For sick days, not just holidays

Absence Management for UK Businesses

Used by hundreds of UK businesses
Try Free for 14 DaysSick days, holidays and every other absence in one record, with a Bradford Factor for each person. £3 per employee a month, no card needed.No card needed · £3 per employee a month
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Track planned and unplanned employee absence in one centralised system. From annual leave and sick days to compassionate leave and TOIL — keep accurate records, manage approvals, and stay compliant with UK employment law.

A sick leave request as the manager sees it in TimeTally: Priya Shah, Sick Leave, 3 days from Monday 19 to Wednesday 21 October 2026, her note “Flu, back Thursday”, Pending approval, with Approve and Reject
  1. 07:12Reported from their phoneSick, from today
  2. 07:40Approvedby their manager, in a tap
  3. ThuBack on Thursdaythe dates say when
  4. 52 wksOn their recordand in their Bradford Factor

Sound familiar?

These are the absence management headaches our customers had before switching to TimeTally.

  • "Nobody told me half the team was off on Friday"

    The team calendar shows who's already off before you approve

  • "We don't have any record of their sick days"

    Every absence type recorded, with a dated history for each person

  • "How many days do I have left?"

    Employees check their own balance anytime from the app

  • "The spreadsheet formula is wrong again"

    Pro-rata and part-time entitlement worked out for you

  • "We can't prove we followed a fair process"

    Complete absence records for tribunal or audit purposes

  • "Leave is in one spreadsheet, sick days in another"

    One system for every absence type, plus time tracking included

Track every type of absence

One system for all leave types. No more juggling separate trackers or spreadsheets for different categories.

Booked weeks ahead

  • Annual Leave
  • Maternity
  • TOIL
  • Unpaid Leave

Planned around, approved in advance, taken from a balance.

Arrives the same morning

  • Sick Leave
  • Compassionate

Recorded as it happens, counted on its own row, scored for patterns.

Absence Records

Keep accurate absence records in one place

Unplanned absence costs UK businesses an average of £554 per employee per year. The key to reducing it is having a clear, centralised record of every absence — so you can have informed conversations and make better decisions.

One employee's page in TimeTally: Annual Leave 13 days left now of 28 days per year, National Holiday no limit, Sick Leave no limit with 6 days taken, and under Sickness a Bradford Factor of 96, 4 separate absences and 6 days off in the last 52 weeks, marked Worth a chatThe same employee page on a phone: Annual Leave 13 of 28 days, Sick Leave 6 days taken, Bradford Factor 96, Worth a chat

What is the Bradford Factor?

The Bradford Factor is a formula used by HR teams across the UK to measure the impact of employee absence. It highlights frequent short absences — which are typically more disruptive than longer planned absences.

B = S² × D

S = number of separate absence spells • D = total days absent

For example, 10 single-day absences scores 1,000 (10² × 10), while one 10-day absence scores just 10 (1² × 10).

  1. Complete absence history

    Every absence request, approval, and rejection recorded in one centralised system

  2. Bradford Factor ready

    TimeTally works out Bradford Factor scores from the absences you record, or try one by hand with our free calculator

  3. Informed conversations

    Have return-to-work discussions backed by accurate data, not guesswork

Reports & Analytics → Patterns

See the pattern, not just the days

Booked holiday comes weeks ahead and clusters in school breaks. Unplanned absence lands on a Monday and arrives the same morning. TimeTally's leave analytics keep the two apart, and score only sickness for the Bradford Factor.

  • Unplanned absence by weekdaysick days counted Monday to Sunday
  • On a Monday or Fridaythe share of days off either side of a weekend
  • Booked same day or laterrequests made on the morning, or after
  • Days with the most people awaythe dates cover was thinnest
The Bradford Factor panel in TimeTally's leave analytics, unplanned absence only (Sick Leave), with the warning that a score is a prompt to have a conversation, not a verdict: Daniel Okafor 5 spells, 8 days, 200; Priya Shah 4 spells, 6 days, 96; James Carter 36; Tom Hughes 8; Emma Wilson 3
The TimeTally staff app booking a sick day: October 2026 with today, Friday 23rd, picked and Sick chosen under What type of leave?

