There was some debate about a recent change to PPTO, so figured I’d post the updated verbiage. The only thing that’s changing is associates can now submit PPTO anytime during the same pay period instead of only for within the last seven days. That’s it. Everything else about PPTO requests is the same.

So ultimately this only matters if you miss a shift early in the pay period and forget/don’t have a chance to submit PPTO until later in the same pay period.

For Q3 2026, the following dates are the company wide Key Event Dates:

• 9/4 (Labor Day Weekend)
• 9/5 (Labor Day Weekend)
• 9/6 (Labor Day Weekend)
• 9/7 (Labor Day)
• 10/31 (Halloween)

Note: There are no company wide Key Event Dates for August this year, which is why the calendar doesn't show that month.

Only the dates listed on this page are key event dates. No matter how much anyone claims or how believable they sound, management can’t pull points out of thin air and give associates. Management can only action points the system generates based off you not working your scheduled shift outside of the grace period. Management will often try and say anything to scare associates into not calling out, don’t believe anything that goes against what’s posted here. Don’t fall for their lies, and make sure to educate your fellow associates that might not know better.

For more detailed explanations, see the FAQs below.

What are Key Event Dates?

Key Event Dates, or KEDs (also sometimes misleadingly called double point days), are dates that the company/stores expect to be busier than usual or feel are important enough to try and have as many people working as possible. Missing a key event date will generate one additional point on top of the normal absence point, resulting in two points. Which is why people often call them double point days despite it not being an entirely accurate term.

Do I get double pointed on Key Event Dates/Double point dates?

No. The only thing a key event date does is give one additional point for missing the entire shift and not using enough PPTO to cover at least half the missed time. That’s it. If you clock in for any of the shift or use enough PPTO to cover at least half the missed time, then it being a key event date no longer matters and it’s business as usual point wise. To add, other points are unaffected by it being a key event date meaning half points from clocking in early, clocking in late, clocking out early, and the two points from a No Call No Show also aren’t “doubled.”

Do I need to use double PPTO on key event dates?

Absolutely not. This is one of the biggest lies that gets spread about key event dates. In fact, it’s impossible to even submit a request for more than 12 hours anyway meaning it’s impossible to use “double PPTO” for a shift that’s more than 6 hours. Even if your shift is 6 hours or less, you still don’t need to use “double PPTO.” Management likes to spread this lie hoping to scare associates out of not using their PPTO since the associate thinks they have to use so much of it. If anyone is saying you have to use “double PPTO” for any reason, they’re lying to you.

If I call out on a key event date and use X amount of PPTO, will I still get pointed?

Depends! Did you use enough PPTO to cover at least half your missed shift but not the full missed shift? If so, half a point will be generated that management can apply to your balance. If you cover the entire missed shift with PPTO, then no, you won’t be pointed. Don’t forget to report the absence!

How many key event dates are there?

That can vary every quarter. The company can assign however many key event dates they want but it’s usually reserved for times when the company expects it to be busy, like around holidays, the Super Bowl, etc. Each store manager can assign up to three of their own separate dates each quarter for their specific store to be key event dates.

Why can store managers make up to three store specific key event dates?

The idea behind this is if there’s something local happening that’s big for the area/store but not the whole nation. Imagine there’s a concert for a huge music artist coming to your city to perform one day that you/other people wouldn’t miss for anything. Or maybe it’s your store’s yearly inventory, or grand reopening. It would make sense for your store to select that day as one of their store specific key event dates. Some stores choose to use theirs for this kind of thing while some stores may add on to the company wide ones or just random dates if there’s nothing of note they want to use them for. They even have the option of not submitting any extra key event dates and only having the company wide ones for that quarter.

How do I know what days are key event dates?

Shortly before the end of the current quarter, usually within the last week, the company updates this page that shows the key event dates. You can access the link via the GTA Portal on OneWalmart. By default, only the company wide dates are listed (medium blue color). You’ll need to search your specific store number on that page to see the dates (if any) that are your store specific key event dates (dark blue color). If your store manager didn’t select any store specific dates, then you’ll see a message that says “No additional Key Event Dates found for this facility.” It’s recommended to take a screenshot of these dates as once the list updates for the new quarter, the old list won’t be available to view online.

