Overtime tracking allows employees to submit time worked outside their regular schedule as a separate request. After the request is submitted, the configured approver can review it, adjust the assigned overtime type when necessary, and approve or reject it.
Administrators can create different overtime types for different working conditions, such as regular overtime, weekend work, public holiday work, or evening work. Each type can have its own compensation method, multiplier, and automatic classification rules.
Enable overtime tracking and approvers for an Attendance policy
Overtime is configured separately for each Attendance policy. Think of the policy for which you want to use overtime, for example, your Default policy, or a separate policy you apply to specific teams/projects where overtime should be allowed.
To enable it:
Go to Settings > Attendance policies.
Do one of the following:
Open an existing policy you want to update (for example, Default), or
Create a new policy, for example, an Overtime-enabled policy. Detailed guide here.
Go to the Overtime tab.
Enable the Overtime toggle.
After overtime is enabled, you can create and manage the overtime types available to employees assigned to this policy. The default overtime type is marked with the corresponding label.
The Overtime table displays:
Classification name
Classification code
Compensation multiplier
Compensation method
Auto-classification
Active status
Create an overtime type
Create separate overtime types when different kinds of overtime require different compensation or approval context. For example, regular overtime, weekend work, public-holiday work, and evening work may use different compensation multipliers, payment methods, or payroll components.
Using several overtime types helps PeopleForce classify requests correctly, gives approvers clearer information when reviewing them, and reduces manual preparation for time-off or payroll compensation.
To add a new overtime type:
In the Overtime tab of the Attendance policy, click Add overtime type.
Configure the classification details:
Classification name: enter a name that helps users understand when the overtime type should be used, such as Weekend overtime or Public holiday overtime.
Classification code: enter an optional short code for the overtime type and select its colour. The code helps users identify the classification in overtime records.
Instructions for approvers: add optional instructions that approvers should consider when reviewing requests assigned to this overtime type. For example, you can explain the circumstances under which weekend overtime should be approved or specify what information an employee should provide in the request comment.
In the Compensation section, select how approved overtime should be compensated:
Select Time off when approved overtime should be transferred to the employee’s time-off counter. Use this option when employees receive additional leave instead of monetary compensation.
💡 Selecting Time off does not update an employee’s leave balance automatically. Approved overtime hours must be transferred to the relevant leave balance through the leave adjustments import. Check details under the Transfer overtime compensated as time off to leave balances section.
Select Payslip when approved overtime should be available for payroll compensation. Use this option when overtime is paid through payroll.
Use the Compensation rate multiplier to define how the approved overtime duration is converted into compensation. For example, one hour of overtime equals one hour of compensation.
Map overtime to a Payroll compensation component
🚀 Payroll component mapping is available only for accounts that use the Payroll and Time products and have compensation components enabled.
When Payslip is selected as the method, you can map the overtime type to a compensation component.
In the Compensation component field, select the component that should receive the approved overtime data, such as a weekend premium or another overtime-related component. One compensation component can be assigned to each overtime type.
This mapping helps ensure that approved overtime is transferred to Payroll under the correct compensation category without requiring the payroll administrator to classify it manually.
Use the Auto-classification section to define when PeopleForce should automatically assign this overtime type to a request:
Select Day type to apply the overtime classification based on the type of day on which the overtime occurred. This can be used, for example, to create a separate classification for overtime worked on a public holiday.
Select Day of the week and choose the days on which the classification should be applied. For example, select Saturday and Sunday for a Weekend overtime type.
Optionally, specify a start and end time. The overtime type will then be applied only to overtime that matches the selected days and time range. This can be used to classify evening overtime separately from overtime worked earlier in the day.
Save overtime type.
Manage overtime types
All configured overtime types are displayed in the Overtime tab of the Attendance policy. From this page, you can:
review their compensation methods and multipliers;
see whether auto-classification conditions are configured;
activate or deactivate individual overtime types (when it should no longer be applied to new overtime requests, but you still need to preserve its previous records);
open an overtime type to edit its configuration.
Configure overtime approvals
After overtime is enabled, overtime is handled through requests and overtime approvals become mandatory by default. In this step, you only define who approves overtime requests (e.g., employee manager), and you can add additional approvers if your process requires them. To do it, complete the following steps:
In the same policy setup, open the Approvals section.
