WagelochUser Guides

Optional Entitlements and Allowances

5 min read

Optional Entitlements and Allowances

Allowances can be configured in different ways depending on who is eligible, when the payment should occur, and whether a manager or employee needs to trigger it manually.

Why allowance setup matters

Before configuration, confirm:

  • whether the allowance is always applied or only in certain shifts
  • whether all staff receive it or only selected employees
  • whether values are fixed, alternate, or entered at the time of use

These answers determine which allowance behaviour to use.

Allowance behaviour types

Automatic Calculation

  • Built into pay group behaviour.
  • Calculates automatically in timesheets (for example per hour, per day, per shift, or per week).
  • Best for all-the-time entitlements.

Example

Leave loading for all eligible full-time and part-time employees.

Optional Entitlement

  • Usually linked to system roles and pay groups.
  • Only paid when enabled for eligible staff on the staff card.
  • Can be configured for always-applied or occasional scenarios.

Example

Leading Hand allowance paid only to selected employees.

Automatic Calculation + Optional Entitlement

  • Automatic behaviour is configured in pay groups.
  • Payment still requires staff-level eligibility to be enabled.
  • Useful when an allowance is recurring, but only for specific staff.

Example

First Aid allowance calculated each pay period, but only for enabled employees.

Automatic Calculation + Flagged Hours

  • Calculation is linked to selected timesheet columns.
  • Triggers only when hours appear in those flagged columns.
  • Often used for always-available allowances that depend on specific work types.

Example

Workers retention payment calculated on selected ordinary and leave columns.

Optional Allowance

  • Applied manually to a shift.
  • Can be configured as yes/no or number input.
  • Useful for sometimes scenarios such as reimbursements or occasional shift payments.

Example

Delivery allowance entered as a supplied value on selected shifts.

Award configuration approach

During implementation, the team maps each allowance to the required behaviour and rate method.

Common rate methods:

  • fixed rate (same for all eligible staff)
  • alternate rate (can differ per employee)

Common controls include caps per day, week, or pay period, and calculations based on selected columns.

Configure optional allowances in settings

  1. Open Settings > Optional Allowances.
  2. Confirm each allowance row is configured correctly.

Key fields:

  • Enabled: Turns the allowance on or off without deleting its configuration.
  • Name: Internal setup name used in award configuration and administration.
  • Display Text: Label shown to users when selecting allowances on shifts or at clocking.
  • Effective From / Effective To: Date range where the allowance is valid for calculation.
  • Grouping: Organises related allowances together in selection menus.
  • Prompt Type: Controls entry style, usually yes/no or number input.
  • Clock In / Clock Out: Allows employees to select the allowance during clock events.
  • Background / Text: Sets allowance colours for readable display in roster and timesheet views.

WARNING

Set Effective From to a valid date before allowance usage. If this date is missing or too late, the allowance may not calculate.

Optional Allowances settings grid

Show Settings > Optional Allowances with Enabled, Prompt Type, Effective From, and Clock In/Clock Out columns visible.

Apply optional allowances in rosters and timesheets

Optional Allowances are most often applied in timesheets. They may not be visible to staff in published roster views.

When successfully applied, the shift usually shows + oAllow.

Added by manager or admin user

  1. Open the target roster or timesheet.
  2. Right-click the shift.
  3. Select Optional Allowance.
  4. Tick one or more allowances.
  5. Enter values where Number Input is required.
  6. Select Done.

Apply optional allowance from shift menu

Show a shift context menu with Optional Allowance selected and allowance choices visible.

Added by employee at clock in/out

If enabled in settings, employees can select allowances during clock in or clock out.

  • Managers can later confirm or correct entries in Completing Timesheets.
  • Employee-added allowances generally apply to the full shift.

Mobile App clocking

  1. Open the Wageloch mobile app.
  2. Select Clock In or Clock Out.
  3. Select allowances from the prompt.
  4. Enter values where prompted.
  5. Confirm clock action.

Optional allowance selection in mobile clocking

Show mobile app clocking with allowance toggles and a numeric input field.

Time Kiosk clocking

  1. Start clock in or clock out on Time Kiosk.
  2. Select allowances from the prompt.
  3. Enter values if prompted.
  4. Select Done.

Optional allowance selection in time kiosk

Show Time Kiosk allowance prompt with yes/no selection and number input options.

Remove or correct an allowance on a shift

  1. Open the roster or timesheet.
  2. Right-click the shift.
  3. Open Optional Allowance.
  4. Untick allowances that should not apply.
  5. Select Done.

INFO

Manager-applied allowances can be targeted to a specific shift block. Employee-selected allowances at clocking usually apply to the whole shift.

Remove optional allowance from shift

Show a shift with Optional Allowance selections opened and one allowance unticked before saving.

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