When creating or editing a leave policy, you can set limits on the minimum leave balance you allow for each leave type. This includes allowing your team members to go into negative balance.

This article is for System Administrators, and will cover:

• Prerequisites for using Leave requests balance limits
• How to set up Leave request balance limits
• Understanding how limits work
• How limits affect team members
• FAQs

Prerequisites for leave request balance limits

Before using the leave request balance limits feature, ensure that:

• You have access to the Leave Policy Builder and Accrual Engine. (You can check this by going to Business Settings > Leave tab and looking for the Leave Policy Builder.)
  • You have leave policies set up in your Deputy account (unless you are creating your first leave policy)
  • Leave policies are assigned to team members who will be affected by the limits (you can assign these leave policies before or after you set the leave request balance limits)

Note: Leave request balance limits can be configured on both new and existing leave policies at any time.

How to set up Leave request balance limits

1. In Business Settings, go to the Leave tab and click View leave policies
2. To edit an existing policy, hover over the policy and click Edit. Or to create a leave policy from scratch, select Create leave policy.  
3. In the leave policy configuration, scroll down to the 'Balance options' section and select Leave request balance limit so that it opens the setting 'Set balance limit for leave requests'
4. Configure your limit settings:
   • Set balance limit in days: Enter a positive or negative value for the limit. This figure will act as the minimum allowable balance for this leave policy. Example: to allow your team members to go into 2 days' negative leave balance, enter -2 in this field. 
   • Action when limit exceeded: Choose one of the following options:
     • Block requests that exceed limit: Prevents employees from submitting leave requests that would exceed the set limit
     • Allow requests that exceed limit and notify managers: Permits the leave request to be submitted and notifies the assigned manager
5. Save your leave policy changes

Understanding how limits work

Leave Balance Request Limits operate based on the following principles:

Current Year Focus

The system only applies limits to leave requests with start dates in the current calendar year. Leave requests starting in the next calendar year will bypass these restrictions and be processed normally.

Balance Calculation

When an employee submits a leave request, the system:

• Checks their current available balance for that specific leave type
• Compares the requested leave amount against the configured limit
• Takes the appropriate action based on your settings

The system will only consider the team member's leave balance at the time of the request.

For example: 

In June, Ali submits a leave request for 5 days' vacation in December. At the time Ali submits the leave request, their leave balance for this leave type is only 3 days. Even though Ali is due to accrue more leave in the 6 months until they plan to take leave, the system will only consider the 3 days' leave in the balance calculation.

Individual Policy Treatment

Each leave policy operates independently with its own limits. Since employees submit leave requests by leave type, the system evaluates each request against the relevant policy's configured limits.

How limits affect team members

For employees

When limits are set to block requests:

• If a leave request would exceed the configured limit, the employee cannot submit the request
• The system will display a message explaining why the request cannot be submitted
• Employees can adjust their request to stay within the limit

When limits are set to allow with notification:

• Employees can submit leave requests that exceed the limit
• The request proceeds through the normal approval process
• No additional steps are required from the employee

For managers

When limits are set to block requests:

• Managers will not receive blocked requests for approval
• No notifications are sent for blocked requests

When limits are set to allow with notification:

• The assigned manager receives a notification within Deputy when a request exceeds the configured limit
• The manager can then make an informed decision about the leave request
• The standard approval process continues as normal

FAQs

Can I set different limits for different leave policies?

Yes, each leave policy can have its own unique limit settings. You can configure different positive or negative limits and different actions (block or allow with notification) for each leave type in your organization.

What happens to leave requests that start next year?

Leave requests with start dates in the next calendar year are not subject to the current year's balance limits. These requests will be processed according to the standard leave approval workflow without limit restrictions.

How does the system calculate if a limit will be exceeded?

The system uses the employee's current available balance for the specific leave type when the request is submitted. It compares this balance against the amount being requested and the configured limit to determine if action is needed.

Can I change the limit settings after they're configured?

Yes, you can modify the limit settings for any leave policy at any time. Changes will apply to all future leave requests submitted after the update.

What's the difference between positive and negative limits?

• Positive limits: Prevent employees from taking more leave than they have accrued (e.g., setting a limit of 0 prevents going into negative balance)
• Negative limits: Allow employees to go into negative balance up to a certain point (e.g., setting a limit of -5 days allows up to 5 days of negative balance)

Does this feature work with leave carry-over from previous years?

Yes, the feature works with any current balance, including balances that include carried-over leave from previous years. The system only considers the employee's total current available balance when applying limits.

Can managers override blocked requests?

No, when a request is blocked due to exceeding limits, it cannot be submitted or overridden. To allow the request, either the employee needs to adjust their request to stay within limits, or an administrator needs to modify the leave policy settings.