You’ve decided to leave The Home Depot. You’ve worked there four years, you’ve accrued vacation, and there’s a Success Sharing bonus coming up in a few weeks. Should you quit now or wait? When does the vacation actually pay out? What happens to the ESPP? Timing matters a lot here, and getting it wrong can cost you a thousand dollars or more.
Here’s the timeline-driven breakdown of exactly what to do, in order.
Step 1: Pull your vacation balance and check your tenure milestones
Before anything else, get your numbers in front of you.
- Log into MyTHDHR > Self Service.
- Find your vacation balance under Time Off or Absence.
- Note your hire date and current tenure.
- Check whether you’re approaching a tenure milestone (1 year, 3 years, 5 years, etc.) that would unlock additional accrual.
Home Depot’s accrual scales with tenure. The shift from 1 week to 2 weeks vacation, for example, happens at a tenure milestone. If you’re a few weeks short of crossing that line, waiting may give you more accrued vacation to cash out.
Step 2: Check Success Sharing timing
This is the big one. Success Sharing is Home Depot’s semi-annual bonus program. The payouts happen on specific dates, usually around February and August.
The rule: you typically have to be employed on the payout date to receive the bonus, even if you worked through the entire qualifying period.
- Find the next Success Sharing payout date (your store manager or HR can confirm).
- Compare it to your planned quit date.
- If you’re within a few weeks of the payout, strongly consider waiting until after the bonus hits your account.
Note that the Success Sharing threshold was raised from 90% to 95% in February 2026, and the minimum payout was cut from 50% to 25%. So bonuses are smaller and harder to earn under the new rules than they used to be, but they’re still worth thousands at many stores in good periods.
Step 3: Check your ESPP enrollment and contribution status
The Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) lets you buy Home Depot stock at a 15% discount. Contributions happen via payroll deduction over a defined offering period, then shares are purchased on the offering end date.
- Check whether you’re currently in an ESPP offering period.
- Find the next purchase date for your offering.
- If you quit before the purchase date, your accumulated contributions are typically refunded but you don’t get the 15% discounted shares.
If you’ve contributed several months of payroll deductions toward an ESPP purchase, quitting before the purchase date forfeits the 15% discount on that round. The contributions come back to you, but the discount value (which can be significant on Home Depot’s stock price) is lost.
Step 4: Calculate what your vacation payout will be
Home Depot pays out accrued unused vacation hours at your regular hourly rate on your final paycheck.
- Take your accrued vacation hours from MyTHDHR.
- Multiply by your hourly rate (or daily rate if salaried).
- That’s your gross payout, subject to supplemental tax withholding (typically 22% federal plus state and FICA).
- Net is usually about 65-70% of gross after taxes.
What doesn’t pay out:
- Sick time (if your store has a separate sick bank)
- Unearned bonuses (Success Sharing, manager bonuses)
- Unvested 401(k) match (Home Depot 401(k) vests on a schedule, not immediately)
Step 5: Submit notice and update your information
Once you’ve checked all the above and decided your timing:
- Submit two weeks notice in writing to your supervisor. Keep a copy.
- Update your address in MyTHDHR if you’ve moved. This determines where your final check (if mailed) and W2 go.
- Confirm your direct deposit is still active. Some systems cancel direct deposit at separation and issue paper checks.
- Note your separation date in writing and confirm it with your supervisor.
Step 6: Use the Homer Fund if you qualify before separation
Home Depot’s Homer Fund offers emergency grants to associates in financial hardship. Eligibility requires active employment, so if you qualify, apply before your last day. Grants are not tied to your final paycheck and are separate from PTO payout, but they’re a benefit you lose access to after separation.
Step 7: Time your last day for state law and payroll timing
Most states allow employers to issue final pay on the next regular payday. Some states require faster:
- California: Final pay due within 72 hours if you quit, immediately if terminated.
- Massachusetts: Final pay due on your last day if terminated.
- Colorado, Illinois: Final pay due next regular payday.
- Texas, Florida: Next regular payday.
Check our final paycheck laws by state for the exact rule that applies to you.
If you’re in a state with a fast turnaround and you’ve been terminated, ask HR for the exact date you should expect payment. If they’re late, that’s a wage claim you can file with your state labor board.
Step 8: After your last day
- Watch for your final paycheck on the next scheduled payday (or sooner if state law requires).
- Verify the PTO payout line appears on the final check. If it’s missing, call HR at 1-866-698-4347.
- Save the final pay stub for tax filing and possibly unemployment claims.
- Roll over or cash out your 401(k) within a reasonable window. Home Depot’s 401(k) goes through a designated provider and you’ll get separation paperwork.
- Address your ESPP shares. If you completed any purchase periods, you own those shares and they sit in your brokerage account. Decide whether to hold, sell, or transfer.
Quick timing reference
| Decision | Why it matters |
| Quit before Success Sharing payout date | Forfeit bonus (potentially $500-$3,000+) |
| Quit before ESPP purchase date | Lose 15% stock discount on current offering |
| Quit before tenure milestone | Lose additional accrual band |
| Quit before 401(k) vesting milestone | Forfeit unvested employer match |
| Quit at month-end | Health insurance often runs through end of month |
A few things specific to Home Depot
Home Depot has no employee discount on merchandise, so you don’t have to worry about losing one. The compensation comes through Success Sharing, ESPP, the Homer Fund, and the 401(k) match. That’s why timing those payouts matters more here than at most retailers.
The 6 weeks paid maternity (8 for C-section) and approximately 3 weeks paid parental bonding for fathers are use-it-or-lose-it. If you’re pregnant or about to adopt and planning to leave, take the leave before separation.
For more on the quitting process at Home Depot, including notice norms and what happens to benefits, see the Home Depot quitting process page and the broader Home Depot PTO policies page. For retrieving your W2 after separation, the Home Depot W2 form online guide covers the Former Associates portal path.
The biggest mistake Home Depot associates make is quitting right before a Success Sharing payout. Check that date before you set your last day.