Who it’s for: Administrators and users with the relevant permissions
Platform: Sense HR
Available on: All plans
Before you begin
Make sure:
☑️ You’re logged in
☑️ The Time-off event and rule you want to configure have been created
☑️ You know which people the rule should apply to
☑️ You know your organisation’s entitlement policy for those people, including the standard allowance and whether accrual, carryover or Length of service increases apply
☑️ You know whether entitlement is tracked in days or hours — or whether your organisation uses both
💡 Tip: If different groups have different entitlement arrangements, use separate rules for the same event rather than creating duplicate events.
👉 See Calendar & Planner: Create and configure Working and Time-off events with Event Manager for guidance on creating events and rules.
Overview
Entitlement can be enabled for Time-off events where employees receive an allowance that is reduced as they book the event.
For example, you might enable entitlement for a Holiday event where employees receive an annual allowance.
Entitlement is configured per rule. This means the same event can have different entitlement arrangements for different people or groups.
For example, the Holiday event could have:
a standard rule providing one allowance;
another rule providing a different allowance for a particular group; and
a rule that allows contractors to book Holiday without providing an entitlement.
When Entitlement is enabled, the Entitlement section provides settings for:
Default FTE allowance
Allow partial bookings
Minimum booking unit
Additional configuration sections also become available for:
Accrual
Carryover
Length of service
Balance & overbooking
Understand the entitlement period
Several entitlement settings refer to the entitlement period.
The entitlement period is your organisation’s Holiday year, configured in:
Settings > Calendar & Planner > General
The Holiday year defines the 12-month period used for entitlement.
For example, if your Holiday year runs from April to March, an entitlement period could run from April 2026 to March 2027.
Settings such as Carryover and On rollover for Length of service use this entitlement period.
Understand Days and Hours
Several entitlement settings provide separate Days and Hours values, including:
Default FTE allowance
Accrual interval entitlement
Maximum carryover
Length of service
Complete the value used to track entitlement for the people covered by the rule.
If your organisation tracks some employees’ entitlement in days and others in hours, complete both.
Sense HR does not convert between Days and Hours. Each employee’s entitlement record determines which value is used.
For example, your organisation could configure:
Days: 25
Hours: 150
These are separate full-time allowances for employees whose entitlement is tracked in the respective unit; the Hours value does not need to be a conversion of the Days value.
Navigation path
From the Sense HR dashboard, go to:
Settings > Calendar & Planner > Event manager
Click the Time-off event you want to configure.
Select the rule you want to update from the tabs at the top of the configuration page.
Scroll to the Entitlement section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Entitlement.
Enable entitlement
Scroll to the Entitlement section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Entitlement.
Turn Entitlement ON.
This enables allowance calculation and entitlement-period configuration for the rule.
When Entitlement is enabled:
bookings using the rule use and reduce the employee’s entitlement balance;
Default FTE allowance, Allow partial bookings and Minimum booking unit are available in the Entitlement section; and
the navigation panel expands to include Accrual, Carryover, Length of service and Balance & overbooking.
🖊️ Note: When Entitlement is enabled, Allow booking outside working hours is removed from the rule along with its navigation entry.
Set the Default FTE allowance
Under Default FTE allowance, enter the standard full-time allowance for the event in Days, Hours, or both.
For example, if the standard full-time Holiday allowance for employees whose entitlement is tracked in days is 25 days, enter:
Days: 25
Sense HR automatically pro-rates the Default FTE allowance for part-time employees covered by the rule.
If the rule covers employees whose entitlement is tracked in both days and hours, enter the appropriate full-time allowance for each.
Configure partial bookings
Turn Allow partial bookings on if people should be able to book part of a day rather than only complete days.
When Allow partial bookings is enabled, select the Minimum booking unit:
Quarter Day
Half Day
The Minimum booking unit determines the smallest part of a day that can be booked.
Configure accrual
Use Accrual when entitlement should build gradually rather than being awarded all at once.
Scroll to the Accrual section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Accrual.
Turn Accrual ON.
Then configure:
Accrual start date
Select when the entitlement should start accruing.
Accrual intervals
Choose how frequently entitlement is added:
Weekly
Monthly
Accrual interval entitlement
Enter the amount of entitlement awarded during each interval.
Configure the amount in the appropriate:
Days, or
Hours
For example, where entitlement accrues monthly, you might configure the amount of entitlement an employee receives each month.
Configure carryover
Use Carryover when unused entitlement can move into the employee’s next entitlement period.
Scroll to the Carryover section, or use the navigation panel to jump to Carryover.
