Time Off Accrual Level Start Date

The article outlines the importance of the accrual level start date in managing employee time off policies. It explains how to adjust this date for new hires or employees negotiating higher time-off rates without altering their hire date. The document provides a table of contents for easy navigation, detailing sections on time off policy settings, editing the accrual level start date, and verifying the accrual schedule. It emphasizes the need to ensure that the effective date aligns with the employee's actual hire date for accurate accruals. Additionally, it includes screenshots and examples from BambooHR to illustrate the process, ensuring clarity in assigning and managing time off policies effectively.

  • Apr 6, 2026
  • Knowledge

Title
Time Off Accrual Level Start Date
Article Text
This feature is included in the Core, Pro, and Elite packages.

What is the accrual level start date?

Purpose: To understand the purpose of the accrual level start date and when you may need to change it.

Table of Contents

There are some instances when an employee may need to skip to a different time off milestone. You might use this tool when a new employee negotiates a higher amount of time off. You can easily adjust the accrual level start date to push an employee to a milestone without adjusting their hire date.

If a new hire who has not negotiated a higher time-off rate is assigned a hire date and a time-off policy, and that hire date later changes, you will need to update their accrual level start date to match the new start date.

Time Off Policy Settings

Screenshot of the “New Policy” setup page in BambooHR, with the Accrual Schedule section expanded. At the top, the Starting Schedule is configured so that employees accrue 4 hours twice a month on the 1st and 15th, totaling 96 hours per year, which is highlighted in orange. Under Accrual Options, the selection “No, they begin accruing time immediately on hire” is highlighted to show there is no waiting period. Below, a milestone labeled “Milestone 1” is configured so employees reach this milestone 2 years after their hire date. In the milestone section, another orange highlight shows the updated accrual configuration, where employees accrue 6 hours twice a month on the 1st and 15th, totaling 144 hours per year. Each section is visually emphasized with numbered orange boxes marking the relevant fields.

When it comes to the time off accrual start date, we want to pay attention to four parts of the time off policy settings.

In the example above, the employee:

  1. Earns four hours on the 1st and the 15th of each month.
  2. They begin accruing these hours immediately upon hire as there is no waiting period before they become eligible for accruals.
  3. An employee moves to the 1st milestone when they reach their 2-year anniversary.
  4. Upon moving to the 1st milestone, they receive six hours on the 1st and the 15th of each month.

If a new hire negotiates a higher accrual rate in their contract, we can use the accrual level start date to start their accruals at six hours upon hire rather than the traditional four hours.

Accrual level start date on the employee profile

Screenshot of an employee profile in BambooHR with the Time Off tab selected. The page header shows the employee’s name, title, and profile photo, with navigation tabs for Personal, Job, Documents, Timesheet, Benefits, and More. In the main section, time off balances are displayed in tiles for different categories, all showing 0 hours. The left panel shows the employee’s hire date, highlighted in orange, with a note that it is set to January 1. At the top right, the gear menu is open, and the option “Accrual Level Start Date: 01/01/2025” is highlighted in orange. Two orange arrows connect the hire date on the left to the accrual level start date on the right, illustrating the difference between the two dates.

Once you have assigned an employee to their first time off policy, you will see the dropdown menu in the top right corner of the Time Off tab. By default, the accrual level start date will be the same as the employee's hire date.* If an employee should accrue time on the regular timeline (in this example, four hours each accrual period and six hours each accrual period after their second anniversary), the accrual level start date should remain their hire date.

*Note: Each employee has a record of their hire date on the Job tab and in the left-hand column on their profile.

Edit the accrual level start date

On the employee's Time Off tab, navigate to the gear icon and select Accrual Level Start Date. If this is the first policy you are assigning to an employee, you will not see the gear icon until you have assigned at least one policy. We recommend first assigning a policy that does not offer milestones, such as a Birthday time off policy, or Service Hours.

Adjusting the accrual level start date will not update the employee's hire date in the system, but it will show the accrual level start date as the Hire Date when assigning a time off policy. Please be aware, the accrual level start date will apply to all time off categories. If a new hire has only negotiated a higher time off accrual for one time off category, and you have multiple policies that offer milestones, you will need to create a new time off policy to accommodate to this employee. If you need help with this, contact our support team.

