Terminal Leave Calculator
Calculate your full separation timeline: terminal leave, PTDY, and SkillBridge dates, all worked backward from your Final Active Duty Date (FADD), plus your estimated leave sell-back value.
Sell-back is capped at 60 days. Verify with DFAS.
This calculator is for planning purposes only. Terminal leave, PTDY, and SkillBridge policies vary by branch and command. Verify all dates and sell-back calculations with your branch finance office and S1/G1/J1. FinalOut is not affiliated with DoD, DFAS, or any government agency.
How this is calculated
This calculator works entirely backward from your Final Active Duty Date (FADD) — the last day you're officially on active service. It stacks three periods before that date, in order, closest to FADD first:
- Terminal leave — accrued leave taken at the very end of service. Your terminal leave start date is your FADD minus the number of terminal leave days you enter.
- PTDY (Permissive Temporary Duty) — additional non-chargeable time some members use for house-hunting or job searching, subtracted immediately before your terminal leave start date (or before FADD if you have no terminal leave).
- SkillBridge — the civilian work-experience window, which ends the day before your PTDY (or terminal leave, or FADD) starts, and runs backward for however many SkillBridge days you enter.
Your last day at work is the start of whichever of PTDY or terminal leave comes first — after that point you're in a leave/duty status but no longer physically reporting in.
The leave sell-back estimate caps your terminal leave days at 60, since DFAS only pays sell-back on up to 60 days of accrued leave over a career. The estimated dollar value is your entered monthly base pay divided by 30 (an approximate daily rate), multiplied by the sell-back days. If you have more than 60 days of terminal leave, the calculator flags that the remaining days are used as leave rather than sold back.
The tool also flags a few common issues: SkillBridge windows over 180 days (most branches cap SkillBridge at 180 days), PTDY over 10 days (a common branch ceiling), and combined terminal leave, PTDY, and SkillBridge days that add up to more than a year.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between terminal leave and PTDY?
Terminal leave uses your accrued leave balance — days you've already earned — at the end of your service. PTDY is separate, non-chargeable duty time some branches grant for house-hunting or job searching immediately before separation; it doesn't draw down your leave balance the way terminal leave does.
Can I combine terminal leave, PTDY, and SkillBridge?
Many members do stack all three, in the order this calculator models: SkillBridge first (furthest from FADD), then PTDY, then terminal leave right before separation. Availability and stacking rules vary by branch and command — always confirm your exact sequence and dates with your S1/G1/J1 before finalizing plans.
Why is my sell-back capped at 60 days?
DFAS policy limits leave sell-back to a maximum of 60 days across your entire career. If you separate with more than 60 days of accrued leave, you can still take the excess as terminal leave, but you won't be paid a lump sum for those extra days.