How to Apply for Leave by the Hour in CrmLeaf
All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Hourly leave is a per-company toggle that an Administrator must enable in leave settings before the option appears.
Availability: All editions. Core feature - no add-on required. Hourly leave is a per-company toggle that an Administrator must enable in leave settings before the option appears.
Overview
Hourly leave lets an employee take leave for a specific window of hours instead of a full or half day, for example 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Balances are still kept in days, so an hourly leave deducts a fraction of a day proportional to the employee's shift length. This suits short absences such as an appointment, where a half day would consume more balance than the time actually taken.
How It Works
An Administrator enables hourly leave for the company. The employee then applies for a time window, CrmLeaf validates that window against the employee's shift and existing leave, and an approval deducts the proportional fraction of a day.
Enable hourly leave → Apply for a time window → Validate against shift and existing leave → Approve → Fractional balance deducted
- Hourly leave is an addition to full day and half day, not a replacement.
- The deduction is calculated as
min(1, hours ÷ shift hours), so the fraction can never exceed one day. - The application validates the requested window against the employee's shift.
- A range longer than the shift is rejected.
- A window that overlaps existing leave is blocked.
- Payroll and timelog reports account for the fractional deduction, so a two-hour absence is not treated as a whole day.
- Because the deduction depends on shift length, the same two-hour window costs a different fraction to employees on different shifts.
Who Can Use This Feature?
Administrator
- Enable or disable hourly leave for the company in leave settings.
- Confirm shifts are assigned, because shift length drives the deduction.
- Approve or reject hourly leave applications.
- Check the fractional deductions in leave and payroll data.
User
- Apply for leave for a specific window of hours.
- See the fraction of a day deducted from the balance.
- Track whether the application has been approved or rejected.
Access depends on the modules and role assigned by your Administrator.
Prerequisites
- Hourly leave is enabled for your company in leave settings.
- The employee has a shift assigned, or a default shift applies, because the shift length is the denominator in the calculation.
- Leave types with per-employee quotas exist, and the employee has an available balance.
- A role holds the leave approval permission.
For Administrators
Step 1: Confirm shifts are assigned
What to do: Check that employees have shift schedules with the correct working hours, or that a default shift is set. The shift length determines how much balance an hourly leave consumes.
What to verify: Every employee who will use hourly leave has a shift with the right hours.
Step 2: Enable hourly leave
What to do: Enable the hourly leave toggle for the company and select Save.
What to verify: An employee sees the hourly option alongside full day and half day on the leave application form.
Step 3: Approve hourly applications and check the deduction
What to do: Review the hourly applications, check the requested window against the employee's shift, then select Approve or Reject with a reason.
What to verify: The employee's balance falls by the proportional fraction of a day, not by a whole day.
For Users
Step 1: Open the leave application
Select Add to start a new application and select the leave type.
Step 2: Choose the hourly duration
Select the hourly duration option. If it is not offered, hourly leave has not been enabled for your company.
Step 3: Set the time window
Enter the date and the start and end times of the window you need, for example 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Keep the window inside your shift; a range longer than your shift is rejected.
Step 4: Submit and track
Enter the reason, attach a supporting file if your organisation asks for one, then select Submit. If the window overlaps leave you already have, the application is blocked, so adjust the times. Track the outcome in your personal leave view.
Field and Option Reference
| Field / Option | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly leave toggle | Per-company setting in leave settings that makes the hourly duration available. | Set by Administrator |
| Leave type | The type the hourly leave is taken against; carries the quota and balance. | Yes |
| Date | The date of the hourly leave. | Yes |
| Start and end time | The window of hours requested. Must fall within the employee's shift. | Yes |
| Deduction | The fraction of a day deducted, calculated as min(1, hours ÷ shift hours). | Calculated |
Expected Result
The hourly leave application is submitted for the requested window with a status of pending. Once approved, the employee's balance for the leave type is reduced by the proportional fraction of a day, and payroll and timelog reports reflect that fraction rather than a whole day.
Service Organisation Context
Hourly leave is the setting that fits professional services most closely, because a consultant taking two hours out of a billable day is a common case that a half day describes badly. The deduction is a fraction of a day proportional to the employee's shift length, so the balance consumed matches the time actually taken and the absence is recorded at the granularity the engagement lost. That precision carries through: payroll and timelog reports account for the fraction, and where the Resource Utilization add-on module is enabled its Availability and Capacity lenses read the same leave data. The same option suits any organisation whose people take short, planned absences.
Important Notes
- Menu names and their position can differ between product editions and can be customised for your account, so your sidebar may not match these paths exactly. Use Search or your Quick Access items if you cannot find a screen.
- Balances are always held in days. Hourly leave changes how much of a day is consumed, not the unit the balance is kept in.
- The deduction is capped at one day by the
min(1, …)term, so a window equal to or longer than the shift can never deduct more than a full day. - Because shift length is the denominator, changing a shift's hours changes what an hourly leave costs for everyone on that shift.
- Requests longer than the shift are rejected, and windows overlapping existing leave are blocked.
- Enable hourly leave only after shifts are assigned, otherwise the calculation falls back to whatever default shift applies.
Common Scenarios
Example: a two-hour absence on an eight-hour shift. An employee applies for leave from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. That is two hours. Their assigned shift is eight hours. The deduction is min(1, 2 ÷ 8) = min(1, 0.25) = 0.25 day. If the employee had 10 days of balance, 9.75 days remain after approval - instead of the 9.5 days a half day would have cost.
Example: the same window on a different shift. A colleague on a six-hour shift applies for the same two-hour window. The deduction is min(1, 2 ÷ 6) = approximately 0.33 day. The same two hours costs more balance because the shift is shorter.
Example: a window as long as the shift. An employee on an eight-hour shift requests eight hours. The deduction is min(1, 8 ÷ 8) = 1 day, the cap. A request longer than the shift, such as 10 hours against an eight-hour shift, is rejected rather than being capped silently.
Example: an overlap. The employee already has approved leave covering part of the afternoon. The new hourly application overlapping that period is blocked, so the employee shortens the window to the hours that are still free.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| The hourly duration option is not shown. | Hourly leave is not enabled for the company. | An Administrator enables the hourly leave toggle in leave settings. |
| The application is rejected as too long. | The requested range is longer than the employee's shift. | Shorten the window so it falls within the shift, or apply for a full day instead. |
| The application is blocked as an overlap. | The window overlaps existing leave for that employee. | Check the personal leave view and adjust the times. |
| The deduction is larger than expected. | The employee's shift is shorter than assumed, so the fraction is larger. | Check the shift assigned for that date in the shift roster. |
| The window is refused although it looks reasonable. | The window falls outside the employee's shift hours. | Compare the requested times with the shift's working hours. |
| Payroll appears to treat the leave as a full day. | The leave was recorded as a full day rather than hourly, or the application was not approved. | Open the leave record and confirm the duration and status. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are balances kept in hours once hourly leave is enabled?
No. Balances are still kept in days. An hourly leave deducts a fraction of a day.
How is the fraction calculated?
As min(1, hours ÷ shift hours). Two hours on an eight-hour shift is 0.25 day.
Can I apply for more hours than my shift?
No. A range longer than the shift is rejected. Apply for a full day instead.
Does hourly leave show in payroll?
Yes. Payroll and timelog reports account for the fractional deduction.
Is hourly leave available to every account?
It is a core capability, but it is a per-company toggle. An Administrator must enable it in leave settings before employees see the option.
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