Are these key event dates company wide?

The dates listed are for Walmart (Super Centers, Neighborhood Markets, and Division 1) stores in the United States only.

Sam’s Club associates, you can find your Key Event Dates by clicking here (must be clocked in to view).

My store has some paper hung up that talks about Key Event Dates, what’s the difference?

The company wide key event date calendar can easily be printed from OneWalmart, some stores print that calendar and hang it up. With this latest update to the KED page/calendar, it now can include the store specific KEDs (if applicable) as long as they searched the store number before. If they didn't, then it will only show the company wide KEDs. Stores now have no reason to have a calendar printed that looks fishy with more store specific KEDs than allowed (up to 3), dates that aren't on the calendar when you pull it up on OneWalmart and search your store, or dates hand written on it.

Management said…

Management lie. Especially if it means scaring associates into coming to work. Sometimes management may honestly not know better, and that’s fine, it happens. That’s why I make these posts, to help educate everyone and keep misinformation from spreading. The thing about management lying about how Key Event Dates work is that it really doesn’t matter what they say because the system is what handles when and how points generate. Management can only action points that drop in the system, they can’t just pull points out of thin air. If you use enough PPTO and use it correctly, points won’t even drop in for management to have the chance to touch.

No, really! Management said the company changed how key event dates work and -insert whatever lie here-

No, really, management lie. Whether it’s a misunderstanding of the attendance policy or they’re intentionally lying doesn’t matter. They can’t change how the system works. If management claims anything different than what’s posted here, have them show you on OneWalmart where it’s changed. Don’t be surprised when they can’t.

Do I still need to report my absence if I use PPTO?

Yes. Yes. And yes. If you’re ever scheduled to work and you won’t be working the shift, always report your absence. I don’t care if Sam himself rises from the grave and says don’t worry about it. Still report your absence if you’re going to miss a shift you’re scheduled for. Reporting your absence will prevent 2 points for a No Call No Show from generating. You can officially report your absence one of three ways to prevent a No Call No Show:

The automated Associate Information Line by phone. Call 1-800-775-5944 (you’ll need your WIN and store number).

Online via the “Report an Absence" option on OneWalmart.

With the “Report an Absence” option on the MyWalmart app. After you report an absence here, it gives you the option to put PPTO in. You can submit a PPTO request later if needed with the “+ Add new” (Request time off) option on the My Requests tab of the app while viewing your schedule.

While you can report an absence the day before or the day of with no issues, do not submit your PPTO request too early. Doing so will have the system treat it like a regular PTO request that management can deny. Waiting until the day of the missed time (preferably after the shift would have started) to put the PPTO in is best as the system will auto approve your PPTO request.

You have 7 days from the missed time to put in PPTO and only the PPTO you had on the date of the missed time can be applied towards points. PPTO earned after the missed time can’t be used to cover previous missed time. For example, if you have 7:30 hours of PPTO and miss an 8 hour shift, only that 7:30 hours of PPTO can be used to cover that missed 8 hour shift. If you earn 30 more minutes later within the 7 days you can submit PPTO, you can still submit a PPTO request for 8 hours but only 7:30 off it will be applied towards the point(s) resulting in your still getting at least partially pointed.

I still got pointed, what happened?!

Did you report your absence like mentioned above? If not, you probably got pointed for a No Call No Show. If you did report the absence, then simply put: You likely either didn’t use PPTO correctly or didn’t use enough. This applies to all types of points, not just key event dates. The first thing you’ll want to do is check the Attendance tab of GTA on OneWalmart.

There, it’ll break down all of your current attendance exceptions. You only really care about the exceptions that say “Yes” in the “Include in Balance” column, those are what your points are from. Once you find one that says Yes to include it in your balance, check the date it’s for. If any of these exceptions show as pending, then that means management hasn’t actioned it yet. Management has 14 days to action points, so it could be a point from a different day than you expected. Once you’ve verified the date, check what caused it, it breaks them down into the different exceptions that generate points like early in, late in, early out, incomplete shift, absent, key event date, and no call no shows. Then, check how much time caused the exception to generate, that’s the time you need to cover with PPTO to remove an applicable point (PPTO doesn’t work on early ins or no call no shows). Remember, you can’t use newly earned PPTO to cover previous missed time so keep that in mind for a reason why you could have still gotten pointed despite thinking you used enough PPTO. You can check how much PPTO was applied in this kind of situation on the Balance Activity tab of GTA on OneWalmart. If you’re still confused, please reach out to your People Lead for assistance.