Turn on Carryover.
Maximum carryover
Enter the maximum unused entitlement that can be carried forward.
Configure the maximum in the appropriate:
Days, or
Hours
Leave the maximum blank to allow unlimited carryover.
At the end of the entitlement period, unused entitlement can be carried forward up to the configured limit.
💡 Tip: Leave Maximum carryover blank only where your policy allows unlimited carryover. To prevent carryover, turn Carryover OFF.
Configure Length of service
Use Length of service where employees should receive additional entitlement after reaching defined service milestones.
Length of service entitlement is additional to the employee’s standard entitlement. Once an employee reaches a milestone, the additional entitlement for that milestone forms part of their entitlement at each subsequent award point.
It is not a one-off award, but it also does not keep accumulating simply because another year passes.
For example, if an employee’s standard entitlement is 25 days and a milestone at 12 months adds 1 day, their entitlement is 26 days at each subsequent award point while that is the only milestone they have reached. It does not increase to 27, 28, 29 days simply because further years pass.
When the employee reaches another milestone, the additional entitlement from all milestones they have reached is combined.
In the navigation panel, click Length of service and turn Length of service ON.
Choose the Award timing
Under Award timing, select when the employee’s Length of service entitlement should be applied:
On rollover — applies the appropriate Length of service entitlement when the employee moves into the next entitlement period.
On anniversary date — applies the appropriate Length of service entitlement on the employee’s employment anniversary.
Only one Award timing can be selected.
On rollover is selected by default.
Add Length of service milestones
Use the Length of service table to define when employees qualify for additional entitlement.
Click + Add more to add a milestone.
For each milestone, configure:
Months
Enter the length of service required before the milestone is reached.
Entitlement (hours) / Entitlement (days)
Enter the additional entitlement associated with that milestone.
Milestone values are cumulative with other milestones the employee has reached.
For example, you configure:
12 months: +1 day
60 months: +1 day
120 months: +2 days
An employee with a standard entitlement of 25 days would receive:
before 12 months — 25 days
from 12 months — 26 days: 25 + 1
from 60 months — 27 days: 25 + 1 + 1
from 120 months — 29 days: 25 + 1 + 1 + 2
The applicable Length of service addition continues to form part of the employee’s entitlement at subsequent award points. It does not increase again until the employee reaches another configured milestone.
📖 Example: If your policy gives employees one additional day after one year and a total of two additional days after five years, configure:
12 months: +1 day
60 months: +1 day
At five years, both reached milestones apply, giving the employee a total Length of service addition of 2 days.
Configure Max entitlement
Max entitlement (days) / Max entitlement (hours) limits how far the employee’s entitlement can increase through Length of service awards.
If applying the full Length of service addition would take the employee above Max entitlement, Sense HR awards only enough to reach the configured maximum.
📖 Example:
Current entitlement: 23 days
Length of service addition due: +3 days
Max entitlement: 25 days
Sense HR awards 2 days, bringing the employee to the 25-day maximum. No further Length of service entitlement is added once Max entitlement has been reached.
🖊️ Note: Carryover is separate from Max entitlement. Carried-over entitlement can therefore take the employee’s available entitlement above the Max entitlement configured for Length of service.
If you configure multiple milestones, enter the same Max entitlement for each milestone. The maximum applies to the entitlement reached through Length of service rather than setting a different maximum for each milestone.
Configure balance and overbooking
Scroll to Balance & overbooking, or use the navigation panel to jump to Balance & overbooking.
Turn Allow to book over entitlement ON to allow bookings that exceed the employee’s remaining entitlement.
Leave it OFF to prevent bookings that exceed the available entitlement.
Where overbooking is allowed, the employee’s entitlement balance can become negative.
This can be useful where entitlement accrues over time and your organisation allows employees to book against entitlement they have not yet accrued.
⚠️ Important: Only allow bookings over entitlement where this matches your organisation’s policy. The setting allows the employee’s entitlement balance to become negative.
Save the entitlement configuration
When you’ve finished configuring the rule, click Save changes.
The entitlement settings apply to the people covered by that rule.
If the event has additional rules, configure entitlement separately for each rule where required.
⚠️ Important: Each person can be covered by only one rule for an event. If a rule Scope overlaps another rule for the same event, the conflicting rule cannot be saved.
Use View filter results to identify the overlap, then update Assign to or Exclude people before saving again.
Best practice
✔ Match entitlement rules to your policies
Use separate rules where different people genuinely have different allowance, accrual, carryover or Length of service arrangements.
