Default Hours in Time Off

The article provides guidance on setting default hours for time off in BambooHR. Default hours streamline the process by pre-filling the hours for employees requesting time off, applicable only to categories tracked in hours. Administrators can set default hours for all employees or create additional groups for those with varied schedules. The article outlines necessary steps, including accessing the Time Off settings, entering default hours, and saving changes. It emphasizes that adjustments are required for time off categories tracked in days. Important notes highlight limitations regarding employee edits and the necessity for manual adjustments when inconsistencies arise. Related articles offer further insights into managing time off.

  • May 8, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
Default Hours in Time Off
Article Text
The time off tool, "default hours per day" is availabe on all packages (Core, Pro, & Elite).

How do I set default hours in time off?

Summary:

Default hours let you pre-fill the number of hours employees use when they request or record time off. Default hours apply only to time off categories tracked in hours; categories tracked in days must be manually adjusted by the requester.

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Table of Contents

Who this is for

This guide is for administrators or users with access to manage time off settings in BambooHR.

Use this guide when you need to:

  • Set default hours for time off requests.
  • Create different default hours for groups of employees.
  • Understand when default hours will or will not apply to a time off request.
Before you start

Before setting default hours, confirm the following:

  • You have access to Settings > Time Off.
  • You know the standard hours per day for the employees who will use the default hours.
  • You know whether each time off category is tracked in hours or days.

Default hours only apply to time off categories tracked in hours. If a category is tracked in days, the requester must manually adjust the requested amount.

Steps
Screenshot of the Time Off Overview page in BambooHR settings. The left sidebar lists settings categories such as Access Levels, Approvals, Employees, and Time Off. In the main panel, multiple time off category cards are displayed, each with buttons for policies. In the top-right corner, an orange arrow points to a small gear icon menu labeled “Default Hours per Day,” showing how to adjust daily default hours for requests.

Set default hours for all employees

Screenshot of the Default Hours Per Day settings page. A table lists days of the week from Monday through Sunday, each with an editable field for entering default hours. A heading indicates the group applies to “Everyone,” covering all employees by default. Buttons at the bottom allow saving or canceling changes.
  1. Go to Settings > Time Off > Overview.
  2. In the top-right corner, click the gear icon.
  3. Select Default Hours per Day from the dropdown menu.
  4. Enter the default number of hours for each day of the week.
  5. Click Save.

After you save, BambooHR applies the default hours to everyone unless you add additional default hours groups.

Create additional default hours groups

Screenshot of Default Hours Per Day screen. The image shows three groups with different default hours and highlights the Add New Group button as well as the Filtering button.

Use additional groups when employees have different work schedules and need different default hours.

  1. Go to Settings > Time Off > Overview.
  2. Click the gear icon.
  3. Select Default Hours per Day.
  4. Click Add New Group.
  5. Enter a group name.
  6. Adjust the hours for each day of the week.
  7. Use the filters to select the employees who should use this default hours group.
  8. Click Save.

You can add multiple default hours groups based on your employees’ schedules. Employees who are not assigned to a specific default hours group remain in the Everyone or Everyone Else group.

How default hours appear when requesting or recording time off
This image shows the Default Hours Per Day screen and shows the correlation between a group that works four ten-hour days and a time off request of an employee in that group. The time off request shows the amount of time off as 10 hours on each of the corresponding days.

When an employee requests or a user records time off for a category tracked in hours, BambooHR automatically fills in the default hours for each day of the request.

The requester can adjust the pre-filled hours before submitting or saving the request.

For time off categories tracked in days, default hours do not apply. The requester must manually adjust the number of days for the request.

Important notes/limitations
TopicDetails
Time off categories tracked in hoursDefault hours apply only to time off categories tracked in hours.
Time off categories tracked in daysDefault hours do not apply to time off categories tracked in days. The requester must manually adjust the requested amount.
Employee editsEmployees can adjust the pre-filled default hours when requesting time off.
An employee has inconsistent default hours.An admin can only assign employees to one default hour group. If an employee has inconsistent default hours, they will need manually adjust the hours in their time off request.
Multiple default hours groupsYou can create multiple default hours groups to match different employee schedules.
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