Begin supports multiple absence types to track different kinds of leave. Admins configure which absence types are available in the company and control their behavior.
Typical absence types
Companies typically create absence types such as:
Vacation — regular paid annual leave
Sick leave — time off due to illness
Unpaid leave — time off without pay
Study leave — time off for educational purposes
Parental leave — time off for childcare
These are examples — your admin can create any custom absence types specific to your company's needs.
How to configure absence types (Admins)
Go to Absences in the left sidebar.
Click an existing absence type to edit it, or create a new one.
Each absence type has the following settings:
Basic settings
Absence name — the display name shown to employees and in reports.
Initials — short code displayed in compact views.
Export code — code used when exporting data to payroll or ERP systems.
Color — the color label used to identify this absence type in the UI.
Show absence in reports — choose whether the absence is tracked in days or hours in reports.
Behavior toggles
Auto approve requests — when enabled, requests with future dates are automatically approved without manual review.
Show payment type in requests — adds a payment type field to the request form ("Before vacation" or "With payslip").
Automatically bind new users to the absence — when enabled, new employees are automatically assigned to this absence type.
Add file upload — allows employees to attach files (e.g., doctor's notes) to their requests. A nested toggle makes file upload required.
Allow requests — enables employees to submit requests for this absence type. When enabled, you can specify which employees are eligible to request this type. If no specific employees are selected, all employees can request it.
How absence types affect reports
Each absence type is tracked separately in reports, allowing you to see how many days or hours of each type an employee has used. The report format (days vs. hours) is configured per absence type.