Annual leave balance calculator

What the annual leave balance calculator does

Leave builds up as the year goes by. Enter the year's entitlement and today's date, then each employee's start date and the days they have taken, and the calculator works out the months worked in the year, the leave earned so far, and the balance, with a warning when someone has taken more than they have earned.

Who it is for

HR officers and small employers who answer the question 'how many leave days do I have?' and prepare for year-end leave liabilities.

How to use the workbook

1. Type the annual entitlement, the year and today's date at the top.
2. List each employee with their start date.
3. Enter the leave days taken so far.
4. Read the leave earned, the balance and the status.
5. Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.

What is inside

• Months worked in the year from the start date
• Leave earned so far
• Balance after leave taken
• Warning for anyone overdrawn
• Entitlement kept in one cell

The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Leave. The main table has the columns Employee; Date joined; Months worked this year; Leave earned; Leave taken; Balance; Status. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.

Tips for getting it right

• Check the entitlement in the contract and the law.
• Record leave as it is taken, not at year end.
• Agree what happens to unused leave in your policy.
• Keep leave records for each employee.

Why keep this record

Staff records go wrong in small, repeated ways: a figure typed twice, a deadline forgotten, a promise that nobody wrote down. A tidy workbook that everyone uses the same way removes most of those problems. It also gives you something to show an employee, an auditor or a labour officer when a question comes up months later, and it makes the next payroll quicker because the facts are already in one place.

Questions people ask

Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.

Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.

Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.

Keeping it safe and up to date

Payroll records are personal data and tax records at once, so keep the file somewhere only the people who need it can open, and keep each month's copy for at least five years. Statutory rates such as NSSF limits and the Housing Levy change, so check the Rates sheet against the official source before you rely on a figure.

Read how to run payroll for a small business for the wider picture. Free calculators that go with it: Overtime pay calculator. See more payroll templates or ask us for a custom one.

The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

Related guides, calculators and templates

• Free calculator: Overtime Pay Calculator
• Guide: What to do if you are paid below the minimum wage
• Guide: What to check in an employment contract before you sign
• Guide: Sick, maternity and paternity leave in Kenya: your rights and pay
• Another template: Annual leave planner and register
• Another template: Overtime and leave tracker
• Another template: Overtime cost and approval tracker

Need something different? Request a custom template, browse all guides or see every Excel template.