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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2025-09-19
Create Leave Types

Create Leave Types

  • Create leave of absence families.
  • Create leave of absence rules if you want to define worker eligibility requirements or validations for leave requests.
  • Security:
    Set Up: Leave of Absence
     domain in the Time Off and Leave functional area.
A leave type defines the set of rules that apply to a specific type of leave, such as jury duty or Family or Medical Leave of Absence (FMLA). It identifies:
  • The leave of absence family.
  • The unit of time for leave requests.
  • Worker eligibility, validation, and other rules.
  • Whether to track balances.
If your Workday tenant is enabled for multiple jobs, the leave type also indicates whether the leave type is position-based.
You can link a leave type to other leave types and time offs so that Workday calculates combined balances for leave.
  1. Access the
    Create Leave Type
     task.
  2. As you complete the task, consider:
    Field
    Description
    Leave Type
    Enter a name that represents the reason for the leave.
    Leave Type ID
    Web service API and EIB uploads use the ID. If you leave this field empty, Workday automatically assigns a value.
    Position Based
    The check box displays if your Workday tenant is configured to support multiple jobs on the
    Edit Tenant Setup - HCM
     task (
    Position Setup Options
     field). Workday enables you to configure multiple jobs positions for:
    • Contingent workers.
    • Employees.
    Select to track leaves of absence for workers by position. You can't change this setting once leave requests or other leave data exists.
    When a leave type is position-based, you must provide the worker's position when entering a leave request. Balances are also position-based. Typically, eligibility rules, validations, supporting data, and entitlement calculations apply to the worker's position as well. However, when defining these rules you can instead use report fields or calculated fields that refer to the primary job or across all jobs.
    Leave the check box unselected to specify that the leave type and balances are worker-based. Eligibility rules, validations, supporting data, and entitlement calculations typically apply to the worker's primary position, unless you define these rules to look across all jobs.
    Leave Family
    Specify the leave types for workers to select while requesting a leave of absence.
    Inactive
    Makes the leave type unavailable for use. When selected, workers can't request or be placed on inactive leave types. Standard reports continue to track workers already on leave and display details for the leave type.
    Leave Payment Type
    (Optional) Link the leave type to a Workday-delivered earning for a statutory payment type so that Workday Payroll can process statutory payments based on the leave type. Examples:
    • Maternity leave payment type for Payroll for the UK.
    • Part-time therapeutic leaves or reclassification leaves for Payroll for France.
    On Leave Status Visibility Type
    While a worker is on leave, Workday displays the
    (On Leave)
     status next to the worker's name. Select whether the status displays:
    • Always.
    • Never.
    • Only to users who are authorized to view the worker's leave of absence.
  3. Define
    Eligibility Criteria
     to control whether the leave type is available for selection when entering a leave request:
    Field
    Description
    Country/Country Region
    Restricts the availability of the leave type to selected locations.
    The worker’s work address on the first day of the leave must be in one of the selected locations.
    If empty, the leave type is available in all locations.
    Additional Criteria
    Select leave of absence rules that define additional criteria workers must meet on the first day of the requested leave to be eligible for the leave. Workers must meet all additional criteria.
    Enabled for Worker Type
    Specify whether the leave type is available for employees, contingent workers, or all workers.
  4. In the
    Leave Impacts
     section, specify how a leave affects areas outside of Workday Absence Management.
    Examples:
    • To stop paying workers who are on this leave, select
      Payroll Effect
      . If you're using Workday Payroll, you can continue to pay workers on leave according to run category criteria.
    • To adjust seniority calculation for Payroll for France, select
      Continuous Service Accrual Effect
      . You can later map the leave type to a parental leave or parental presence value on the
      Maintain Absence Mapping for Payroll France
       task. Workday deducts half of the number of days on leave, rounded down to the nearest day, from the adjusted seniority calculation.
  5. On the
    Validations / Supporting Data
     tab, select the validation rules to apply to leave of absence requests:
    Field
    Description
    Leave of Absence Rule
    When a worker submits a request or saves the request for later, Workday:
    • Applies the rules to each day of the requested leave.
