Rule dates

Start and Begin Dates – Requirement Dates

To determine the service begin date, accrual start date, allotment begin date and usage begin date, you must select a requirement date on each applicable rule. After you define these dates, you can apply waiting periods, points, and for some dates, adjust the date to your pay cycle.

The requirement date is the date selected on a rule that serves as the starting point for determining whether resource requirements are met to:

• start counting the hours or cycles towards the length of service (service begin date),
• begin the accrual (accrual start date) and allotments (allotment begin date), and
• perform transfers from accrual balances to available balances (usage begin date).

The Process Plans action calculates each resource's service begin date, accrual start date, allotment begin date and usage begin date by taking the rule's requirement date and adjusting this date if a waiting period, points, or pay cycle adjustment apply to that date. After Process Plans calculates this date and the cycle is closed by Close Plans, the calculated date is stored on the resource's file and can be viewed on the Resource Plan. To determine the requirement date, select a date in one of these fields on the rule:

Waiting Period Dates

You can add a waiting period to service, accrual, allotments, and usage rules. The waiting period has its own start date in case the waiting calculations do not begin on the same date as the rule start date.

You can use the same date as the start and begin date for the waiting period to start, or you can use a different date. After the waiting period requirement has been met, the waiting period start date is compared to the service, accrual, allotment or usage date you chose. The value you select in the Date Flag field determines whether the earlier or the later of the two dates is used for the waiting period.

For example, if you specify a value in the Start Date field in the Waiting Period section, then you must specify a value in the Period, Unit, and Date Flag fields. If the unit is defined as hours, then you must specify the service class and hours type.

These fields are used for waiting periods:

Points/Nearest Point

Points can be applied to the waiting period. Points indicate whether the waiting period requires a certain entry point. For example, the first date of a month after waiting period requirements are met. If points are specified, then you must select the value to identify whether the nearest point before (prior) or after (next) the requirement is met is used.

Pay Cycle Adjust

Service begin, accrual start and from, allotment begin, and usage begin dates can optionally be pay cycle adjusted to a pay period end date based on the resource’s payment schedule on their primary work assignment. If a resource's accrual requirement date falls on a pay period end date, then the date can be left as is or adjusted back one additional pay cycle. Adjust to pay period and include end dates.

Accrual From versus Accrual Start Dates

The Resource Plan shows both the Accrual From date and the Accrual Start Date after the absence cycle has been closed.

When a waiting period is defined on the Accrual Rule, the Accrual From Option field determines whether the Accrual From date is the same as the Accrual Start Date, or a waiting period is applied to the Accrual Requirements date selected.

Accrual Start determines when the Process Plans begins to process accruals for the resource.

Accrual From determines from when accruals are calculated. If this date is earlier than the Accrual Start Date, then after the start date is reached, accruals is calculated back to the Accrual From Date.

Use this field to 'catch-up' accruals for resources with a waiting period that applies before accruals start. After the waiting period is met, accruals are calculated from the accrual requirement date selected.

When the requirement date for one rule depends on another rule

Occasionally, the determination of dates can be reduced to one rule. By selecting the requirement date that is defined on one rule as the requirement date on a subsequent rule, all dates can be determined by the first rule. For example, the usage requirement date can be determined by the Accrual Start date. Similarly, the Accrual Start date can be determined by the Service Rule as shown in the below examples.