Sick, from todaybooked from the app

Manager emailedstraight away

Absence Requests

Manage absence requests effortlessly

Employees submit absence requests online via our leave request software. Managers are emailed straight away and approve or reject in a tap — no more emails or paper forms going missing. Every request and decision stays on the person's history, through our approval workflow.

  • Instant notifications

    Managers are emailed when a request comes in, and employees when it's decided
  • Full audit trail

    Every absence request, approval and rejection stays on the person's leave history, with the reason for a rejection
  • Balance visibility

    Their balances and Bradford Factor are on their employee page, so you can check them before you decide

Team Calendar

See all absences across your team

Visual team calendar shows approved leave, pending requests, sick days, and bank holidays in one view. Prevent staffing gaps and ensure adequate coverage at all times. Part of our complete holiday management software — works seamlessly with our employee scheduling tools.

  • Whole team visibility

    See who's off, who's sick, and who's on leave across your entire organisation

  • Colour-coded absence types

    Each type has its own colour, so a sick day stands apart from annual leave and other absence categories

  • Busiest days at a glance

    Leave analytics lists the dates with the most people away at once

  • Bank holidays included

    Bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, booked for your team from Settings

The team calendar for November 2026 in TimeTally, each day showing how many people are away
The Off this week card on the manager's dashboard: James Carter Monday and Tuesday, Priya Shah Thursday with a sick day's orange edge, Daniel Okafor Wednesday to Friday

See who's absent this week

The “Off this week” card on the manager's dashboard gives instant visibility into upcoming absences. No more surprises — know exactly who's available before planning meetings, approving requests, or scheduling shifts. This is especially valuable for industries like logistics, security, and facilities management where site coverage is critical.

  • Team availability at a glance See this week's absences without opening the full calendar
  • Plan around absences Schedule meetings and deadlines knowing who's available
  • Avoid understaffing Spot potential coverage gaps before they become a problem

See TimeTally in action

See absence management in action

Build next week's rota, staff clock in against the shifts you assigned, and approved leave feeds straight back into the plan. One system, no re-keying between them.

Custom absence categories

Create unlimited absence types to match how your business works. Each category gets its own colour, icon, and individual allowance per employee — so everything is tracked in one place.

  • Annual LeaveStatutory entitlement, pro-rata calculations, and carryover
  • Sick LeaveComplete absence history, with the dates to check SSP against
  • Maternity & PaternityExtended parental leave with dedicated tracking
  • Compassionate, TOIL, unpaid & moreUnlimited custom categories — each with its own colour and icon
The Leave types card in TimeTally's settings: Annual Leave, National Holiday, Sick Leave, Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave, each with its colour and icon, whether it is paid, and + Add

Every leave scenario, handled

Tap any feature for the detail.

  • Everyone sees what they have left, and what's already booked.

    Employees see their current balance and their projected future balance — accounting for leave already booked but not yet taken. Optionally let staff see who else in their department has booked time off, so they can plan around colleagues. Managers can manually adjust any employee's balance at any time — ideal when setting up mid-year from a previous system.

  • Upfront, monthly, daily or by hours worked.

    Pick the accrual method that fits each employee: upfront (full entitlement from day one), monthly accrual (earned gradually each month), daily accrual (builds day by day), or hours worked (earned per hour worked at a rate you set, 12.07% by default). All calculations are handled automatically — no spreadsheets needed.

  • Sickness on its own row, never out of the holiday pot.

    TimeTally comes with annual leave, sick leave, maternity, paternity and bank holidays set up. Need something else, like compassionate leave? Create unlimited custom leave types with any name. For each type you control: whether it's paid or unpaid, whether it deducts from the annual leave balance or has its own separate pot, and who it's turned off for.