In Overtime approvals, select the approver (for example, Manager):
Manager: The employee’s direct supervisor to whom they report within the organizational structure.
Manager's manager: The indirect manager with greater influence or responsibility than the direct supervisor.
Specific person: You can select any individual from the drop-down menu.
Team lead(s): The manager responsible for overseeing the employee's team.
3rd level manager: The individual designated as the third-level manager in the organizational hierarchy.
Person reference: An individual linked to the employee's profile through a custom field.
Department's manager: The manager responsible for the employee's department.
Add additional approvers if needed using + Add approver.
Configure additional options shown on the page:
Skip unassigned approvals to automatically bypass them to streamline the process.
Enable substitutions for approvers on non-working leave to automatically forward approval requests to a substitute if the assigned approver is unavailable.
Click Next.
Overtime tracking will work only for employees' locations assigned to the Attendance policy. So, open the People section and make sure all required locations are selected.
Save the policy.
Review and approve overtime requests
When overtime tracking is enabled, employees submit overtime through an Overtime request (in the Attendance > My or Clock-in widget), and approvers review these requests on the Requests page. You can open an overtime request from:
To-dos on the Home page
Inbox
Requests > My - to view requests related to you, such as requests you submitted, requests assigned to you for approval, or requests where you already took action
Requests > Company - to view overtime requests across the company, if you have access to the company requests
The Requests page includes submitted overtime requests with all statuses in a seperate section. Unapproved overtime requests appear in the Awaiting approval or Requiring my approval section.
When you open overtime requests, you can:
review the request details, such as Date, Time, Duration, and Comment
check who the request is for and who submitted it
approve or reject the request
leave comments if some details need clarification
mention colleagues in comments to involve them in the discussion
share the request with them so they become collaborators on that specific request
If additional clarification is needed, you can use the Comments section inside the overtime request. Here, you can:
leave comments;
mention colleagues in the discussion;
share the request with them so they become collaborators ( when you need another manager, HR teammate, or payroll specialist to review the request or join the discussion);
Change the overtime type
The compensation method, multiplier, and Payroll component associated with the final overtime type are applied to the approved record.
PeopleForce assigns an overtime type according to the configured auto-classification rules.
Before approving an overtime request, the approver can change its assigned overtime type when another classification is more appropriate.
When the request has several approvers, the overtime type can be changed only before the first approval. As soon as the first approver approves the request, the selected overtime type is locked, and the remaining approvers cannot reclassify it.
Remaining approvers should reject the request if something is wrong and ask the employee to submit it again correctly.
After reviewing the request and confirming the overtime type, approve or reject it.
View approved overtime on the company level
If you have the Access attendance data across the company permission, you can use Attendance > Company > Overtime to review only approved overtime records. Because only approved overtime is shown here, the tab is better suited for payroll checks, final review, and export of confirmed data.
While the Requests page is used to work with the approval process, review request details, discuss requests in comments, involve collaborators, and approve or reject submissions. The Overtime tab in Attendance is used to review the final approved overtime records after that process is complete.
In this tab, you can check the employee name, date, time range, overtime duration, and status. You can also use search, filters, and export to work with approved overtime data more easily.
Export overtime records
From Attendance > Company > Overtime, export the approved overtime records for payroll preparation, reporting, or further analysis. The export reflects the filters currently applied on the page.
Transfer overtime compensated as time off to leave balances
When an overtime type uses Time off as its compensation method, approved overtime hours are not automatically added to employee leave balance.
To credit these hours as leave, export the approved overtime records and import them as leave adjustments:
Go to Attendance > Company > Overtime.
Select the required reporting period.
Set the Compensation method filter to Time off. The page displays approved overtime records that should be compensated with additional leave hours.
Click Export to and download the overtime report. The exported file reflects the selected period and filters. Use it to review the approved overtime hours that should be transferred to employee leave balances.
Download and open the Leave Adjustments Import Template.
Copy the required employee and overtime information from the exported overtime report into the template. This includes the employee IDs and the overtime hours that should be credited to the relevant leave balance.
Make sure the file follows the required leave-adjustment format before uploading it.
Go to Settings > Import > Leave adjustments and upload the completed file.
For full instructions on preparing and importing the file, see Leave adjustments import.
After the import is completed, the overtime hours are added to the corresponding employee leave balances in bulk.
💡 You can perform this process regularly, for example once a month, to transfer all approved overtime compensated as time off.