This article explains how to set how unused days of Limited in Year leave categories carry over to the new period. The setting is in the Carry-over section of the leave category form and requires the LEAVE_TYPE_ADD permission.
Before you start
The category's Coverage must be Limited in Year. Other coverages have no carry-over section (Creating leave rules).
Step by step
In the left menu, go to Configuration > Leave > Leave rules and open Details from the rule's row menu.
Click the category row (or choose Edit in its row menu); the form opens in the same window. Go to the Carry-over section from the section list on the left or by scrolling down.
In the Carry-over section, select an option card; the explanation of the selected card is shown on it, and the Transfer Limit, Usage Period (Days) and Expiry period (days) fields open below it when needed:
Option | What happens |
End of Leave Entitlement | Unused days do not carry over; they expire (Loss). A negative balance (leave debt) is not cleared; it carries over to the new period. |
Unlimited Transfer | The whole remaining balance (or the debt, if negative) carries over to the new period with no expiry. |
Transfer within the coverage | Up to the Transfer Limit carries over with no expiry; the rest becomes Loss. Example: with 25 days left and a limit of 20, 20 days carry over and 5 expire. |
Entitlement within the coverage | The whole remaining balance carries over but can only be used for Usage Period (Days) from the entitlement date (1–365). Carried-over days not used in that time expire at the end of it; the new period's entitlement is not affected. |
Transfer by Expiration Time | At most the Transfer Limit carries over and can be used during the Expiry period (days) (1–365); the unused part expires at the end. With monthly entitlement, this transfer is applied every month. |
Click Save.
Result
The carry-over is done by the nightly entitlement calculation on the employee's entitlement date (first day of the year or start-date anniversary). Balance movements are written with these types:
Entitlement: the new period's right.
Handover: days carried over from the previous period.
Loss: expired days (as a negative value).
Overtime: days converted from overtime to leave.
For time-limited transfers (Entitlement within the coverage, Transfer by Expiration Time), if the last day of use is D, the unused part is written as Loss at 02:00 on the night of D+1. Leave used within the period is deducted from the carried-over days.
The employee sees these movements in the Type column of the My profile > Leave history > Entitlements table:
Admins get the same information from the Leave Entitlement and Leave Balance Report reports on Personnel Leave Report (Leave reports).
Common problems
Symptom: At the start of the year a negative Loss row appeared in the employee's balance.
Cause: The selected transfer option makes some or all unused days expire (End of Leave Entitlement, or the Transfer Limit was exceeded).
Solution: This is expected. If you do not want days to expire, choose Unlimited Transfer for future periods. For the past, you can correct it with bonus leave (Adding leave and bonus leave for employees).
Symptom: Carried-over leave still shows in the balance on its last day.
Cause: Expiry is written at 02:00 on the night after the last day of use.
Solution: Check the balance again the next day.
Symptom: On the anniversary there is an Entitlement row but no Handover row.
Cause: It depends on the transfer option.
Unlimited Transfer, Entitlement within the coverage and Transfer by Expiration Time: if the balance to carry over is zero or negative on the entitlement date (used and pending leave exceed what was earned), no Handover row is created. A negative balance (debt) still carries over and shows in Remaining Balance after being deducted from the new entitlement.
Transfer within the coverage: if the remaining balance is at or above the Transfer Limit, only a Loss row for the excess is written; the limited days stay in the balance without a separate Handover row. Example: with 25 days left and a limit of 20, Loss -5 is written and 20 days remain.
End of Leave Entitlement: no Handover row is ever written; unused days become Loss.
Solution: This is expected. Check the remaining balance: for example, with Unlimited Transfer an employee who earned 70 days and used 78 has 12 days left after a new 20-day entitlement.