    • Issues a warning if a request is invalid.
    • Routes requests with warnings for review.
    Workday generates errors or warnings when leave of absence requests don't meet the validation conditions.
    Do Not Allow Request
    Select this check box to issue an error for invalid requests instead of a warning. Workday doesn't allow the request and requests with errors remain in a
    Save for Later
     status until deleted or corrected.
    Don't select this check box to issue a warning for invalid requests but allow the request.
    Allow Override for Entry on Behalf of Worker
    Enable workers placing a request on behalf of another worker to enter the request regardless of the error condition. In this case, both errors and warnings display as warnings.
  6. Identify any
    Supporting Data
     to display to workers on the request confirmation page or when reviewing a request.
    Supporting data provides information relevant to the request that can help workers understand the reason for a warning or error. The information can also help reviewers determine reasons for approving or rejecting requests.
    Field
    Description
    Value to Display
    Identify the types of data to display, such as:
    • Months of service for the worker.
    • Actual hours worked.
    • Available leave balances as of the first day of the leave.
    Select from the report fields or calculated fields for the
    Worker
    ,
    Leave of Absence Type
    ,
    Leave Request Event
    , or
    Position
     business object. Workday retrieves supporting data based on the worker as of the first day of the leave.
    If the leave type is linked to other leave types or time offs, you can display the combined entitlement balance for the related leaves and time offs.
    Label Override
    Enter text to display instead of the name of the report field or calculated field you selected in the
    Value to Display
     field.
    Hide from Worker Self Service
    Prevent supporting information from displaying on self-service pages.
  7. On the
    Balance/Leave Taken
     tab, configure balance tracking options.
    1. Provide information Workday needs to calculate balances for leave taken:
      Field
      Description
      Track Balance
      Select to track leave balances for workers.
      If balance tracking doesn't apply, complete only these fields on this tab:
      • Unit of Time
      • Days to Include
      Balance Calendar Start Date
      Balance Calendar End Date
      Select calculated fields that define the start and end dates for the balance calendar.
      Unit of Time
      Select
      Days
       or
      Hours
       as the unit of time for leave requests and entitlement balances.
      Calendar Display
      Select from these options to specify how to display leave entitlement balances on the calendar:
      • Do Not Show Balance
      • Family and Type
      • Type
    2. Define
      Leave Entitlement
       options:
      Field
      Description
      Entitlement per Event
      Grant workers the full entitlement for every request for this leave type, regardless of the timing of the requests.
      When you select this option, you can link multiple requests for this leave type within the same balance calendar so that the requests draw from the same entitlement balance.
      Entitlement Units
      Select from these options to specify whether there's a maximum number of days or hours available to workers for this leave type:
      • Numeric
        : Enter a literal numeric value.
      • Calculation
        : Select a calculated field that's based on the
        Worker
         or
        Position
         object.
      • None of the above
        .
    3. Identify
      Days to Include
      :
      This field determines which days to count as taken within each leave request and, for leaves tracked in hours, determines the number of hours to count for each day taken based on the position or worker's scheduled weekly hours. This field doesn't apply to other leaves in the same family or to time offs identified in the
      Intermittent Time Offs
       field. The
      Days to Include
       value on the time off plan controls the intermittent time offs.
      Select the
      Configure Days to Include
       option to display the
      Include Holidays from Holiday Calendar
       check box and
      Included Days
       field.
    4. If applicable, identify coordinated leave types and time offs.
      Workday reduces the balance for this leave type by units taken for the leave types and time offs you select.
      If your Workday tenant is configured to support multiple jobs, these rules apply:
      • If the leave type is position-based and a coordinated leave or time off is worker-based, units taken for worker-based absences reduce the leave balance for each of a worker's positions.
      • If the leave type is worker-based and a coordinated leave or time off is position-based, units taken for each position reduce the worker's leave balance.
      Field
      Description
      Include all Leave Types from Leave Family
      Select to include units taken for all other leave types in the same family as units taken for this leave type. Families containing all leaves types with the same unit of time as the leave type you're defining are available for selection.