  • Your rules for the end of the leave year.

    Decide exactly what happens at year end: toggle carryover on or off, set a maximum number of days that can carry, and optionally add an expiry date so carried-over days must be used within e.g. 3 months. You can also allow employees to book leave before they've earned it (negative balance), with an optional cap to limit exposure.

  • Part-timers charged their own hours.

    Set each employee's contracted hours per day of the week (or use a company default). TimeTally uses this to deduct the right amount of leave — a half-day Tuesday only costs half a Tuesday's hours — and to pay the correct amount for each day taken. Pro-rata entitlements for new starters and leavers are worked out from the start and leaving dates you enter.

  • Hours, half days or whole days, from the phone.

    Employees can request leave in hours, half days, or full days from the app or website — no training required. Managers can book leave on behalf of any employee. Public holidays are added automatically for the country you choose. Set a custom leave year start date (e.g. 7th April) and balances reset automatically. Easy to set up even when migrating from another system mid-year.

  • Approve, reject, change or cancel.

    Managers can approve any leave request in one tap. Rejections include an optional reason so employees know why, and they can send a new request. Employees can also ask to change or cancel approved leave, and you approve or turn it down. Any booked leave can be deleted if plans change, and the days go back on the balance. Every request stays on the person's leave history.

  • Absence patterns across the whole team.

    Leave sits in the main team calendar alongside timesheets and rota shifts — one view of the whole business. If you use time tracking, overtime converts to TOIL automatically at a rate you define. Leave analytics give managers a clear picture of absence patterns, entitlement usage, and remaining balances across the whole team.

Loved by UK small businesses

Real reviews from TimeTally customers

The app is simple to use, reliable, and makes managing staff records straightforward. The system has saved us a significant amount of administration time.
Jordan IngoeCLI Manchester
Setup was dead simple and the team just got on with it. Got everyone up and running in an afternoon with no help needed. Does everything we need for timesheets and holidays without the faff.
S.M.
Has completely changed how I handle timesheets. Used to dread it every week — now it takes me minutes. Really easy to get around and my staff picked it up straight away.
J.T.
Started using it just for rotas but quickly realised it does loads more. The timesheets and leave management are great, and it even handles TOIL and overtime which I wasn't expecting. Use it for everything now.
R.K.

Built for UK compliance

Managing absence correctly isn't just good practice — it's a legal requirement. Getting it wrong can lead to employment tribunal claims and HMRC penalties.

Working Time Regulations

5.6 weeks statutory holiday — calculated automatically

Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, all UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year. For someone working 5 days a week, that's 28 days (which can include bank holidays).

TimeTally works out statutory entitlement from each person's working week, including pro-rata for part-time workers and mid-year starters. No spreadsheet formulas to maintain.

Try our free holiday entitlement calculator or leave entitlement calculator to work out what your employees are owed.

Statutory Sick Pay

SSP and the sick days it's paid on

Since 6 April 2026, eligible employees get Statutory Sick Pay from their first full day off sick, whatever they earn. SSP is £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks.

TimeTally records sick days centrally so you always know where each employee stands. Use those dates with our free SSP calculator to work out payments.

Need a policy template? Download our free statutory sick leave policy.

ACAS guidelines

Follow recommended absence procedures

ACAS recommends that employers keep accurate records of all absences, conduct return-to-work conversations, and use trigger points to identify patterns of concern.

TimeTally keeps an absence history for every employee — every request, decision and note is stored. This gives you the records you need for fair and consistent absence management.

If an employee challenges a decision, you'll have the records to support your case.

Bradford Factor

Identify disruptive absence patterns

The Bradford Factor formula (B = S² × D) measures the impact of employee absence, where S is the number of separate spells and D is total days. It highlights frequent short absences — which are typically more disruptive than occasional longer ones.

