Monthly Accrual
The Monthly Accrual plugin provides flexible monthly vacation accrual with full control over all settings. It’s ideal for companies that need to customize their accrual rules beyond what the simplified Danish Vacation plugin offers.
When to use
Use this plugin when:
- Your vacation year doesn’t start in September
- You need to choose a specific accrual distribution method
- You want control over employment duration proration
- You’re implementing vacation systems from countries other than Denmark
For standard Danish vacation with minimal configuration, consider the Danish Vacation plugin.
Parameters
| Parameter | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Days per year | Total vacation days accrued annually. Enter the number of days a full-time employee earns per year. | Yes |
| Year start month | Which month starts the accrual year. All calculations reset at this month. | Yes |
| Rounding method | How to distribute the annual days across months. See Rounding methods below. | Yes |
| Prorate by employment duration | When turned on, employees who start or end employment mid-month receive proportionally fewer days for that month. | No |
| Prorate by working hours | When turned on, part-time employees receive proportionally fewer days based on their working hours (FTE). | No |
Rounding methods
The rounding method determines how the annual entitlement is distributed across the 12 months of the accrual year.
Difference on Last
Difference on Last distributes days evenly with rounding corrections applied in the final month.
How it works:
- Each month receives the same base amount (floor of annual days ÷ 12)
- The final month of the year receives the remainder
Example with 25 days:
- Months 1-11: 2.08 days each (208 centidays)
- Month 12: 2.12 days (212 centidays)
- Total: 25.00 days
Best for: Danish companies following Ferieloven, where consistent monthly accruals are preferred.
Difference to Target
Difference to Target calculates each month’s accrual to stay as close as possible to the theoretical cumulative target.
How it works:
- Target for month N = floor(N × annual days ÷ 12)
- Month N accrual = Target for month N − Target for month N-1
Example with 25 days:
- Accruals vary slightly each month to minimize cumulative rounding error
- Some months get 2.08 days, others get 2.09 days
Best for: Systems where cumulative accuracy at any point in the year matters.
How it works
The plugin calculates monthly accruals throughout the vacation year:
- At the end of each month, the plugin calculates the accrual amount
- Proration factors are applied if configured
- The accrual is credited on the first day of the following month
- The cycle resets at the start of the next vacation year
Proration calculations
When Prorate by employment duration is enabled:
- An employee starting on the 15th of a 30-day month receives 50% of that month’s accrual
- An employee ending employment on the 20th of a 30-day month receives 67% of that month’s accrual
When Prorate by working hours is enabled:
- An employee with 0.8 FTE receives 80% of the calculated accrual
- This is applied after employment duration proration
Examples
Swedish vacation (calendar year)
Sweden typically uses a calendar year for vacation:
- Add the Monthly Accrual plugin
- Set Days per year
to
25 - Set Year start month to January
- Set Rounding method to Difference on Last
- Turn on Prorate by employment duration
- Turn on Prorate by working hours
Custom fiscal year
For a company with an April-March fiscal year:
- Add the Monthly Accrual plugin
- Set Days per year
to
20 - Set Year start month to April
- Configure other options as needed
Precise cumulative tracking
If you need accurate cumulative totals throughout the year (e.g., for reporting):
- Add the Monthly Accrual plugin
- Set Rounding method to Difference to Target
- Configure other parameters as needed
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Monthly amounts seem inconsistent | This is normal with “Difference to Target” method. Switch to “Difference on Last” for consistent amounts. |
| Part-time employee got full accrual | Check that “Prorate by working hours” is turned on and the employee’s FTE is set correctly |
| New hire got full first month | Turn on “Prorate by employment duration” to prorate partial months |
| Year-end total is wrong | Verify the “Year start month” matches your vacation year |