Manage Time Off Accruals

Time Off Accruals allow Administrators to automatically add time off hours to employee balances each month. This feature simplifies the management of vacation, sick leave, and other types of time off by ensuring hours are granted consistently and according to your organization’s policies. Accruals can be applied to everyone in your company or tailored to individual employees, with options to set maximum balances and customize start dates.

Once configured, accruals run automatically—helping reduce manual adjustments and ensuring employees always have up-to-date balances. Administrators can still make manual changes when needed, giving you full control and flexibility over how time off is tracked.

Note: Access to the Leave Types section, including the ability to add or edit Leave Types, requires Administrative access. ClickTime provides core time off features for all organizations, with additional management tools available on the Team plan or higher.

You can jump directly to a section of this guide:
Key Considerations
Quick Guide
Time Off Accrual Overview
Setting the Default Accrual Rate 
Managing Accruals for New Employees
Managing Accruals for Existing Employees
Clearing Accrual Models
Additional Information
Time Off Reports
Closing Summary

Key Considerations

• Condition-based accruals are not supported. For example, you cannot set accruals such as “for every X hours worked, add Y hours of time off.” In these cases, we recommend running time entry reports (like the Horizontal or Vertical Timesheet) and manually adjusting balances using the Modify Balance option.
• Accruals work on a rolling 30-day cycle. ClickTime only processes accruals based on a rolling 30-day model, based on the start date of the user/leave type. To better align with your policies, you will want to adjust your accrual rate to match this model or not use accrual rates at all.
• Manual adjustments remain available. Even when accruals are enabled, Administrators can still update balances as needed.

Time Off Accrual Overview

ClickTime automatically adds hours to balances on the same day each month (based on the start date). Retroactive accruals are not supported, so balances must be set correctly before the first accrual date.

Accrual Start Date

The Accrual Start Date determines when accruals begin. For example:

• Start Date: July 1 → First accrual applied on August 1
• To accrue on July 1, set the Start Date to June 1

Accruals are applied in full; partial accruals mid-month are not supported.

Setting the Default Accrual Rate

Default accruals are configured at the Leave Type level:

1. Go to Company > Preferences > Leave Types.
   
    
2. Edit or add a Leave Type.
   
    
3. Scroll to Person Defaults and edit.
   
    

4. Configure:
    

   • Starting Balance
   • Accrual Rate (monthly hours)
   • Maximum Accrual (cap on hours)

    

5. Save your changes.

These defaults apply automatically to new employees but can be adjusted individually.

Managing Accruals for New Employees

When adding a new employee:

• The default Starting Balance, Accrual Rate, and Maximum Accrual are auto-filled.
• The Date defaults to today.
• The Accrual Start Date determines when accruals begin.

You can customize these fields before saving, or later if needed.

Best Practice: For employees accruing at month-end, use an Accrual Start Date of the 1st of the month. This ensures hours accrue fully before being applied.

Managing Accruals for Existing Employees

For current employees:

1. Go to the Person Details page.
2. In the Time Off Balances & Accruals section - Edit the Leave Type. 
3. Adjust the Accrual Rate, Maximum Accrual, or Start Date.
4. Save your changes.

Changes apply immediately and will reflect in the balance history. If you adjust the Start Date, note that ClickTime requires a full 30-day cycle to align with the new date.

If accruals need to be corrected, use the Modify Balance option for manual updates.

Important Note About Accrual Start Dates

Please note: Since accrued hours are added to the employee’s balance on the same date of each month, the latest day of the month that the Accrual Start Date field can support is the 28th.

For example:

• If you enter an Accrual Start Date of September 30th the system will not allow it.
• Instead, set the date to September 28th (the latest valid option).
  
   

💡 Best Practice: For employees who should accrue hours at the end of the month, we recommend setting the Accrual Start Date to the 1st of each month. This ensures the employee earns all their hours before the system updates their balance.

Clearing Accrual Models

If an employee should no longer accrue hours:

1. Edit their Accrual Rate.
2. Use Clear all fields.
3. Save the changes.

This removes the accrual model. You can later add a new model or manually adjust balances.

