Accrual policies define how employees earn leave balances over time. For example, an employee might be entitled to 28 vacation days per year. Begin calculates the balance automatically based on the policy rules.
What is an accrual policy?
An accrual policy is a set of rules attached to an absence type that determines:
Annual entitlement — how many days per year the employee earns (e.g., 28 days).
Granting method — how the entitlement is distributed:
All at once — the full annual entitlement is granted at the start of the year.
Monthly installments — the entitlement is divided into monthly portions, granted either at the start of month or end of month.
Rounding rule — how fractional balances are displayed:
No rounding — shows the exact value (e.g., 10.33).
Nearest half — rounds to the nearest 0.5 (e.g., 10.33 shows as 10.5).
Whole number — rounds to the nearest integer (e.g., 10.33 shows as 10).
Balance calculation settings
Additional settings affect how balances are calculated:
Reduce balance on weekends — when enabled, weekend days within an absence period count against the balance. Enabled by default.
Reduce balance on holidays — when enabled, public holidays within an absence period count against the balance. Disabled by default.
Carryover rules
Carryover controls whether unused leave rolls over to the next year:
Carryover — toggle to allow unused days to carry over.
Carryover days limit — optional cap on the maximum number of days that can carry over (e.g., 10 days max). Leave empty for unlimited carryover.
How to create an accrual policy (Admins)
Go to Absences in the left sidebar.
Click on the absence type you want to add a policy to.
In the accrual policy section, configure the annual entitlement, granting method, rounding rule, and balance settings.
Save the policy.
How to assign a policy to employees
Go to Employees and click the employee's name.
Click the Time-off balance tab.
Assign the accrual policy to the employee.
The balance is calculated as: accrued entitlement + any adjustments - taken days - upcoming approved days = remaining balance.
Viewing balances
Employees can view their own balance on the Balance page under Absences. Admins can view any employee's balance from their profile under the Time-off balance tab. See the How to view absence balances article for details.