11 PTO Tracking Software to Stay Ahead of Leave Requests

The days of manually sorting through spreadsheets and emails to handle PTO requests and staff leaves are long gone.

As PTO tracking software has grown and improved, it now delivers a centralized platform that simplifies and automates the entire procedure, from submitting leave requests to receiving managerial approvals and maintaining correct records.

Organizations can pick the software option that best fits their special requirements from a variety of PTO software options available.

This article will analyze various PTO software that enables organizations to handle employee leaves. But if you are too impatient to know which software can up your PTO tracking game, have a look at the handy table below first!

What is PTO Tracking Software?

PTO tracking software automates the management of employee leaves. Employees propose their time-off requests to an assigned team leader or supervisor for approval, which optimizes the procedure. A clear view of current in-office availability is general via the employee portal. Thanks to the visual calendar tool, executives can keep track of who is on leave, in the office, or working remotely.

Companies can employ the software to devise customized leave policies and efficiently convey them, assuring fair enforcement. Organizations adopting this technology have a competitive edge over others that use out-of-date methods such as Excel sheets.

Drawbacks of Managing PTO Requests Manually

It can be complicated to manage PTO tracking manually. Employees often request time off, which requires the HR staff to carefully observe and address those requests, which, if done manually, can be cumbersome.

Moreover, keeping accurate track of vacation and sick time is critical, which also requires you to consider the past data for a predetermined amount of time in addition to real-time monitoring.

Smaller enterprises can find data slightly easier to collect, but the manual method still takes time, which is why even SMBs prefer HRIS software when it comes to HR tasks. However, due to the potential for human blunders, relying only on manual processes might be risky. Even the most skilled HR experts may need to be corrected. Basic PTO calculators don’t provide a noticeably better solution, either.

As errors can always happen during PTO recording without automated PTO software, discarding the manual techniques and switching to this software is imperative.

Nowadays, the majority of PTO tracking applications work with cloud-based platforms. They have varied functionality, with some focusing solely on tracking attendance and vacation days and others providing more all-encompassing services.

Choosing the best PTO software can greatly boost productivity throughout the organization, not just in the HR department. Let’s look at some outstanding software in this category.

Jibble

Trusted by notable brands like Harvard University, Tesla, and Hyundai, Jibble is a reliable paid time-out tracker that does not charge you a single dime to access its features. The software is supercharged⚡ with all the essential automated features organizations can require to manage and track employee paid time off, holiday requests, and sick leaves. 

Features:

• Stay updated on employee availability and leaves taken.
• Explore past data and current attendance rates.
• Control unauthorized clock-ins by setting up location-based limitations.
• Utilize lightning-fast facial recognition for secure clock-ins.
• Download timesheets as XLS or CSV files for easy payroll integration.

Jibble’s refined filters enable you to quickly ascertain the total amount of accrued leave, the total amount used, and the remaining balance. Then, you can edit these records as required.

Gusto

Tracking employee vacations doesn’t have to consume valuable time. Using Gusto‘s fully-fledged PTO tracker, you can speed up the process commendably. You can create several PTO policies tailored to company requirements, and your employees can easily handle their requests and accruals. 

Features:

• Receive quick alerts through the app and email, rendering whiteboards and sticky notes.
• Employees can easily view their PTO by pressing a button.
• Panel of approval authority given to the most appropriate manager.
• Your favorite calendar application will smoothly interact with all approvals.
• Set limitless PTO policies, caging various scenarios such as company-wide holidays, jury duty, parental leave, and personal days.

Knowing that Gusto has your back as the system readily syncs with payroll certainly needs you to relax. You can design personalized policies that accommodate every staff member, whether they work full- or part-time, for a salary, or on an hourly basis.

BambooHR

With an attendance management function created to automate employee time-off monitoring easily, BambooHR proves its value as a standard PTO solution. Small and medium-sized businesses switching from manual time tracking spreadsheet methods to an intelligent cloud-based solution for effectively managing paid time-off records will find it particularly helpful.

Features:

• Create multiple policies on your account as required.
• Establish a limitless PTO policy for a specific team.
• Modify accruals based on location or department.
• Implement companywide paternity leave or customize it for each employee.
• Add up to five individuals to the PTO approval workflow.

The software has a reflexive user interface that makes it easier to use, and thus, small to medium business owners will find running BambooHR a breeze!

Clockify

If you’re searching for a no-cost PTO tracking solution, here’s a delightful surprise: Clockify offers a free option that covers all your needs. This software lets you set your PTO policies, handle requests for paid time off, and keep tabs on your colleagues’ availability through a shared calendar.

Features:

• Set vacation and time off policies.
• Seek personal time off through workplace administrators.
• View the PTO calendar for all employees.
• Check balance history, including pending and approved requests with notes.
• Access the time off sidebar to see upcoming leaves, holidays, and colleagues’ vacation days.

With Clockify, you can set up numerous policies to cater to different types of leave, ranging from sick days to sabbaticals, bereavement, jury duty, half-days, and more. Employees can quickly raise their requests for time off using a simple form, and you hold the power to choose team members to do this review.

QuickBooks

Adjust your paid and unpaid leave policies to meet the needs of your business. Utilize the QuickBooks PTO Software to lessen missed work shifts and costly payroll errors. This software provides on-site, hybrid, and remote employees with clock-in and clock-out options. 