 

Additional Information

• Start Date: Determines when accruals begin. Future dates delay accruals; past dates align with the next cycle (no retroactive accruals).
• Accrual Maximum: Prevents balances from exceeding a set cap. Employees must fall below the cap to earn new hours.
• Available Balance: Shows the current balance, factoring in future time off entries.
• Viewing Accruals: Each monthly accrual appears as a line item in the employee’s balance history.

Understanding Start Date

The Start Date determines when an employee begins accruing hours for a Leave Type. This date directly controls when balances are updated each month.

• If the Start Date is in the past: The system will not apply hours retroactively, but the employee will still accrue normally going forward. For example, if the Start Date is set to March 1st but it’s already June, the system will not grant hours for March, April, or May. Instead, the first accrual will occur at the next scheduled accrual date (e.g., July 1st).
• If the Start Date is in the future: The employee will begin accruing on that date, and the first hours will be added one full month later. For instance, if today is July 15th and the Start Date is set to August 1st, the employee will see their first accrual on September 1st.
• Important: Because accruals are processed monthly, the latest Start Date allowed is the 28th of the month. If you enter a later date (such as the 30th or 31st), the system will not process the accrual. For employees who should accrue at the end of the month, we recommend setting the Start Date to the 1st of the month. This ensures they receive their hours consistently without gaps.

Understanding Accrual Maximum

The Accrual Maximum sets a ceiling on how many hours an employee can accumulate. This is useful if your organization has a policy that limits balances (for example, employees cannot carry more than 1.5 times their annual accrual).

• When the maximum is reached: Employees will stop accruing hours until their balance drops below the maximum. For example, if the Accrual Maximum is set to 240 hours and an employee reaches that balance, they will not accrue additional hours until their balance falls to 239 or fewer.
• No retroactive accruals: If accruals are skipped because the maximum was reached, the system will not add those missed hours later. If your policy requires restoring those hours, an Administrator must manually adjust the balance using the Modify Balance option.
• Flexibility: You can change the Accrual Maximum at any time. If it is removed or increased, employees will resume accruing at the next cycle.

Understanding and Viewing Available Balance

The Available Balance represents the total number of time off hours an employee currently has access to. This balance includes:

• Hours that have accrued.
• Hours that have been manually added via Modify Balance.
• Hours scheduled for future time off requests (these reduce the available balance once logged).

Where to view balances:

• On the Person Details page (visible to Administrators and Managers with "Add/Edit People" rights).
• On the Balance Details page (which shows a full history of changes).
• For employees, via the Time Off widget on their time entry pages (if enabled for that Leave Type).

💡 Tip: The widget option to display balances is only available for organizations using the Accruals Module.

Viewing Accruals

Every time hours are added through the accrual process, they appear in the employee’s Balance Details as a new row, along with the date and number of hours accrued.

• Accrued hours cannot be deleted. Once added, they remain in the history as a permanent record.
• If corrections are needed: Administrators can use the Modify Balance feature to subtract hours from the balance. This ensures accurate tracking while preserving an audit trail of system activity.

Using the Modify Balance Option

Not every organization follows the same accrual model—and ClickTime only supports a monthly accrual schedule. If your company awards time off quarterly, annually, or based on hours worked, the Modify Balance option gives you the flexibility to keep balances accurate.

When to use Modify Balance:

• Correcting balances if accruals did not post as expected
• Awarding additional hours for exceptions or special policies
• Supporting condition-based accruals (e.g., for every X hours worked, add Y hours of time off)

How to use Modify Balance:

1. Go to Company > People and select the employee.
2. Scroll to the Leave Types section.
3. Click the pencil icon next to the Leave Type you’d like to adjust.
4. Select Modify Balance.
5. Enter the number of hours to add or subtract, then save.

Time Off Reports

ClickTime provides two reports under Company > Reports > People:

• Time Off and Accrual Detail (Excel) – Shows accruals, changes, and balances over time.
• Time Off and Accrual Summary (Excel) – Displays current balances (including future time off).

Employees can also view personal versions of these reports from Personal > My Reports.

For a walkthrough of Time Off features, see the Time Off Overview video

Closing Summary

Time Off Accruals help organizations manage time off hours consistently and automatically. With monthly accruals, customizable rates, and maximum caps, Administrators can enforce policies while minimizing manual work. Manual adjustments and reports provide flexibility to handle exceptions, ensuring balances remain accurate and employees have clear visibility into their time off.