When you get a new job and are leaving a company, you should get paid out for any unused PTO time that you are entitled to.

What would you do if the company told you that you can’t get paid out for it, so you have to use it up?

That is what happened to the worker in this story, so he took his PTO but then worked anyway and got paid out as overtime, costing the company hundreds of dollars.

Check it out.

“Won’t pay out my PTO? Well can I take PTO and work?”

At my last job I given them notice, and I had assumed they’d cut me a check for the 55 hours of PTO I had left over.

But no, they said I would lose it if I don’t use it.

I guess that works out ok.

So I went ahead and used my PTO for the last 55 hours I was scheduled to work because I wasn’t about to waste that.

But then I remembered a time a few weeks back I had taken PTO, but then I had worked about 30 minutes into my PTO. I ended up earning time and half, as with my PTO + 30 minutes of extra work.

I enjoyed my co-workers, I wouldn’t mind working…so I sent an email to my manager.

How nice.

“Hey Mark, I know we are a bit understaff and I know I took PTO already, but I wouldn’t mind working anyway, is that OK to work?”

Mark responds

“Yes, we’d be happy to have you.”

That is a nice ‘going away’ check.

My hourly rate was $25 at that point, time and half puts me at $37.50, which I was fine with earning.

So come my second hour of Thursday I will be earning time and half.

So, I worked, had fun, come Monday after my last day my old boss calls me and says “Did you work 135 hours last pay period?”

Me: “No, I worked 80 hours, and I used 55 hours of PTO”

Him: “Cause, like your overtime pay put us over budget”

Me: “Yea, that sucks…you did say I was good to work despite the fact I had scheduled PTO right?”

He knew exactly what happened at this point.

Him: “Um…I did…”

Me: “Yea, thanks.”

He starts laughing

Yes I got paid

Company now pays out PTO when you quit cause of me.

In the end they paid me $2,062 in overtime pay plus the 80 hours I worked earned me $2,000.

So typically 80 hours of work would cost them $2,000, but because they wouldn’t pay me out my PTO they ended up paying double, when they could have just cut me a check for $1,375 and saved $700.

Finally, the company has to pay for their stupidity.

Essentially in their effort to rip me off from my benefits, I made them pay $700 for their greed.

I made sure to get permission to come to work, despite the fact that I had already scheduled my PTO.

FYI previously in another interaction I was told once PTO was approved…it can’t be canceled.

I love it when a company has rules in place that end up backfiring and benefiting the employees!

Read on to see some of the comments people made on this fun story.

The owners will try to find a way not to pay him.

I would love to be able to get this.

He was leaving anyway.

Wow, now that is milking the system.

This person called his company’s bluff.

Oops, your policy accidentally worked in the employee’s favor.

Better change it.

If you liked that story, check out this post about a group of employees who got together and why working from home was a good financial decision.