Features:

• Employees can request time off and attach notes using the QuickBooks Workforce app or the QuickBooks Time dashboard.
• Admins or managers can input bulk time off for multiple employees or the entire workforce in one go.
• Employees have the power to input their time-off data directly.
• Email and text alerts are the preferred mediums to report managers of the time-off request and approval process.
• Approved time-off requests will be visible in the calendar view accessible under the Schedule tab.

Notably, QuickBooks merges GPS monitoring and geofencing, making it the perfect time and attendance management solution for executives in charge of field or scattered teams. Team members can request paid time off (PTO) and acquire alerts about schedule changes or new assignments. These qualities enable the smooth exchange of information within work groups, eventually resulting in proper payroll processing.

TimeClick

TimeClick, produced by Hawkeye Technology, is a PTO system for small to midsize enterprises. This software helps employees conveniently clock in and out and handle their paid or unpaid breaks. This is done by choosing their name from a personalized menu and entering their password.

The software also contains an Admin mode that offers limited access through a password. This mode allows leaders to access all the data and adjust software choices. The program’s executive can customize various facets of the software through these choices, such as how information is pictured on the main screen and the format of timesheet reports.

Features:

• Set and store custom accrued time sorts for hourly, monthly, annual, or pay period-based setups.
• Gain insights into accrued time deductions and review time-off requests via a user-friendly and colorful calendar display.
• Set your data view by screening hour types and employees.
• Enable employees to access their submitted time-off requests independently.
• Form personalized time actions and input bulk entries for all employees.

TimeClick is a good choice for companies searching for PTO software that functions within the Windows operating system.

Day Off

Day Off is a valuable software created to help team leaders and HR managers easily manage their team members’ leave and vacation calendars. The program cleverly accounts for weekends and holidays to secure precise leave computations.

Features:

• Set up an approval process following workflow and team structure.
• Specify a subordinate group with separate regulations, allowances, and business days, and include staff members within these divisions.
• Access outlines of your employees’ paid time off and absences through complete reports.
• Obtain alerts for leave applications initiated by staff members and notifications for approvals given by supervisors.
• Manage team holidays through a unified display and acquire alerts upon receipt of a vacation request.

With Day Off, employees who submit requests are promptly notified of their remaining leave balance and thorough vacation history. The interactive dashboard gives managers an easy method to set up the system, import their team members without a hitch, and keep track of vacation balances. 

Time Off Cloud

Employees can immediately view their leave balances thanks to Time Off Cloud. They can easily visit a web portal or mobile app on any device. They can use this site to view their overall leave availability and the breakdown of each leave category (such as sick days or vacation days). 

Features:

• Automated and self-service systems. 
• Leaders acquire notifications of their staff’s time off demands. 
• Quick access to employee accrual balances. 
• Unified data hub and collaborative calendars. 
• Digital submission and approval of leave requests.

There is no longer a need for manual estimations or data entry, all with the aid of Time Off Cloud. The method also ensures that teams and managers won’t encounter problems like lost documentation or granting time-off requests if they know everyone’s schedule.

Vacation Tracker

Using Vacation Tracker to create a PTO request takes three straightforward actions: First, pick the request type from the drop-down menu. Next, you’ll choose the dates that appeal to you. If crucial, you can justify why you are making the request. 

 Features:

• Select the day of the week for adding accrued time off to employees’ balances.
• Easily set labels to employees and group users with the same label effortlessly.
• Filter PTO data display by Locations, Departments, or Labels for focused insights.
• Develop reports, export them as CSV files, and share them with team members using built-in reporting.
• Customize existing policies or create new ones from scratch to fit your needs.

The best part is that the specified approver may quickly review each request directly within Vacation Tracker or via services like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google Workspace.

The management of rollover days and accruals is also automated. All you have to do is choose the number of days you require, pick an expiration date, and select the frequency of accruals.

Namely

Imagine all the PTO requests flowing smoothly into the business calendar, providing everyone with a clear picture of who’s in and out. This is no longer a dream, thanks to Namely. This software lets you easily organize and track all leave requests in one handy platform, whether they are PTO, vacations, or other leaves. 

Features:

• Managers promptly receive and manage time-off requests from any location.
• Email informs employees, and their leave balances are edited automatically.
• PTO is calculated automatically, eliminating the need for manual data entry.
• Employees can quickly check their current PTO balance, review upcoming requests, and view company holidays.
• Employees can request vacation, PTO, and sick leave via self-service through their smartphones.

Keep up to date with fast notifications and integration with your calendar. Employee time off monitoring software from Namely is user-friendly, making time tracking fun.

Built For Teams

Built for Teams delivers a user-friendly online platform especially designed for small to mid-sized businesses in the U.S. This software is a complete solution for managing employee Paid Time Off (PTO).

Moreover, it offers valuable insights into employee and company data, including turnover rates, demographic information, compensation details, and other metrics.

Features:

• Merge the PTO tracker with Outlook or Google Calendar.
• Approve/deny requests via email or in-app.
• Tailor accrual timing for fixed/variable rates from hours worked.
• Promote earned time off with years of service.
• Easily submit requests via web, mobile app, or Slack.

The platform enables employees to easily access the system to request time off, check their PTO balances, and perform other relevant tasks.

Conclusion

Offering paid time off🏖️ to the employees boosts their morale and keeps burnout🔥at bay which indirectly accelerates the success rate of the business. Picking the best PTO software will streamline the time-off process and leave no room for human errors.

Next up, check out these employee survey tools to gather feedback and opinions.