Leave codes define:
What leave types exist
How they accrue
How they are consumed
How they appear in pay runs and reports
SmoothPay provides preconfigured leave codes based on jurisdictional minimums, but you can customise these or create new leave types.
Default Leave Codes
Each jurisdiction includes:
Annual leave / holidays
Sick leave
Bereavement leave
Public holidays
Local or legislative leave types
Any additional region-specific entitlements
These defaults are already configured to meet legal requirements.
You can edit them if your organisation provides additional benefits.
How Leave Settings Work
All leave configuration is managed in the Codes screen under the Leave codes category.
To configure or create leave types:
Default leave types can be edited
New leave types can be added
Existing employees inherit settings only when the owner applies them using the spanner button
Spanner button (Owner only)
Located beside the Use or accrue field.
This button applies the leave code’s rules to:
All existing employees
If not used, only new employees inherit the updated rule set.
Leave Code Settings
When you create or edit a leave code, you configure the following fields:
Abbreviation
Internal identifier used in imports and reporting
Keep this short and unique
Description
The display name of the leave type
Appears on payslips and reports
Classification
Determines the hard-coded rule set
Controls valuation rules, termination behaviour, caps, and jurisdiction logic
Options vary by country
Use or accrue
Defines the unit of measurement:
Hours
Days
Weeks
Percentage per pay
This also determines how leave consumption is recorded in pay runs.
Accrual starts after
The number of months before accrual begins
Used for jurisdictions where leave accrual is delayed after commencement
Then receives full entitlement
Controls whether the leave:
Accrues only annually on the anniversary (ticked), or
Accrues progressively using the to-date method (unticked)
Accrual rate
The amount of leave granted per year
Or a percentage if using percentage per pay
Capped at
Sets a maximum leave balance
Applies either to the anniversary or to-date balance depending on the classification
Cost centre
Sets the default cost centre for this leave type
Auto-balance
Disables accrual
Allows the leave to be recorded without affecting balances
Common for unpaid leave or administrative leave
Show balance on payslip
Displays the leave balance to employees
Leave without pay
Records leave at $0 without affecting balances
Counts towards RDO/Flexi-time
Includes this leave type in automatic TOIL/RDO calculations
Percentage per Pay Settings
This section appears only when:
Editing an existing percentage-per-pay leave code
Creating a new percentage-per-pay leave code
You can select which paycodes contribute to the accrual calculation:
All
Taxable
Superable
Toggle (invert current selection)
You can also manually tick or untick individual paycodes to fine-tune inclusions.
Changing Default Leave Settings
When you edit a leave code:
New employees will automatically inherit the updated settings
Existing employees will not be updated unless:
You use the spanner button (Owner only)
To change leave code settings:
Go to the Codes screen
Select the Leave codes category
Select the leave type to amend
Click the edit button
Adjust the required settings
Click Save
Creating New Leave Codes
You can create additional leave types whenever needed.
All new employees will inherit any leave codes that exist at the time of creation.
To create a new leave code:
Go to the Codes screen
Select the Leave codes category
Click the + button
Apply the leave code settings
Click Save
Important Notes
Some leave types are hard-coded due to strict legislative rules
These settings cannot be modified beyond what is permitted
If you need a variation not supported by the interface, contact Support for guidance