Track time off in lieu alongside annual leave, sick leave, and every other absence type. Create a custom TOIL leave type, manage requests and approvals, and see everything on one team calendar.
Time off in lieu (TOIL) is when employees take compensatory time off instead of receiving overtime pay for extra hours worked.
An employee works extra hours (e.g. staying late to meet a deadline) and instead of overtime pay, they accrue equivalent time off to take at a later date.
TOIL is common in organisations where overtime budgets are limited, or where flexibility is valued. It's widely used in the public sector, charities, and SMEs across the UK.
There is no statutory right to TOIL — it is a contractual arrangement. However, employers must still comply with the Working Time Regulations and ensure employees are not working excessive hours.
Good to know: TOIL policies should be clearly documented in your employment contracts or staff handbook. Read our guide to staff leave management in the UK for best practices on managing all leave types including TOIL.
TimeTally handles TOIL through its custom leave types feature. Create a “TOIL” leave type with its own colour, icon, and allowance — then manage TOIL requests and balances through the same system you use for annual leave and all other absence types.
Name it your way
Call it “TOIL”, “Time in Lieu”, “Overtime Recovery” — whatever fits your organisation
Flexible allowances
Set TOIL allowances per employee, or leave them unlimited for manager-managed balances
Visible on the team calendar
TOIL days appear in their own colour alongside annual leave, sick leave, and other absences
Employees submit TOIL requests through the same simple workflow used for all leave types. Managers review the dates, check team availability on the calendar, and approve or reject with one tap. No more informal agreements that get forgotten.
Both managers and employees are notified when TOIL is requested, approved, or rejected
Every TOIL request and decision is logged — no more “I'm sure we agreed to that” disputes
Replace informal verbal agreements with a proper request-and-approval process
TOIL appears on the team calendar in its own colour alongside annual leave, sick leave, compassionate leave, and every other absence type. Managers get a complete picture of who is off and why, making it easy to approve TOIL requests without creating staffing gaps.
If any of these sound familiar, you need a proper system for managing TOIL.
TOIL is agreed in conversation but never recorded. Weeks later, nobody remembers what was agreed or how much time is owed.
One manager tracks TOIL mentally or in personal notes. When they are on holiday themselves, nobody knows what has been agreed.
Employees build up large TOIL balances that never get used. When they eventually take it all at once, it creates staffing problems.
TOIL days are taken without anyone else knowing. Team members are surprised when a colleague doesn't show up.
Without a formal record, disagreements arise about how many TOIL hours an employee has accrued and how many they have used.
TOIL days are recorded as annual leave because there is no separate category. This distorts leave balances and reporting.
Everything you need to manage TOIL and track hours
No hidden fees. No setup costs. Cancel anytime.
TOIL tracking
Via custom leave types with approvals
Team calendar view
See who's off at a glance
All leave types included
Annual leave, sick, TOIL, and more
Timesheet tracking included
No extra charge
Time off in lieu (TOIL) is compensatory time off given to employees who have worked extra hours beyond their normal contracted hours. Instead of receiving overtime pay, the employee takes equivalent time off at a later date. It is a common arrangement in UK workplaces, particularly where budgets for overtime payments are limited.
TimeTally handles TOIL through its custom leave types feature. You create a 'TOIL' leave type with its own colour, icon, and allowance settings. Employees then request TOIL days through the same approval workflow used for annual leave and other absence types. Approved TOIL appears on the team calendar alongside all other leave.
TOIL is managed through TimeTally's custom leave types, which means you have full flexibility over how it works. You can name it whatever you like ('TOIL', 'Time in Lieu', 'Overtime Recovery'), set any allowance, and configure approval rules. This approach lets you match your company's specific TOIL policy rather than being locked into a rigid system.
There is no automatic legal right to TOIL in the UK. It is a matter of contract and company policy. However, employers must ensure that employees' total working hours comply with the Working Time Regulations 1998, which generally limit working hours to an average of 48 hours per week (unless the employee has opted out). TOIL can help manage compliance by ensuring extra hours are compensated with rest.
Yes. Once you have created a TOIL leave type, employees can submit TOIL requests just like any other leave request. Managers see the request with the proposed dates, can check team availability on the calendar, and approve or reject with one click. Both parties receive notifications throughout the process.
Absolutely. TOIL appears on the team calendar alongside annual leave, sick leave, and every other leave type. Each type has its own colour, so you can immediately distinguish TOIL from other absences. This gives managers a complete view of all time off when making scheduling decisions.
