Understanding Staff Leave Allowances

10 minutes

Tutorial 6.1: Understanding Staff Leave Allowances

Introduction

Leave allowances define how many days of annual leave each staff member can take per year. Luminate tracks leave allowances automatically, calculating remaining balances as leave requests are approved. This tutorial explains how leave allowances work, how to configure salon-wide settings, and how to view staff balances.

Who this is for: Owner, Admin What you'll learn:

Understand how leave allowances work
Configure salon leave settings (default allowance, year start, carryover)
Understand leave types and which deduct from allowance
Understand how working days affect leave calculations
View leave allowance summaries
Set individual staff allowance overrides

Time to complete: 10 minutes

Prerequisites

Logged in as Owner or Admin
Have staff members created (see Tutorial 4.1)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Understand Leave Allowance Structure

Each staff member has a yearly leave allowance that tracks:

Field	Description
Base Allowance	Annual leave days allocated (from salon default or staff override)
Carried Over	Days carried forward from the previous year (if carryover enabled)
Total Allowance	Base + Carried Over = total available days
Used	Days from approved leave requests (for types that deduct)
Pending	Days from pending leave requests awaiting approval
Remaining	Total - Used - Pending = days still available

Step 2: Configure Salon Leave Settings

Configure default leave settings for all staff:

Click your salon name in the header and select Salon Settings from the dropdown
Click the Staff Settings tab
Click the Leave sub-tab

Default Leave Days: Enter the number of annual leave days for staff. The default is 28 days (UK statutory minimum including bank holidays).

Leave Year Start: Enter when your leave year begins in MM-DD format:

01-01 = January 1st (calendar year, default)
04-06 = April 6th (UK tax year)
07-01 = July 1st (financial year)

Allowances reset on this date each year.

Carryover Policy: Choose what happens to unused leave at year end:

Policy	Description
No carryover	Unused days are lost (use it or lose it)
Full carryover	All unused days roll over to next year
Capped carryover	Roll over up to a maximum number of days

If you select Capped carryover, enter the Maximum Carryover Days (e.g., 5 days).

Click Update Salon

Step 3: Understand Leave Types

Luminate includes these system leave types:

Leave Type	Colour	Deducts from Allowance?
Holiday	Purple	Yes
Sick	Green	No
Unpaid	Grey	No
Compassionate	Pink	No
Maternity	Pink	No
Paternity	Blue	No
Other	Amber	No

Key concept: Only Holiday leave deducts from the annual allowance. Other leave types are tracked separately and don't reduce the staff member's holiday balance.

Step 4: Understand Working Days

Luminate calculates leave based on each staff member's working days, not just weekdays. This ensures accurate deductions for staff with non-standard schedules.

How working days work:

Each staff member has working days configured in their profile (see Step 5)
When leave is requested, only working days within the date range are counted
Non-working days and public holidays are automatically excluded from the calculation

Example: If a staff member works Monday to Friday and requests leave from Monday to Sunday, only 5 working days are deducted (not 7).

Step 5: Set Individual Staff Allowance Override and Working Days

To give a staff member a different allowance than the salon default or configure their working days:

Navigate to Staff in the sidebar
Click on the staff member's name
Click Edit to open their profile

Working Days (in the Scheduling section):

Select which days this staff member typically works
If no days are selected, the salon default (Monday to Saturday) is used
This affects how leave days are calculated for this staff member

Leave Allowance Override (in the Leave section):

Enter the number of days (leave blank to use salon default)
This sets a custom annual leave allowance for this staff member

Click Update Staff Member

Example: Your senior stylists might receive 32 days instead of the standard 28. Set their override to 32.

Step 6: View Leave Allowance Summary

To see a staff member's current leave balance:

Navigate to Leave in the sidebar
The top of the page shows Your Leave Allowance for the current year

The summary displays:

Base: Starting allowance (from salon default or staff override)
Carried Over: Days from previous year
Total: Combined allowance available
Used: Days already taken (approved requests)
Pending: Days awaiting approval
Remaining: Days still available

Managers viewing team leave: If you can manage leave for others, use the Staff filter to view specific team members' balances.

Step 7: View Next Year Preview

When viewing the current year's allowance, you'll also see a Next Year Preview card showing:

Base: Next year's starting allowance
Est. Carryover: Estimated days that will carry over (based on current remaining balance and carryover policy)
Est. Total: Projected total allowance
Booked: Leave already requested for next year

This helps staff plan ahead, knowing how much leave they'll have.

How Carryover Is Calculated

Carryover happens automatically when a new leave year starts:

No Carryover Policy: Previous year's remaining days = 0 carried over

Full Carryover Policy: Previous year's remaining days = all carried over

Capped Carryover Policy: Previous year's remaining days → carried over up to the maximum

Example: 8 days remaining, 5-day cap = 5 days carried over

The system calculates carryover automatically when viewing or creating allowance records for the new year.

Common Pitfalls

"Staff member shows 0 days remaining but hasn't taken any leave"

Check if an allowance record exists for the current year. If no leave has been requested, the allowance is created when the staff member first views the Leave page or requests leave.

"Carryover isn't showing for the new year"

Carryover is calculated when the new year's allowance record is first accessed. Ask the staff member to view their Leave page to trigger the calculation.

"I changed the salon default but existing staff aren't updated"

Changing the salon default only affects new calculations. Existing staff allowance records retain their original base allowance. To update a specific staff member, set an individual override in their profile.

"Sick leave is reducing the holiday balance"

Sick leave should NOT deduct from allowance. Check that the leave type selected is "Sick" (green) and not "Holiday" (purple).

"Leave days don't match what I expected"

Check the staff member's working days in their profile. Leave calculations exclude non-working days. If a staff member only works Monday to Thursday, a week's leave is 4 days, not 5.

Tips and Best Practices

Set carryover limits - Full carryover can accumulate large balances; capped carryover (5 days) balances flexibility with encouraging leave use
Use the correct leave type - Ensure staff select the appropriate type so tracking is accurate
Review before year end - In November, remind staff of remaining balances and carryover limits
Document override reasons - When giving extra days, add a note to the staff profile explaining why
Match your financial year - Set leave year start to match your business year for easier payroll alignment
Configure working days - Ensure each staff member's working pattern is set correctly for accurate leave calculations

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the salon default after staff have leave records?

Yes. The new default applies to future calculations and new staff. Existing staff allowance records keep their original base allowance unless you set an individual override.

What happens to pending requests when the year ends?

Pending requests remain pending and are counted against the year they fall in. A request for January next year counts against next year's allowance.

Can staff see other staff members' leave allowances?

No. Staff can only see their own allowance. Managers, Admins, and Owners can view team-wide data in the Leave Report.

Does part-time status affect leave allowance?

Luminate doesn't automatically pro-rate based on hours. Set an individual override for part-time staff (e.g., 14 days for someone working 50% hours).

Can I give extra days mid-year?

Not directly in the allowance. Instead, set an individual override for the staff member that includes the extra days. The change applies from that point forward.

What if someone starts mid-year?

Their first-year allowance should be pro-rated manually. Set an individual override reflecting the portion of the year they'll work.

How do working days affect leave calculations?

Leave is calculated based on the staff member's configured working days. If they work Monday to Friday and take a week off (Mon-Sun), only 5 days are deducted. Public holidays on working days are also excluded from the calculation.

Can I set different working days for different staff?

Yes. Each staff member can have their own working days configured in the Scheduling section of their profile. If not set, the salon default (Monday to Saturday) is used.

Last Updated: January 2026