For example, 10 single-day absences scores 1,000 (10² × 10), while one 10-day absence scores just 10 (1² × 10).

TimeTally scores it from the absences you record; use our free Bradford Factor calculator to try a score by hand.

Need to calculate absence scores? Use our free Bradford Factor calculator to assess absence patterns across your team.

Try it

Every absence type. One tracker.

  • Annual Leave

    Track statutory and contractual holiday entitlement, carry-over, and pro-rata calculations.

  • Sick Leave

    Record every sick day from the app, with a note such as when a fit note arrived. Bradford Factor scores are worked out automatically.

  • TOIL

    Accrue, request, and track time off in lieu from overtime.

  • Compassionate Leave

    Create custom leave types for compassionate, bereavement, and other special circumstances.

  • Parental Leave

    Track maternity and paternity leave, set up from day one, and add shared parental leave as a type of its own, alongside regular annual leave.

  • Custom Leave

    Any custom leave type you need — with its own colour, paid or unpaid, and its own allowance or none.

Why not use a standalone absence tool?

Dedicated absence management tools handle time off but can't track hours worked. That means two systems, two logins, and two bills. TimeTally gives you absence management AND time tracking for just £3 per employee per month. See how we compare in our comparison matrix.

Simple, Transparent Pricing

One price per employee. GPS clock-in is £1 extra. No surprises.

12 people
£36a month for everything
  • 14-day free trial, no card needed
  • Free iPhone and Android apps for your team
  • Cancel any time
£3/employee/month

Billed monthly. Cancel anytime.

All absence types — sick leave, annual leave, TOIL & more
Complete absence records — full history for every employee
Team calendar — see who's off & plan coverage
Time Tracking included — clock in/out, manual entry & approvals
Built for the UK — bank holidays & statutory leave
Works on any device — desktop, tablet, iPhone & Android apps
Bradford Factor scoring — worked out from the absences you record
Payroll export — check, then export to Xero, QuickBooks or Excel
Pro-rata calculations — entitlement for part-timers & mid-year starters
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Absence management compliance: what UK employers must get right

Managing employee absence means navigating complex UK regulations around sick pay, dismissal procedures, and disability discrimination. Poor absence management is a leading cause of employment tribunal claims.

  1. Statutory Sick Pay — £123.25 a week or 80% of earnings

    Since 6 April 2026, employees are entitled to SSP from their first full day off sick, whatever they earn, provided they have notified their employer within the required timeframe. SSP is £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks. Employers who fail to pay SSP face HMRC enforcement, including penalties and backdated payments. Accurate sickness dates for every employee make the first day and the 28-week limit easy to check.

  2. Fit notes vs self-certification — the seven-day rule

    Employees can self-certify sickness absence for up to seven calendar days. Beyond seven days, they must provide a fit note (formerly sick note) from a GP or other healthcare professional. The fit note may state the employee is 'not fit for work' or 'may be fit for work with adjustments'. Employers who accept self-certification beyond seven days or dismiss employees without obtaining fit notes risk unfair dismissal claims. Keep a dated note of when a fit note was asked for and when it arrived, beside the absence it covers.

  3. Dismissal for long-term sickness — fair procedure is critical

    Dismissing an employee due to long-term sickness can be fair if handled correctly, but the procedure matters more than the length of absence. Employers must: obtain up-to-date medical evidence, consult with the employee about their prognosis, consider whether the role can be kept open longer, explore alternative roles or adjustments, and give reasonable notice. Tribunals scrutinise absence records during these cases — absence management systems must provide the documented evidence of consultation and consideration that tribunals expect.

  4. Phased return to work after long-term absence

    When employees return from extended sick leave, a phased return (reduced hours or duties) may be appropriate. This is not a legal requirement but is considered good practice and may be a reasonable adjustment under disability discrimination law. Phased returns typically last 2-6 weeks. During this period, employees are usually paid for actual hours worked unless the contract states otherwise. Keep phased return periods separate from normal attendance in your records, to avoid misleading absence statistics.

