Leave Balances
A leave balance is the amount of a given leave type a user has left to spend in the current fiscal period. This page explains how that number is derived, how unused days roll into the next year, and where you can see it.
How a balance is calculated
Each leave type draws from one bucket — ANNUAL, SICK, or NONE (see Overview).
For deductible types, the balance is:
remaining = (allowance + carried-over days) − used
Where:
- allowance = the user's custom allowance for the type, or the organization default if no custom value is set.
- carried-over days = days rolled forward from the previous fiscal year (see below).
- used = the sum of APPROVED and PENDING leaves of that type within the current fiscal period.
Non-deductible types
Types that use the NONE bucket (such as Maternity or Bereavement) don't draw down a shared allowance. Instead they're capped against that type's own usage in the period — for example, a 5-day bereavement cap is measured against bereavement leave taken, independent of annual leave.
The fiscal period
All "current period" usage is measured against your organization's leave year start month (leaveYearStartMonth), which may differ from January. The window runs from that month for twelve months, and carry-over is calculated when the period rolls over.
Carry-over
There are two distinct mechanisms for moving unused days into the next year.
Automated carry-forward
At the fiscal-year rollover, remaining days from the prior year can be carried forward automatically. This is gated by several conditions:
| Condition | Effect |
|---|---|
| Allow carry-forward (leave type) | Carry-forward only happens if the type permits it. |
| Carry cap | Carried days are capped at the leave type's maximum carry-over days, or the organization cap — whichever applies. |
| Tenure eligibility | The user must meet any minimum-tenure requirement to be eligible. |
| Expiry months | Carried days can expire after a set number of months if not used. |
Manual carry-over
Administrators can also set a manual carry-over balance directly on a user, with an optional expiry date. This is useful for one-off adjustments — for example honoring days agreed during onboarding — that the automated rules wouldn't produce on their own.
Where balances are shown
- Calendar balance summary — the team/calendar view shows the user's balances per type at a glance.
- Booking modal footer — when requesting leave, the footer shows the cost ("Takes N days from annual leave allowance") and a Paid/Unpaid pill, so you confirm the deduction before submitting (see Requesting leave).
Related
- Overview — buckets and the fiscal year.
- Requesting leave — how the balance check blocks over-spending.
- Troubleshooting — the "insufficient balance" error explained.
Requesting Leave
The leave request form explained field by field, including half-days, custom hours, validation rules, and who can request on whose behalf.
Group Booking
Book the same leave for every active member of a department at once, with automatic skipping of conflicts and a per-user result summary.