How to Configure Leave Loading
Guide to emitting a separately coded loading line (e.g. annual leave loading 17.5%) alongside a paid leave line for payroll systems that need the loading split from the base leave rate
What This Feature Does
Leave Loading emits an additive parallel loading line alongside a paid leave line, priced at a configurable percentage of that leave line's own base (1×) rate. The base leave line itself is untouched — the loading is a separate, individually coded line, so payroll systems (such as MYOB, KeyPay, and Xero) receive the leave loading as its own coded amount rather than baked into a combined leave rate.
The primary use case is an annual leave loading — for example, an award or EBA that pays a 17.5% loading on annual leave taken. Instead of Annual Leave 7.6h @ $58.75, the export shows Annual Leave 7.6h @ $50.00 plus Annual Leave Loading 7.6h @ $8.75.
Leave Loading is configured per Leave Rule inside a pay rate document.
Migrating from a baked-in loading multiplier? Switching a rule to Loading only adds the loading line — it does not reprice the base leave line. If your rule currently bakes the loading into the leave rate as a multiplier (e.g.
1.175×on a $50 base = $58.75/h), you must reset the multiplier to1×when you switch, or the loading is paid twice: $58.75 base plus an $8.75 loading line = $67.50/h. The edit dialog shows a warning whenever Loading is selected with a multiplier above 1×.
When It Applies
Leave Loading is available on any paid leave rule. It is off by default (leave rules use the Replacement method) and only emits a loading line once a rule is switched to the Loading application method. Unpaid leave rules cannot carry a loading line — there is no base leave pay to load off.
Key Concepts
Application Method
Each leave rule has an Application Method:
| Method | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Replacement (default) | The matched leave hours produce a single line paid at the leave rate. This is the legacy behaviour. |
| Loading | The base leave line is kept, and an additive loading line is emitted at a percentage of that line's own base (1×) rate, coded to its own pay item. |
Configuration Fields
When a leave rule is set to Loading, the loading is defined by:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Loading rate (% of base) | The loading line's per-hour rate as a percentage of the leave line's own base (1×) rate (e.g. 17.5 for 17.5%). Must be greater than 0. |
| Loading pay item | The pay item (cost code) the loading line is coded to. Required when Loading is selected. Validated against your account when saved, and the pay item's canonical code and description are stored on the line. |
How the Loading Is Priced
The loading line is always a percentage of the leave line's own base (1×) rate:
- A leave line paid at base pays the base leave line plus a loading line at
base × loadingRate%. - A leave rule using a fixed rate loads off that fixed rate, not the worker's default base.
- A leave rule with a multiplier above 1× loads off the line's own base (rate ÷ multiplier), not the multiplied rate — the standard leave-loading rule is a percentage of the ordinary rate.
- A leave rule with a multiplier below 1× (e.g. half-pay leave at 0.5×) loads off the reduced rate the leave actually pays, so the loading stays proportional to the reduced leave payment (17.5% of the half rate, not 17.5% of the full base).
Because the loading line stores its per-hour rate (not the base amount), rate × hours = amount always reconciles with the line total in the review table and exports. When a leave rule has a daily hour cap, the loading line loads only the capped (paid) hours.
Which Hours Are Loaded
| Hour type | Loaded? |
|---|---|
| Paid leave hours on a dedicated leave timesheet (leave request module, or a timesheet whose role matches a Loading leave rule) | Yes |
| Leave entries embedded on a worked timesheet | No — these are priced through the worked-time path as ordinary time and do not receive the leave loading line. Log leave as its own leave timesheet for the loading to apply. |
| Unpaid leave hours | No — nothing to load off |
| Uncoded / unmatched leave | No — only leave matched to a Loading rule loads |
| Worked (ordinary / overtime) hours | No — see Worked Hours Loading |
| Other loading lines | No — loadings never stack on each other |
How to Configure Leave Loading
- Open a pay rate document from the Pay Rate Documents tab
- Navigate to the Rule Groups section and find the Leave Rules area
- Add a new leave rule or edit an existing paid leave rule
- In Application Method, choose Loading
- Enter the Loading rate (% of base) (e.g.
17.5) - Select the Loading pay item the loading line should be coded to
- Click "Save"
Switching a rule back to Replacement clears the loading rate and pay item.
Example
An award: annual leave paid at base $50/h with a 17.5% loading, coded to ANN_LEAVE_LOAD. A worker takes a 7.6-hour annual leave day.
The result is:
Annual Leave × 7.6h @ $50.00— the base leave line ($380.00)Annual Leave Loading (17.5%) × 7.6h @ $8.75— the loading line (7.6 × $8.75 = $66.50)
The leave hours are counted once — the loading line adds the loading dollars without inflating the reported leave hours.
How It Interacts with Other Rules
Leave Loading mirrors Worked Hours Loading and the Shift Rule Loading method: it is purely additive and never modifies the base leave line. Leave hours do not contribute to overtime by default; enabling Counts toward overtime threshold on the leave rule is independent of the loading line and does not change how the loading is priced.
Tips
- Match your agreement: Set the rate to the leave-loading percentage in your award or EBA (annual leave loading is commonly 17.5%).
- Paid leave only: The Loading method is only available on paid leave rules.
- Pick a pay item with a description: The loading line's cost-code name column in exports and reports comes from the pay item's description — a pay item with no description renders blank there.
- Re-process to apply: Enabling or changing leave loading only affects future rate calculations. Already-processed leave timesheets must be re-processed for the loading lines to appear.
What's Next
- Return to Rule Groups to configure other rule types
- Compare with Worked Hours Loading for loading on worked hours
- Configure Cost Code Linking so the loading pay item maps correctly for export