  5. Disability discrimination and reasonable adjustments

    Long-term health conditions often meet the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability. Employers must make reasonable adjustments to help disabled employees remain in work, including adjustments to absence management policies. For example, disability-related absence should be discounted when applying absence triggers or initiating formal procedures. Failing to make reasonable adjustments is one of the most common tribunal claims. Discount disability-related absence from any trigger or Bradford Factor score before you act on it: TimeTally's Bradford Factor panel says so beside every score.

  6. Absence during probation periods — lower threshold

    Employees with less than two years' service cannot ordinarily claim unfair dismissal, making probation periods lower-risk for absence-related dismissals. However, automatically protected rights still apply: pregnancy-related absence, discrimination claims, and dismissal for asserting statutory rights. High absence during probation can justify dismissal without extensive warnings, but employers must still follow a fair procedure and avoid discrimination. Clear absence tracking during probation helps demonstrate objective decision-making if challenged.

Everything you need to know about absence management

UK absence law and best practice is more detailed than most managers realise. Here's what the rules actually say.

  • Short-Term vs Long-Term Absence

    Short-term absence involves frequent episodes of 1 to 3 days and is often managed through trigger points and return-to-work interviews. Long-term absence is typically 4 or more continuous weeks and requires a different approach involving medical advice and the capability procedure.

  • Absence Reporting Procedures

    Employees must know who to contact, when, and by what method when they cannot attend work. First-day contact is the standard expectation. Some employers require daily contact during the first week of absence to maintain communication.

  • Return-to-Work Interviews

    Return-to-work interviews are the single most effective absence reduction tool available to employers. Evidence indicates they can reduce absence by up to 20%. They must be conducted in a supportive, non-punitive manner to be effective.

  • Absence Trigger Points

    A trigger point is a defined level of absence that prompts a formal management review — for example, 3 separate episodes within 3 months or 10 days lost in a rolling 12 months. Trigger points must be applied consistently across all employees.

  • Absence and Disability Discrimination

    Disability-related absence must be treated separately from general sickness absence. Including it in trigger point calculations without making reasonable adjustments risks a claim under the Equality Act 2010. Take specialist HR or legal advice when disability is a factor.

  • The Capability Procedure

    Long-term sickness absence is managed through the capability procedure, not a misconduct process. Dismissal must be a genuine last resort, reached only after exploring reasonable adjustments, obtaining medical advice, and allowing adequate time for recovery.

  • Wellbeing Programmes That Reduce Absence

    Employee Assistance Programmes, occupational health access, flexible working arrangements, and trained mental health first aiders all demonstrably reduce absence rates. Preventative investment in wellbeing typically costs less than managing the absence itself.

  • Absence Data and Reporting

    Track total days lost, frequency of episodes, estimated cost, and hotspots by department or team. Regular absence reporting helps identify emerging trends and enables targeted interventions before absence becomes a systemic or cultural problem.

Absence Management for Every Business Size and Sector

Whether you're a 10-person team or a 200-person operation, TimeTally gives you the visibility and control you need over employee absence.

Absence management for small businesses

Small business owners often wear the HR hat alongside everything else. TimeTally replaces spreadsheet absence tracking with a proper system — employees report absence in the app, you get an email straight away, and all records are in one place for when HMRC or employment tribunals ask.

  • Instant absence notification
  • No dedicated HR team needed
  • Complete absence history per employee

Absence management for growing businesses

As your team grows, informal absence tracking breaks down. TimeTally gives growing businesses Bradford Factor scoring, absence pattern analysis, and a full absence history for every employee — the evidence you need for return-to-work and absence review meetings.

  • Bradford Factor scoring
  • Absence pattern analysis
  • Absence history for return-to-work meetings

Absence management for healthcare

Absence in healthcare directly affects patient safety and safe staffing ratios. TimeTally shows approved leave and sickness on the rota, so whoever fills the gap can see who is off, and keeps a dated record of every absence for when an inspector or a tribunal asks for one.