✔ Use the correct entitlement unit
Enter Days, Hours, or both according to how entitlement is tracked for the people covered by the rule.
Days and Hours are separate allowances. Sense HR does not convert one into the other.
✔ Set carryover limits deliberately
Leave Maximum carryover blank only where your policy genuinely allows unlimited carryover.
✔ Plan Length of service milestones before configuring them
Confirm the service periods, additional entitlement, maximum entitlement and Award timing required by your policy before entering the milestones.
✔ Use overbooking carefully
Allow a negative entitlement balance only where employees are permitted to book beyond their currently available entitlement.
✔ Review Scope as well as entitlement
Entitlement configuration applies only to the people covered by the rule.
Use View filter results to confirm that the intended people are covered.
FAQs
Click for answers to frequently asked questions
Click for answers to frequently asked questions
Q: Why can’t I configure entitlement for a Working event in Event manager?
A: You can’t configure entitlement for a Working event in Event manager because Entitlement is available only for Time-off events.
If the event needs to use entitlement, create a new Time-off event. You cannot change an existing event’s Event category after it has been created.
Q: What is the entitlement period for a Time-off event in Event manager?
A: The entitlement period for a Time-off event in Event manager is your organisation’s Holiday year.
The Holiday year is a 12-month period configured in:
Settings > Calendar & Planner > General
For example, if the Holiday year runs from April to March, an entitlement period could run from April 2026 to March 2027.
Q: Should I enter Days or Hours for entitlement in Event manager?
A: Enter Days or Hours for entitlement in Event manager according to how entitlement is tracked for the people covered by the rule.
If some employees’ entitlement is tracked in days and others in hours, complete both.
Sense HR does not convert between the two. Each employee’s entitlement record determines whether the Days or Hours value is used.
Q: Do the Days and Hours entitlement values in Event manager need to be equivalent?
A: No. The Days and Hours entitlement values in Event manager do not need to be conversions of each other.
They are separate allowances for entitlement records tracked in the respective units. For example, an organisation could configure a Default FTE allowance of 25 days and 150 hours.
Q: Can different employees have different entitlement settings for the same event in Event manager?
A: Yes. Different employees can have different entitlement settings for the same event in Event manager by using separate rules.
Each rule can have its own Default FTE allowance, partial-booking, Accrual, Carryover, Length of service and Balance & overbooking configuration.
Q: Can someone book a Time-off event in Event manager without receiving entitlement for it?
A: Yes. A Time-off event in Event manager does not have to use Entitlement.
For example, you could configure one Holiday rule with Entitlement for employees and another rule without Entitlement for contractors who can book Holiday but do not receive a Holiday entitlement.
Q: Why can’t I see Outside working hours after enabling Entitlement in Event manager?
A: You can’t see Outside working hours after enabling Entitlement in Event manager because Allow booking outside working hours is available only when the rule does not use Entitlement.
When Entitlement is enabled, the Outside working hours section and its navigation entry are removed.
Q: What does Default FTE allowance mean in Event manager?
A: Default FTE allowance in Event manager is the standard full-time entitlement for the event under the selected rule.
Sense HR automatically pro-rates this allowance for part-time employees covered by the rule.
Enter the appropriate value in Days, Hours, or both according to how entitlement is tracked.
Q: What does Allow partial bookings do for a Time-off event in Event manager?
A: Allow partial bookings lets people covered by the Event manager rule book part of a day rather than only complete days.
When it is enabled, use Minimum booking unit to choose the smallest permitted booking: Quarter Day or Half Day.
Q: What’s the difference between Entitlement and Accrual in Event manager?
A: Entitlement in Event manager controls the allowance available for a Time-off event and whether bookings use that balance.
Accrual controls whether entitlement is added gradually at Weekly or Monthly intervals instead of being available as the full allowance at once.
Q: What happens if I leave Maximum carryover blank in Event manager?
A: Leaving Maximum carryover blank in Event manager means unused entitlement can carry into the next entitlement period without a maximum limit.
Leaving the field blank does not turn Carryover OFF. To prevent unused entitlement carrying forward, turn Carryover OFF.
Q: When is Length of service entitlement awarded in Event manager?
A: Length of service entitlement in Event manager is awarded according to the selected Award timing.
On rollover awards the additional entitlement when the employee moves into the next entitlement period.
On anniversary date awards it on the employee’s employment anniversary.
On rollover is selected by default.
Q: What does Max entitlement mean in the Event manager Length of service settings?