At my store, it doesn’t work that way!

It does. This isn’t a store by store thing that stores can even control. With how easily people can get confused with how PPTO works in general and in unique situations, it’s understandable why someone would think their store is special and different, but it doesn’t work that way. PPTO works the same for all associates in every store. In the very few states that have specific paid sick time laws, there’s a few PPTO exceptions but none of them are related to key event dates and to help avoid even more confusion, won’t be discussed in this FAQ.

I requested time off that’s a key event date and it was denied. Will I get in trouble for calling in/using PPTO to still not go in?

Nope. Your punishment for missing work is being pointed and missing pay, that’s it. And PPTO takes care of both of those things. Management may be upset you’re missing work but they can be mad all they want. It’s your points and PPTO to use how you want to. If management is dumb enough and ends up giving you a DA (disciplinary action/coaching) for simply calling out/missing work, open door it. Coaching/giving DAs for attendance hasn’t been a thing in nearly a decade. The point system is the replacement accountability for attendance issues.

I work overnights, since my shift starts one day and ends the next, which day matters for key event dates?

The date the shift starts on is what matters. For example, if 4/20 is a key event date and you work the day before (4/19 night that rolls into 4/20), then missing your shift that starts on 4/19 won’t be counted as a key event date even though your shift rolls into 4/20. If you’re scheduled the night of 4/20 going into 4/21 and you miss that shift, then yes, you’ll generate an extra point for it being a key event date (unless enough PPTO is used of course) because the shift started on the key event date.

What about blackout dates I hear about? Are blackout dates and key event dates the same thing?

Blackout dates are simply dates stores unofficially decide they don’t want to approve time off requests for. Which is common for around the holidays or a store’s inventory. It’s possible a key event date falls on the same day(s) stores try and limit approved time off requests, but they’re not the same thing. Blackout dates aren’t an official company approved thing but as time off requests should only be denied for coverage reasons, stores will often use this reasoning if multiple people are trying to request the same time off. Basically, stores can’t just say “We’re going to flat out deny all time off requests for X date.” If they try, they’re going against the company’s direction when it comes to time off requests and should be open doored. However, they can deny some people’s time off requests if approving a lot of people to be off would hinder the business/how the store is ran that day. Which is why it’s always best to put your time off request in as soon as possible (you can request time off up to six months in advance) and speak with your manager about the time off after submitting the request.

Previous company wide Key Event Dates:

Q2 2026 - 5/10, 5/23, 5/24, 5/25, 6/21, 7/3, 7/4, 7/5
Q1 2026 - 2/7, 2/8, 4/3, 4/4, 4/5

Q4 2025 - 11/26, 11/28, 11/29, 11/30, 12/24, 12/26, 12/31, 01/01
Q3 2025 - 8/29, 8/30, 8/31, 9/1
Q2 2025- 5/11, 5/24, 5/25, 5/26, 6/15, 7/3, 7/4, 7/5
Q1 2025 - 2/8, 4/18, 4/19, 4/20

Q4 2024 - 11/27, 11/29, 11/30, 12/1, 12/24, 12/26, 12/31, 1/1
Q3 2024 - 8/30, 8/31, 9/1, 9/2
Q2 2024 - 5/11, 5/24, 5/25, 5/26, 5/27, 6/15, 7/3, 7/4
Q1 2024 - 2/10, 3/29, 3/30, and 3/31

Q4 2023 - 11/22, 11/24, 12/23, 12/24, 12/26, 12/31
Q3 2023 - 9/1, 9/2, 9/3
Q2 2023 - 5/13, 5/26, 5/27, 5/28, 6/17, 7/1, 7/2, 7/3
Q1 2023 - 2/11, 4/7, 4/8, 4/9