      Additional Leave Types
      Select other leave types that count as units taken for this leave type.
      Configure any leave types that you select in this field to reference the leave type you're defining.
      Intermittent Time Offs
      Select all time offs that count as units taken for this leave type. You can associate a time off with only 1 leave type. Eligibility and validation rules defined for the leave also apply to the time offs.
      Intermittent time offs subtract from the leave balance without having the employee on a leave through the
      Request Leave of Absence
       business process.
    5. (Optional) Select the
      Prorate by Leave Percentage
       check box to enable proration of leave units on leave requests by the
      Leave Percentage
       additional field on the leave type. Workday reduces the balance entitlement by the prorated amount when workers take leave that's not full time.
      You need to configure Absence Calendar Experience if you enable proration.
  8. (Optional) To have the end of a worker's leave trigger a request for another type of leave, select the
    Next Leave Type
     on the
    Cascading Leave
     tab.
    Example: If you're defining a short-term leave type and you want it to cascade to a long-term leave type, select a long-term leave type. Example: Select
    Disability > USA Long Term Disability
    .
    Your selection depends on whether this leave type is worker-based or position-based.
    Workday generates a request to place the worker on the next leave type at the end of the current leave if the:
    • Request Leave of Absence
       business process is configured for cascading leave.
    • Employee meets the eligibility requirements for the next leave type.
    Workday Payroll for the UK doesn't support cascading leave types that are linked to statutory payments, except for Statutory Sick Pay.
  9. (Optional) On the
    Additional Fields
     tab, configure:
    Field
    Description
    Leave Reasons
    Select
    Leave Reason Required
     if workers must select a reason when entering a request.
    The
    Reason ID
     is used in web service API and EIB uploads of leave requests.
    Workday updates the
    Usage Count
     each time a request includes the leave reason. When you make a reason
    Inactive
    , it's hidden on requests that are pending approval.
    Additional Fields
    Select additional fields to display on leave requests. Example: Select:
    • Leave Percentage
       to enable workers to enter a percentage of leave units. Workday uses this value if you enable proration on the
      Balance/Leave Taken
       tab.
    • Child's Birth Date
       or
      Expected Due Date
       to enable workers to provide information required for maternity or paternity leave. Example: When workers request UK Statutory Maternity Leave, they must report the child's expected due date.
    If you can't find a field that you require, consider creating a custom additional field using the
    Maintain Additional Fields
     task. Once created, you can then select the custom field in the
    Additional Fields
     grid.
    Security:
    Set Up: Maintain Additional Fields
     domain in the System functional area.
    You can also use the information captured in these fields to create leave of absence rules:
    • For validations and supporting data.
    • To determine eligibility or balances.
    Using report fields, you can also create condition rules within the
    Request Leave of Absence
     business process to route leave requests for approval based on the information provided in these fields.
    Enter a
    Label Override
     if you want to display a different name for the additional field on the
    Request Absence
     task. Workday displays the label override for the field on the leave event instead of the field name.
    Select
    Required
     if the worker must enter a value when submitting a leave request.
    If you add a required field or change an empty optional field to required, while leave requests are in a
    Save for Later
     status or pending approval, you can't submit or approve the requests until you add the missing data.
    Select
    Hide from Employee Self Service
     to prevent workers from seeing the field when entering requests. When a reviewer checks the request, Workday displays the hidden fields. If the hidden field requires a value, the reviewer must enter the value.
    Additional fields display on leave requests in a predefined order. When you save the leave type, Workday displays the fields in the order that they occur in requests.
    Information entered in these fields cascades to the next leave, if:
    • This leave type belongs to a sequence of cascading leave types.
    • The next leave type has the same additional fields.
You can use:
  • The
    View Leave Type
     report to review details for a selected leave type.
  • These reports to see which leave types belong to each family and details for each leave type:
    • View Leave Family
    • All Leave Families
  • The
    Prorate by Leave Percentage
     report field on the
    Leave of Absence Event
     business object in custom reports and condition rules to report on the proration state of all your leave requests.