Answer
The Holidays Act expresses leave entitlements in weeks (annual holidays) and days (sick leave, alternative holidays, bereavement). Lightning Payroll displays balances in those native units so the figures match what is legally owed.
Native units by leave type
- Annual holidays: weeks (typically 4 weeks per year).
- Sick leave: days (10 days per year once the qualifying period is met).
- Alternative holidays: days (granted when a public holiday is worked).
- Bereavement leave: days, awarded per qualifying event.
- Family violence leave: days.
Conversion to hours on the pay
When leave is taken inside a pay, Lightning Payroll converts the weeks or days into hours so the pay shows the right hours and dollar value. The conversion uses the employee's ordinary hours per week and hours per working day.
Why not just store hours?
- The Holidays Act calculations (AWE vs OWP, RDP vs ADP) operate on weeks and days, not hours.
- Hourly tracking can drift when the employee's work pattern changes mid-year; weeks and days stay correct.
- Public holiday entitlements are expressed in days regardless of how many hours an employee works that day.
If you need an hours figure for an external report, multiply the days by the hours per working day from the employee's leave settings.