A: Max entitlement in the Event manager Length of service settings is the maximum entitlement an employee can reach as Length of service increases are applied.
Enter the appropriate maximum in Days, Hours, or both according to how entitlement is tracked.
Q: Can employees book more than their remaining entitlement in Event manager?
A: Employees can book more than their remaining entitlement where Allow to book over entitlement is enabled for the applicable Event manager rule.
This allows the employee’s entitlement balance to become negative.
Only enable it where your organisation’s policy permits employees to book beyond their currently available entitlement.
Q: What happens to existing entitlement if I turn Entitlement off for a rule in Event manager?
A: Turning Entitlement OFF for a rule in Event manager does not delete the existing entitlement records.
The balances are hidden from the interface and are no longer used when bookings are made, but they are retained and remain available in reporting.
Q: If I change entitlement settings in Event manager, does it change events that have already been booked?
A: Changing entitlement settings in Event manager does not retrospectively change existing booked events. They retain the rule configuration that applied when they were booked.
However, if an existing booked event is later edited, the rule configuration in force at the time of the edit is applied.
Q: How do I set the standard full-time entitlement for an event in Event manager?
A: To set the standard full-time entitlement for an event in Event manager, open the Time-off event and select the applicable rule.
Turn Entitlement ON and enter the full-time allowance under Default FTE allowance in Days, Hours, or both.
Sense HR automatically pro-rates the allowance for part-time employees covered by the rule.
Q: How do I give employees additional entitlement based on Length of service in Event manager?
A: To give employees additional entitlement based on Length of service in Event manager, open the Time-off event and select the applicable rule.
Make sure Entitlement is enabled, then turn Length of service ON.
Choose the Award timing and use + Add more to configure each service milestone, the additional entitlement awarded and any maximum entitlement.
If different groups have different Length of service policies, configure separate rules for those groups.
Q: How do I allow employees to carry unused Holiday into the next Holiday year in Event manager?
A: To allow employees to carry unused Holiday into the next Holiday year in Event manager, open the Holiday event and select the applicable rule.
Make sure Entitlement is enabled, then turn Carryover ON and enter the Maximum carryover in Days, Hours, or both.
Leave Maximum carryover blank only if your policy allows unused entitlement to carry forward without a maximum limit.
Q: How do I let employees book Holiday before they have accrued enough entitlement in Event manager?
A: To let employees book Holiday before they have accrued enough entitlement in Event manager, open the Holiday event and select the applicable rule.
Go to Balance & overbooking and turn Allow to book over entitlement ON.
Employees covered by the rule can then book beyond their current remaining entitlement and move into a negative balance.
Only enable this where your organisation’s policy permits it.
Q: How do multiple Length of service milestones work in Event manager?
A: Multiple Length of service milestones in Event manager are cumulative. The additional entitlement from all milestones the employee has reached is combined.
For example, if you configure:
12 months: +1 day
60 months: +1 day
120 months: +2 days
An employee who has reached 60 months receives a total Length of service addition of 2 days. After reaching 120 months, the total Length of service addition becomes 4 days.
The additional entitlement does not increase again until another milestone is reached.
Q: When is Length of service entitlement applied in Event manager?
A: Length of service entitlement in Event manager is applied according to the selected Award timing.
On rollover applies the appropriate Length of service entitlement when the employee moves into the next entitlement period.
On anniversary date applies it on the employee’s employment anniversary.
On rollover is selected by default.
Q: What does Max entitlement mean in the Event manager Length of service settings?
A: Max entitlement in the Event manager Length of service settings limits how far an employee’s entitlement can increase through Length of service.
If the full Length of service addition would take the employee above Max entitlement, Sense HR adds only enough to reach the maximum.
For example, if the employee currently has 23 days, is due a 3-day Length of service addition, and Max entitlement is 25 days, Sense HR adds 2 days, bringing their entitlement to 25 days.
Once Max entitlement is reached, no further Length of service awards are added.
Q: Should I enter a different Max entitlement for each Length of service milestone in Event manager?
A: No. If you configure multiple Length of service milestones in Event manager, enter the same Max entitlement for each milestone.
Max entitlement applies across the Length of service configuration rather than setting a separate maximum for each milestone.
Q: Can Carryover take an employee above the Length of service Max entitlement in Event manager?
A: Yes. Carryover can take an employee above the Length of service Max entitlement in Event manager because Carryover is separate from the maximum used for Length of service.
Max entitlement limits how far the employee’s entitlement can increase through Length of service. It does not prevent additional entitlement being carried forward from the previous entitlement period.