  • Absence shown on the rota
  • Dated absence records
  • Bradford Factor for each person

Absence management for retail and hospitality

High-turnover sectors like retail and hospitality suffer disproportionately from unplanned absence. TimeTally's leave analytics show which departments take the most days off, which weekdays unplanned absence lands on and who has the highest Bradford Factor — so managers can address patterns before they become a staffing crisis.

  • Department-level absence reporting
  • Pattern identification
  • Monday and Friday absence spotted

In short

What is absence management software?

Absence management software records every kind of time away from work — planned holiday, sick days, compassionate leave, TOIL and unpaid leave — in one place, with the approvals, balances and history that a spreadsheet loses. TimeTally keeps sickness on its own row so it never eats into holiday, calculates Bradford Factor scores automatically from the absences recorded, shows the whole team's absence on one calendar, and exports the figures payroll needs to Xero, QuickBooks or CSV. £3 per employee a month.

Price
£3 per employee a month
Absence types
Holiday, sick, TOIL, custom
Sickness
Own row, Bradford Factor
Visibility
One team calendar
Payroll
Xero, QuickBooks, CSV

Frequently Asked Questions

What is absence management software?

Absence management software is a digital tool that helps businesses track and manage all types of employee absence — including planned leave (annual leave, TOIL) and unplanned absence (sick days, emergency leave). It replaces spreadsheets with automated workflows for requesting, approving, and recording time off, giving you a clear record of all absences in one place.

What is the Bradford Factor and how can I use it?

The Bradford Factor is a formula (S² × D) used by UK HR teams to measure the impact of employee absence, where S is the number of separate absence spells and D is total days absent. It highlights frequent short-term absences, which are typically more disruptive than occasional longer absences. TimeTally works out each person's score over the last 52 weeks from the sick days you record, and our free Bradford Factor calculator lets you try a score by hand.

Is TimeTally compliant with UK employment law?

TimeTally is built specifically for UK businesses. It works out holiday entitlement from the Working Time Regulations 1998 (5.6 weeks, pro-rata for part-time workers and mid-year starters), records the dates of every sickness absence so you can check statutory sick pay (SSP) with our free SSP calculator, and keeps each person's requests and decisions on their leave history. TimeTally doesn't calculate SSP or run payroll, and following a fair absence procedure (such as the one ACAS recommends) is still up to you, but the records it needs are in one place.

Can I track sick leave separately from annual leave?

Absolutely. TimeTally lets you create unlimited custom leave types, each with its own colour, icon, and allowance rules. You can set up categories for sick leave, annual leave, compassionate leave, TOIL, maternity/paternity leave, unpaid leave, and any other type you need — all tracked independently in one system.

How does absence tracking help reduce absenteeism?

By recording every absence in a centralised system, you build a clear picture of time off across your team. TimeTally scores each person's Bradford Factor from those records and shows which weekdays unplanned absence lands on, so you can spot who has frequent short absences and have informed return-to-work conversations. Businesses that actively manage and record absence data are better placed to offer early support and reduce unplanned absences.

Can employees self-report absences in TimeTally?

Yes. Employees can request time off from the mobile app or web dashboard, including a sick day for today. Managers are emailed when a request comes in and approve or reject it; a rejection can carry a reason. All absence records are stored centrally, giving you a complete history for each employee.

How much does absence management software cost?

TimeTally costs just £3 per employee per month with no setup fees or hidden costs. This includes leave and absence tracking, timesheet management, team calendars, and unlimited custom leave types. Most standalone absence tools charge similar or higher prices without including timesheet functionality.

Still have a question? See all FAQs

Take control of employee absence.

Try TimeTally free for 14 days. Track every absence type, keep accurate records, and stay compliant with UK law.

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