Here's how much money you forfeit when you don't take your vacation days

Authored by cnbc.com and submitted by Elver-Galarga7
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When you don't use your paid time off, it ends up costing you.

Not only are you more likely to be stressed and feel overworked, you lose out on the monetary value of those forfeited days — the ones that can't be rolled over or paid out.

In 2016, more than half of all Americans forfeited vacation days, amounting to 206 million unused vacation days worth some $66.4 billion, according to a survey of 7,331 full-time employees.

For the average worker, the lost value of that untaken paid time off comes out to $604, according to a report by Project: Time Off, which is sponsored by the U.S. Travel Association.

The good news is American workers are beginning to take at least a little more time off. After the 2008 financial crisis, the number of vacation days Americans took on average dropped from around 19 to 16. Last year, the number increased modestly for the second year in a row, to an average of 16.8 days.

But many professionals still worry about taking vacation days.

"Seventy percent of forfeiters believe that their company culture is negative, sends mixed messages, or is silent about vacation time," says Project: Time Off Senior Director Katie Denis in a statement.

Smapdi1998 on May 18th, 2019 at 19:15 UTC »

Here's your benefit package, you get X PTO days per year and we encourage you to take care of yourself

So you're coming in right

SyntheticLife on May 18th, 2019 at 18:58 UTC »

For those wondering why people wouldn't take their vacation: The top reasons Americans report for not using all of their vacation days are:

Returning to a mountain of work: 43 percent

Feeling that no one else can do their job: 34 percent

The pressures of a senior role: 33 percent

Can’t financially afford a vacation: 32 percent

Want to show complete dedication: 26 percent

TrustMeIKnowThisOne on May 18th, 2019 at 17:54 UTC »

I would venture to say a good bit who forfeit their vacation don't perform as well because the working conditions have them overburdened to begin with, thus the "Can't Afford to Take Off" situation.