# Configure Time Tracking Settings

> Set pay, overtime, breaks, time off, and holidays so tracked hours pay out correctly.

Source: https://jobwisepro.com/help/time-tracking/time-tracking-settings
Category: Time Tracking
Updated: 2026-10-22

Time Tracking settings control how employee hours are paid: hourly rates, overtime, breaks,
time-off policies, and company holidays. Open [**Time Tracking**](/go/settings/time) under
Settings. For how hours get recorded, see
[Introduction to Time Tracking](/help/time-tracking/introduction-to-time-tracking).

## Add or edit an employee's pay

The **Employees** card lists each team member set up for time tracking. Members not yet set up
appear under **Add a member:**.

1. Choose the employee.
   - For a new employee, click the member's name under **Add a member:**.
   - For an existing employee, click the pencil icon on their row.
2. Enter the rate in dollars in **Hourly rate**.
3. Keep **Active** on so the employee can clock in.
4. Turn on **Exempt from overtime** for an employee who never earns overtime.
5. Click **Save**.

The employee's row shows the rate per hour, such as $25.00/h.

## Set overtime and break rules

Overtime and break rules sit in one form, and **Save rules** saves all of them at once.
Overtime applies to employees who are not marked exempt.

1. Choose the first day of the workweek in **Workweek starts on**.
2. Enter the pay multiplier in **Pay multiplier**, such as 1.5 for time and a half.
3. Enter the hours per day in **Daily overtime after**. Leave it blank for no daily limit.
4. Enter the hours per week in **Weekly overtime after**. Leave it blank for no weekly limit.
5. Enter the break length in minutes in **Required break**. Leave it blank for no required break.
6. Enter the hours of work in **Once daily work reaches** when the break becomes mandatory.
7. Click **Save rules**.

The saved values stay in the form when the page loads again.

> **Note:** Break rules vary by jurisdiction. Set them to match where your crews work.

## Add a time-off policy

A policy names one kind of time off and sets how employees earn hours toward it.

1. Click **New policy** in the **Time-Off Policies** card.
2. Enter the **Name**.
3. Choose a **Category**.
4. Choose an **Accrual** option.
   - **Unlimited (no balance tracked)**: the policy never accrues hours.
   - **Per hour worked**: enter the hours earned for each hour worked in **Hours per hour worked**.
   - **Fixed amount each period**: choose a **Frequency**, then enter the hours granted in
     **Hours per period**.
5. Enter the **Waiting period** in days. Unlimited policies do not show this field.
6. Set **Paid** on or off.
7. Click **Save policy**.

The policy appears in **Time-Off Policies** with its Paid or Unpaid status and accrual summary.

## Edit or archive a time-off policy

Edit or archive a policy from its row in **Time-Off Policies**.

1. Click the pencil icon on the policy's row.
2. Change the fields, then click **Save policy**.
3. Click the trash icon on the policy's row to archive it.

> **Warning:** Archiving stops the policy from accruing for every enrolled employee and removes it
> from their request form. Balances stay on record.

## Enroll employees in time off

Enrollment sets which policies appear when employees
[request time off](/help/time-tracking/request-time-off). An employee can hold up to 10 policies.

1. Click **Time off** on the employee's row.
2. Turn on each policy the employee can request.
3. Optional: click **Adjust** under a policy's balance, enter hours in **± hours**, then click
   **Apply**.
   - **Adjust** appears only for policies that track a balance.
   - Adjusting a balance needs full access to Time Tracking.
4. Click **Save enrollment**.

Each enrolled policy shows the employee's balance under its name. For an unlimited policy, the
balance shows Unlimited.

## Add company holidays

Holidays are days the company is closed. They never use up time-off balances.

1. Click **Add holiday**.
2. Enter the **Name**.
3. Choose the **Date**.
4. Set **Paid** on or off.
   - For a paid holiday, enter **Hours to pay (optional)** to pay a fixed number of hours instead
     of each scheduled employee's hours.
   - For a paid holiday, turn on **Pay unscheduled employees** to pay staff not scheduled that day.
5. Click **Save**.

The holiday appears under its year with a Paid or Unpaid badge.

> **Tip:** To add the eleven US federal holidays for a year, enter the year in **Year to import**
> and click **Import US federal holidays**. Dates that already have a holiday are skipped.

## What each setting changes

Changing any setting on this page needs full access to settings.

- **Deactivate** (the user-x icon on an employee's row) stops them from
  [clocking in](/help/time-tracking/clock-in-and-out) and making edits. Their tracked time, time
  off, and payroll history stay visible. To restore access, open the pencil icon on their row,
  turn **Active** on, and click **Save**.
- **Exempt from overtime**: the employee never accrues overtime, whatever the thresholds.
- **Workweek starts on**: the weekly overtime total starts over on this day.
- **Daily and weekly overtime**: the daily limit applies day by day first. The weekly limit then
  counts only hours that are not already overtime, so each hour counts once.
- **Breaks are paid by default**: counts break time toward paid hours and labor cost.
- **Required break** and **Once daily work reaches**: together they set the break rule. A blank
  value means no rule. A day that misses the rule is
  flagged on its [timesheet](/help/time-tracking/review-timesheets).
- **Retention**: how many days clock-in locations are kept. Blank keeps them indefinitely.
- **Max balance**: accrual stops once the balance reaches this many hours.
- **Carryover cap**: hours above the cap are forfeited on each enrollment anniversary. Blank
  carries every hour over.
- **Waiting period**: the days before accrual starts, counted from the enrollment date.
- **Allow negative balance**: employees can take more hours than they have accrued.
- **Paid** on a policy: counts toward paid hours on [payroll](/help/time-tracking/run-payroll).
- **Hours to pay** and **Pay unscheduled employees**: scheduled employees get the hours in
  **Hours to pay** when set, or their scheduled hours otherwise. With **Pay unscheduled employees**
  on, unscheduled staff are paid too: the set hours, or the average length of a working day
  when none are set.
- **Date**: one date holds one holiday. A second holiday on the same date cannot be saved.