Annual leave tracker
An annual leave record you can trust
Leavepad is an annual leave tracker that keeps a complete record for every employee: what they're entitled to, every day they've taken, who approved it and what's left. Balances update with every approved request, so the record is right whenever you need it.
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Sound familiar?
Balances that don't add up
An employee says they have eight days left, the spreadsheet says five, and nobody can show where the difference came from.
No trail of who approved what
Leave was agreed in a conversation or a long-deleted email, so when it's questioned there's nothing to point to.
Payouts worked out from memory
When someone leaves, their unused annual leave has to be paid out, and the balance has to be rebuilt by hand first.
Annual leave balance
Every employee's balance, worked out for them
Leavepad tracks each employee's annual leave from their entitlement down. Every approved request is taken off, counting only the working days in it, and every balance shows how many days are left out of the year's total.
- Entitlement, leave taken and balance per person
- Annual leave and sick leave tracked separately
- Employees can check their own record
Approval record
Who approved what, and when
Every request keeps its dates, its working days, its status and a record of who approved or declined it and when, with any note they added. If a balance is ever questioned, the history is right there.
- Approver and decision date on every request
- Notes from the employee and the approver
- Cancelled requests kept on record too
Carry-over
Unused leave carried into the new year
Set how many unused annual leave days can roll into the next year. When the year turns over, Leavepad carries each person's unused days across, up to the limit, so the new year's balances start right.
- A carry-over limit per leave type
- Applied to everyone automatically in January
- Adjust any balance afterwards if you need to
More from the annual leave tracker
Adjustments with a reason
Change any person's allowance for part-time hours, long service or a payout, and the reason is saved with it.
Public holidays excluded
Import your country's public holidays and they're never taken from anyone's annual leave balance.
Company closure days
Add days the whole company is closed, like Christmas Eve, so they show for everyone and are never counted as leave.
Record leave for anyone
Managers and admins can book annual leave on someone's behalf, so the record is complete even for staff who rarely log in.
Cancellations handled
Cancel a pending or upcoming booking and the days go straight back to the balance, with the cancellation kept on record.
Year after year
Balances, bookings and carry-over roll on each January, so you keep a running record across the years.
What Leavepad replaces
One annual leave record for every employee, instead of a spreadsheet tab per person and a folder of approval emails.
- Annual leave balancesA spreadsheet tab per employee
- Approval recordA folder of old emails
- Leave takenCounting days on a calendar
- Carry-overA January recalculation
- AdjustmentsOverwriting a cell with no reason
- Balance on leavingRebuilding it from memory
Guide
What to record in an annual leave tracker
Annual leave records protect both sides: employees can see they get what they're owed, and you can show you've given it. Some countries also set how long you have to keep them. These are the things to record for every employee.
- 1
Their entitlement and how it was worked out
Record each person's yearly entitlement, and why it's that number: full time, pro rata for part-time hours, or extra days for long service. Statutory minimums differ: 5.6 weeks in the UK, four weeks in Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
- 2
Every period of leave taken
For each booking, record the dates, the number of working days, the type of leave and who approved it. A balance on its own isn't enough if it's ever challenged.
- 3
Adjustments, with a reason
Whenever an allowance is changed, record what changed and why, such as a contract change, a correction or leave cashed out by agreement.
- 4
Carry-over and the balance at year end
Record how much unused leave each person carried into the new year. In Australia, untaken annual leave carries over by default and is paid out when employment ends, so the running balance matters.
- 5
Keep the records long enough
Retention periods vary. Australian employers must keep leave records for seven years, and New Zealand employers for at least six. Elsewhere, keep them for at least as long as a claim about holiday pay could be brought.
Free annual leave calculators
Holiday Entitlement Calculator
Work out UK statutory annual leave for full-time, part-time and irregular-hours workers, including part-year starters, extra company leave and bank holidays.
Open the calculatorPro Rata Holiday Calculator
Work out annual leave for part-time staff and for anyone who starts or leaves part-way through the leave year, with rounding and leave owed.
Open the calculatorPTO Payout Calculator
Work out what unused vacation is worth when an employee leaves, from an hourly rate or salary, with estimated taxes.
Open the calculator
Annual leave tracker: FAQ
What is an annual leave tracker?
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An annual leave tracker is a record of each employee's annual leave: their entitlement, every period of leave they've taken and the balance left. Online annual leave trackers like Leavepad update that record automatically with every approved request.
How is an annual leave tracker different from a planner?
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A planner looks ahead: who's taking leave when, and whether the team is covered. A tracker looks at the record: what each person was entitled to, what they've used and who approved it. Leavepad does both, from the same data.
How do I track annual leave for employees?
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Set each employee's yearly entitlement, ask everyone to request annual leave in one place, and deduct only the working days in each approved request. Record carry-over at year end and any adjustments with a reason.
How much annual leave are employees entitled to?
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It depends on the country. In the UK it's 5.6 weeks (28 days for a five-day week). In Ireland, Australia and New Zealand it's four weeks, and Australian shift workers can get five. The US has no legal minimum.
How long should annual leave records be kept?
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In Australia, leave records must be kept for seven years. In New Zealand, holiday and leave records must be kept for at least six years. In other countries, keep them for at least as long as a claim about holiday pay could be brought.
Can I see who approved each day of leave?
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Yes. Every request in Leavepad records its status, who approved or declined it, when, and any note they added.
Can I correct an employee's balance?
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Yes. Admins can add or remove days from any person's annual leave balance, with a reason saved alongside the change.
More ways to use Leavepad
Annual leave planner
Annual leave allowances, carry-over and bank holidays worked out for you, all year.
Learn moreLeave tracker
An online leave tracker that replaces the Excel sheet: earned, casual and sick leave counted for you.
Learn moreHoliday tracker
Staff holiday booking with bank holidays, pro rata allowances and UK carry-over rules built in.
Learn more
Built for every kind of team
Small businesses
A staff holiday tracker that handles allowances and public holidays without an HR department.
Agencies
Plan project staffing around annual leave and see clashes before a deadline does.
Accounting firms
Keep the team in the office through busy season and spread holidays across the quiet months.
Remote teams
One team leave calendar across time zones, so nobody is surprised by an empty chat channel.
Four-day week companies
Count leave in your working days, not someone else's, with no manual conversions.
Keep a leave record you can trust
Set up Leavepad for your team in a few minutes. Invite your people and they can book time off today.
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