Free tool
Payable days calculator
The first line of every payroll cycle: how many days does this person get paid for, once a mid-month join, a mid-month exit, unpaid leave and your own working week are counted.
Copy the result straight into a payroll input sheet. Nothing is stored on our side.
The count, line by line
| Line | Days | Note |
|---|---|---|
| The count appears here once your dates are in. | ||
The proration fraction, under three common bases
Payroll providers do not agree on the divisor for a part month, and the same person on the same salary comes out differently under each. We are not going to tell you which one applies to you: ask your provider which they use, then take the matching row.
| Basis | Fraction | As a percentage |
|---|---|---|
| The fractions appear here once your dates are in. | ||
How the count is worked out
Every step, in the open, so you can reconcile it against whatever your payroll partner sends back. A calculator you cannot check is an ad.
Both ends of the period count
Both period dates are inclusive, so a period of 1 to 31 August is 31 calendar days, and February is 28 or 29 days depending on the year without you having to think about it. Working days are counted by walking the period one day at a time and keeping the days whose weekday you ticked, so the count is exact rather than a multiple of a nominal week.
The employment window, on two bases at once
The employment window is the overlap of three things: the pay period, the join date if you gave one, and the exit date if you gave one. Both ends are counted, so joining on the 12th of a 31-day month gives 20 days of employment, not 19. Days employed are then counted on both bases: every calendar day in the window, and the working days in the window.
Unpaid leave comes off, paid holidays do not
Payable days are days employed minus unpaid leave days. That subtraction happens on both bases, and unpaid leave larger than the days employed is flagged rather than allowed to go negative. Paid public holidays are not subtracted from anything: they are shown as a memo line, alongside a days-actually-worked figure, because a paid holiday is a day the person is paid for. If a particular day off is unpaid at your company, count it in the unpaid leave field instead.
Three fractions, because there are three conventions
The three proration fractions are payable calendar days divided by the calendar days in the period, payable working days divided by the working days in the period, and payable calendar days divided by a fixed 30. The third exists because a fixed divisor is a common payroll convention, not because it is a rule anywhere. Which one applies to you is set by your payroll provider or your own policy, and the difference between them on a mid-month joiner is real money, which is exactly why this tool shows all three rather than choosing.
What this tool does not know
It computes no pay, applies no rate, no threshold and no statutory rule, and it does not know your country's holidays, notice rules or leave entitlements. Overtime is not modelled either; it is a separate fact your provider needs alongside these day counts.
Capstan does not compute statutory payroll. It compiles your payroll inputs and hands a documented export to your payroll partner, who does the statutory maths. See the payroll module for how that hand-off is structured, and the HR compliance calendar guide for the wider monthly rhythm.
Questions with complete answers
Why does this calculate days and not pay?
Because the conversion from days to money is not ours to make. Payroll providers differ on whether a part month is divided by the calendar days in that month, by the working days in that month, or by a fixed number such as 30, and the same person on the same salary can come out with three different figures depending on which rule applies. The tool shows you all three fractions and tells you the rule is your provider's, rather than picking one and presenting it as the answer. Capstan takes the same line in the product: it hands day facts and joining or leaving dates to your payroll partner, and the partner does the money.
Do public holidays reduce payable days?
Normally not, and that is the point of showing them separately. A public holiday is usually a paid day off, so the person is paid for it and it does not come out of the payable-days count. What it changes is how many days were actually worked, which is a different number and is shown as a memo line. If your own arrangement treats a particular holiday as unpaid, count it in the unpaid leave field instead, where it will reduce the payable days.
What working week does it assume?
Whichever one you tick. The working days are seven checkboxes, so a Monday to Friday week, a Monday to Saturday week, a Sunday to Thursday week or any other pattern all work, and ticking all seven gives a straight calendar count. No country is assumed anywhere in this tool, and no public holiday calendar is built into it, because we do not publish holiday calendars as fact.
Does it handle someone who joins and leaves in the same period?
Yes. Enter both dates and the employment window is the overlap of the period, the join date and the exit date, counted inclusively at both ends. If the join date falls after the period, or the exit date before it, the tool says there are no payable days in this period rather than showing a misleading number. An exit date before the join date is refused as an error.
Is this payroll?
No. It is a counting aid. Capstan does not compute statutory payroll: it compiles your payroll inputs and hands a documented export to your payroll partner, who does the gross-to-net, the statutory lines and the filings. This tool states no rate, no threshold and no deadline anywhere, and it never turns a day into an amount.
You counted one person's days. Attendance and leave already hold the other forty.