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Creating an Unlimited PTO Policy
Creating an Unlimited PTO Policy

Create a policy that provides request, approval, and tracking capabilities but doesn't define a specific annual amount.

Rin avatar
Written by Rin
Updated over a week ago

For customers of our PTO module.


If your organization wants to track time off (or time worked remotely) but not limit people to a specific amount of PTO, this article will help you set up an unlimited PTO policy (sometimes called DTO).

With an unlimited PTO policy, individuals will still submit and approve PTO requests, but won't be limited to a set number of days/hours. Instead, the system will simply record PTO usage throughout the year without limiting it in any way.

Unlimited PTO policies will display hours used in an incrementing fashion (counting up) rather than in a decrementing fashion (counting down).

Note: Once any PTO transactions exist, you cannot change an unlimited policy to become limited, or vice versa.

To create an unlimited policy:

Note: Only Company Admins and HR Admins can manage and configure PTO policies. To learn more, please refer to: Understanding User Roles & Permissions.

  1. Hover over your company name in the main navigation and open the dropdown menu to click Settings.

  2. Click the Paid Time Off tab.

  3. Click the +Add PTO Policy button.

  4. Select the Unlimited policy type, then click the Next button. 

  5. Configuring each setting before clicking the Save button.

Here is a brief description of each setting:

PTO Policy Name

This is the name by which the system will refer to each PTO policy. Examples of names could include Vacation, Sick, PTO, etc.

Calendar Label

You may not want the calendar to show which type of time off a person is taking. This field allows you to give this policy a different name (or alias) for purposes of the calendar.

Employee Instructions

This field allows you to add a brief note or instruction that will be displayed to each person who has this policy. This is helpful if you need to remind employees about a certain restriction or rule regarding the usage of this particular type of time off.

Do requests require approval?

Built can auto-approve time off requests if you change this setting to No.

Who receives time off requests?

Choose whether a person’s manager (the person they report to) or an HR Admin will approve their PTO requests. Note that even if you choose the person's manager, all Company Admins, HR Admins, and HR Managers have access to approve or deny all PTO requests should the manager be unable to.

What time interval are time off requests submitted in?

From this dropdown menu, you can select the minimum time interval that requests can be submitted for this specific policy. You can choose from 1-minute, 15-minute, 30-minute or half-day intervals.

Is there a waiting period?

If you require that a person be employed for a minimum number of days before taking time off, enter that value here. A common example is a 90-day waiting period. Accruals can still occur during this waiting period if you'd like, but the individual will only be able to request time for dates after the end of the waiting period.

When do account balances reset?

Most companies handle paid time off on a yearly basis, so at some point, all accounts are reset. This is typically on January 1 or on the employee’s hire date. Alternatively, you can choose an arbitrary date during the year if necessary. On the chosen reset date, each employee’s PTO account will be reset according to the policy’s settings which include any carryover rules.

Please contact our customer success team for additional assistance.

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