What's covered in this guide?:
What are leave types?
Leave types represent the different categories of time off employees can take. Each leave type can be configured with its own payroll account for reporting purposes.
Leave types are organisation-specific, you can name them however suits your business (e.g. "Holiday Leave," "Paid Sick Leave," "Unpaid Sick Leave"). T
he exception is statutory UK leave, which Workforce provisions automatically with fixed HMRC-aligned names.
Common UK leave types include:
Holiday Leave
Bank Holiday Leave
Maternity Leave
Paternity Leave
Paid Sick Leave
Unpaid Sick Leave
Important: Leave types in Workforce (Time & Attendance) are separate from Payroll leave types. Both need to exist and be linked for leave to calculate correctly across the platform.
Access leave types
Access leave types through Payroll > Payroll Settings > Leave Types.
Create a leave type
To create a leave type in payroll:
Go to Payroll > Payroll Settings > Leave Types and click + NEW.
Enter the following details:
Name - Enter the name of the corresponding leave type in Workforce exactly, including capitalisation and spacing.
Payroll account - Select the relevant account from those set up in your journal.
Click Save.
When you save a new leave type, Workforce will attempt to link it to a matching leave type in Time & Attendance based on the name.
ip: Make sure the leave type names match exactly before saving. the match is case-sensitive, so even small differences (extra spaces, different capitalisation) will prevent the leave types from being linked.
FAQs
Why aren’t leave balances appearing or calculating correctly?
Why aren’t leave balances appearing or calculating correctly?
The most common cause is a name mismatch.
Payroll leave types are linked to Workforce leave types when they are first created, using the leave type name to make the initial match. Even small differences, such as extra spaces or different capitalisation. can prevent the link from being established.
To check, confirm that the Name on the Payroll leave type matches the corresponding leave type in: Time & Attendance > Leave > Leave Types Also check that:
The leave type has a payroll account selected.
The employee has a leave balance set up in both Payroll and Workforce.
The employee has the correct leave eligibility tags applied to their profile, such as 'Annual Leave Accrual' or 'Entitlement'. Missing or incorrect tags can prevent eligibility for specific leave types.
How do I fix a leave type that’s not accruing or deducting correctly?
How do I fix a leave type that’s not accruing or deducting correctly?
Follow these troubleshooting steps: 4. Refresh the page to check if the calculation updates.
Switch your account from test mode to live mode (if applicable).
Make a change to the affected leave type: this can trigger the sync job.
Delete and recreate the payroll leave balance:
Go to the employee’s profile:
Profile > Payroll > Payroll Details > Leave Balance > delete the balance.
Profile > Leave & Unavailability > Leave Balance > delete the balance.
Profile > Payroll > Payroll Details > Leave Balance > recreate the balance.
Check and Update Tags: Ensure that the employee's profile includes all necessary tags for the leave type in question, such as 'Annual Leave Accrual' or 'Entitlement'.
What if I need to manually set or correct a leave balance?
What if I need to manually set or correct a leave balance?
If leave isn't calculating automatically due to configuration issues, you can manually edit or re-create the balance. Make sure the leave type is set up correctly and the sync job has been triggered before making manual adjustments. Additionally, verify that the employee's profile includes the correct eligibility tags, as missing or incorrect tags can also cause leave calculation issues.