Screenshot of the “Accrual Level Start Date” modal window in BambooHR. The header displays the employee’s name and job title with a small profile photo. A blue information box explains that if a policy allows different accrual rates based on service length, the accrual start date can be adjusted to control eligibility. Below, the “Accrual Level Start Date” field is set to 01/01/2023, with a calendar picker expanded showing January 2023. The calendar highlights the 1st day in green. At the bottom right, two buttons allow the user to cancel or save the change, with the Save button shown in green.

If we need to adjust Charlotte's time off accrual amount to six hours upon hire rather than the traditional four hours, we need to adjust her time off accrual start date to be two years before her actual start date. This is because the time off policy above says that a regular employee will begin to earn six hours of time off two years after their hire date. Since Charlotte was hired on January 1, 2025, we will set her accrual level start date to January 1, 2023. This manipulates the time off accrual system into awarding Charlotte her accrual at a higher milestone.

Screenshot of an employee profile in BambooHR with the Time Off tab selected. The profile header shows the employee’s name, photo, and role, with navigation tabs across the top. In the left panel, the Hire Date field is highlighted in orange, showing January 1, 2025. In the top-right gear menu, the option “Accrual Level Start Date: 01/01/2023” is highlighted in orange. An orange arrow connects the two fields, and a green annotation box explains that the accrual level start date is set two years earlier than the actual hire date.

After saving, Charlotte's actual hire date on the left remains correct. The accrual level start date on the right shows two years prior to her actual hire date.

Assigning the policy

Screenshot of an employee profile in BambooHR with the Time Off tab open. The page header shows the employee’s information and page tabs. In the main section, time off balances are shown in tiles, with an Upcoming Time Off list below. In the top-right gear menu, the dropdown shows the accrual level start date of 01/01/2023 along with two other options. The “Add Time Off Policy” option is highlighted with an orange outline, indicating the action point.

To assign a time off policy, navigate to the gear icon on the employee's Time Off tab, and select Add Time Off Policy.

Screenshot of the “Add Time Off Policy” modal in BambooHR. The window header shows the employee’s name, photo, and role. A dropdown field for selecting the policy is at the top. Below, the section “Policy becomes effective on…” is highlighted in orange, with the hire date option shown as January 1, 2023. The “Specific Date” option is selected instead, with a date field set to 01/01/2025. A green annotation box explains that the hire date is reflecting the adjusted accrual level start date, while another annotation clarifies that entering the actual hire date ensures the employee begins earning time correctly. At the bottom, the “Accrual Preview” table is highlighted, showing milestone achievement and accrual entries for multiple pay periods, each with hours earned and balances. The Save button is visible in green at the bottom right.

When assigning the time off policy, you will need to determine the policy, and the effective date. The effective date is when the employee should start earning accruals. This should almost always be the employee's actual hire date. Since the Hire Date above is showing two years earlier than Charlotte's actual hire date, as determined by the accrual level start date we assigned, we will use the Specific Date option to ensure Charlotte begins earning time off on her actual hire date.

The Accrual Preview table allows you to see how the accrual level start date has manipulated her accrual amount. On January 1, 2025, the Milestone achieved! action signifies that she has reached that secondary milestone where she will earn six hours per accrual period. The list of dates below the milestone allow you to verify that she is earning the correct amount for each accrual period.

Verifying the accrual schedule

Screenshot of an employee profile in BambooHR with the Time Off tab selected. The main section displays three time off tiles: FMLA Used (0 hours), Sick Available (24 hours), and Vacation Available (0 hours). On the Vacation Available tile, the calculator icon is outlined in orange, indicating where to click to calculate and preview accrual schedules.

To ensure the employee is accruing as you would like, we will verify the future accrual schedule using the calculator icon on the Vacation time off tile.

Screenshot of the “Calculate Time Off” modal in BambooHR. At the top, the employee’s name and role appear with a dropdown showing the selected time off category as “Vacation.” Next to it, the “As of Date” field is highlighted in orange and set to 06/01/2025. Below, the total time off shows as 60.00 hours in large green text. The expanded “Accrual Details” section lists entries with dates, actions, hours, and balances. The milestone achievement and opening balance appear at the top, followed by accrual entries. Two rows are highlighted in orange: January 15, 2025 (6 hours accrued, balance 6) and February 1, 2025 (6 hours accrued, balance 12). At the bottom right, there is a green Close button.

Using this tool, you will enter a future date to see exactly how the employee will accrue time. Since Charlotte is accruing six hours twice a month, we know that we have determined the accrual level start date and assigned the policy correctly.

If your time off policy allows for prorated first accruals, carryover, or balance caps, your Accrual Details table may look different than the image above.

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