FAQs about Time Off Balances in Zenefits

If a Time Off request requires more time off hours than someone has available, the Time Off request will be denied unless the employer allows a negative balance.

To calculate liability for Time Off, you can use the following formula:

Liability = someone's current Time Off balance in hours x their hourly pay rate

When calculating liability for salaried workers, first calculate the hourly pay rate for them using the formula below:

Hourly pay rate = annual salary (in dollars) divided by 2080 hours per year

Liability calculation example

• A salaried employee has a current Time Off balance of 80 hours

• The employee earns $52,000 a year.
• The employee's hourly pay rate thus comes out to $25 an hour ($52,000 / 2080 hours).
• The employee's current liability is $ 2 ,000 (80 hours x $25 an hour).

The current balance refers to the number of hours someone has remaining right now. This balance does not take into account any scheduled requests.

The current balance can be calculated as: current balance = scheduled requests + available balance

The available balance is the number of time-off hours available, taking into account any scheduled requests (including requests that are pending or approved).

The available balance can be calculated this way: available = current balance - scheduled requests

Available balance example

• An employee's current vacation balance is 180 hours.
• The employee schedules eight hours of time off for next week.
• The employee's available balance is now 172 hours.

There are two ways to see someone's current liability. 

First option is to click on the Directory app and select their name. From their profile, select Time Off from the left-hand menu. This will direct you to their profile under the Time Off app. Make sure to select the Balance History tab to see PTO liability.

Second option is to click on the Time Off app and select the Balances tab. From here, select their name and ensure you are under the Balance History tab.