 2,087-hour year and added to your actual service for the annuity computation. It cannot be used to reach eligibility for retirement itself.
Related calculators
FERS Retirement
Estimate your FERS annuity from your high-3 average salary, creditable service years, and retirement age. Applies the 1% multiplier, the 1.1% multiplier at age 62 with 20+ years, your minimum retirement age by birth year, and the MRA+10 early-retirement reduction — with every step of the math shown.
High-3
Compute your high-3 average salary — the highest-paid 36 consecutive months of your federal career — the exact figure your FERS annuity is based on. Enter your salary history periods and get the properly weighted average, with the math shown month by month.
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