Day Off is the easiest, fastest, and most scalable solution for teams in 200+ countries.
Managing employee vacations manually becomes unmanageable as soon as you have more than a few team members. Missed messages, unclear balances, conflicting leave dates, and forgotten approvals can easily disrupt workflows and lead to stress for managers and employees alike.
The solution?
A vacation tracker that organizes all time off processes in one place requests, approvals, balances, holidays, and team visibility. And the best part is that you can set one up in less than 5 minutes when using the right tool.
What Is a Vacation Tracker?
A vacation tracker (or PTO tracker) is a system that helps:
Track employee leave balances
Manage time off requests
Automate approvals
Update calendars
Display team availability
Log leave history for payroll & HR
Ensure policy compliance
A good vacation tracker replaces:
- spreadsheets
- manual emails
- Slack/WhatsApp messages
- unclear or inconsistent approvals
with a centralized, automated workflow that keeps everyone aligned.
Why Your Business Needs a Vacation Tracker
Whether you’re a startup founder, HR manager, or team leader, implementing a vacation tracker solves many recurring operational problems:
Prevents overlapping vacations
The shared team calendar prevents scheduling conflicts.
Enhances transparency
Everyone clearly sees who is away and how much leave they have left.
Saves time for managers
Approvals become one click. Notifications are automated.
Reinforces policy consistency
No favoritism or mistakes rules are applied equally to everyone.
Improves employee satisfaction
Staff feel confident about balances, and requests are processed quickly.
Helps with global teams
Different locations, time zones, and holidays can be managed properly.
Supports payroll and compliance
Accurate tracking ensures accurate pay and legal adherence.
A reliable vacation tracker is not just “nice to have” it’s essential for operational efficiency.
Although there are many vacation tracking apps available, Day Off is considered the best for small teams, remote teams, hybrid teams, and even enterprise level companies.
Here’s why:
Fastest Setup: 3-5 Minutes
Day Off is designed for speed.
You can set policies, add employees, and start approvals in minutes not hours.
Supports All Team Types
Fully remote
Hybrid
Office based
Shift workers
Contractors & part time staff
Multi location teams
Everything can be customized for any company structure.
Global Ready
Used in 200+ countries and supports:
Local holiday calendars
Multi time zone teams
Region specific policies
Flexible Leave Policies
Create unlimited policies:
Annual/Vacation
Sick
Unpaid
Casual
Remote/WFH
Maternity
Paternity
Half day
Hour based leave
Perfect for companies with multiple working patterns.
Powerful Integrations
Day Off connects with your everyday tools:
Slack
Microsoft Teams
Google Calendar
Outlook Calendar
Instant notifications, synced calendars, and smooth approvals.
Mobile Apps for Everyone
Employees can request and managers can approve from:
iPhone
Android
Web Dashboard
This increases adoption dramatically.
Accurate Reporting
Export:
Monthly leave reports
Individual balances
Team calendars
Payroll ready data
This reduces admin time significantly.
Affordable for all company sizes
Other apps charge enterprise prices.
Day Off gives you advanced features without the HR suite pricing.
Day Off vs Other Vacation Tracker Apps
| Feature | Day Off | Timetastic | Absence.io | BambooHR | LeaveBoard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup Speed | 3-5 mins | 10 mins | 20 mins | Long setup | 10-15 mins |
| Ease of Use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Mobile App | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Slack, Teams, Google, Outlook | Basic | Many | Many | Basic |
| Multi Policy Support | Unlimited | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi Location Support | Unlimited | Limited | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | Affordable | Moderate | Higher | Expensive | Moderate |
| Best For | All teams | Small teams | Medium companies | Enterprise HR | SMBs |
Step by Step: How to Set Up a Vacation Tracker in 5 Minutes
Step 1: Sign Up & Add Company Information
This includes:
Company name
Time zone
Working days
Locations (optional)
Departments (optional)
Tip: If you have global teams, assign each location its own holiday calendar.
Step 2: Configure Leave Policies
You may have multiple groups:
Full time
Part time
Remote only
Field employees
Contractors
For each policy, define:
Annual balance
Accrual rules (monthly, yearly, custom)
Carry over rules
Approval steps
Leave types included
Day Off lets you build unlimited custom policies.
Step 3: Create Leave Types
Examples include:
Paid Leave Types
Vacation
Personal days
Sick leave
PTO bank
Birthday leave
Mental health days
Unpaid Leave Types
Unpaid leave
Emergency leave
School leave
Special Leave Types
Remote work
Parental leave
Study leave
Jury duty
Day Off allows color coding every leave type for easy calendar visibility.
Step 4: Add Employees
You can either:
Add employees individually
Enter:
Name
Email
Role
Department
Location
Policy
Approver
Use Bulk Import
Upload an Excel sheet with employee details:
Name
Email
Leave policy
Manager
Role
Location
All employees will be created automatically in seconds.
Step 5: Set Approval Workflows
Depending on your structure:
Single approval: Employee → Manager
Two level approval: Employee → Manager → HR
Auto approve: For specific leave types
Multi department approvals: For matrix teams
Day Off supports all workflow styles.
Step 6: Enable Notifications & Integrations
Connect to:
Slack
Teams
Outlook
Google Calendar
Benefits include:
Automatic calendar entries
Notifications for approvals
Daily summaries
Team visibility in messaging tools
Step 7: Invite Employees
Send invites to everyone.
They can:
Request leave
View balances
See who’s off
Receive updates
Approve requests (if they are managers)
This completes the setup.
Total Time: 3-5 minutes.
Advanced Features You Can Add Later
Auto Accruals
Automatically add hours/days Weekly, Bi weekly, Monthly or Semi monthly
Carry Over Rules
Define how many unused days transfer to the next year.
Overtime Compensation
Convert overtime hours into days off.
Probation Period Rules
Restrict leave requests during probation periods.
Custom Work Schedules
Different shifts, summer hours, or compressed weeks.
HR Reporting
Generate records for:
Payroll
Audits
Compliance reports
Team performance
Benefits of Using Day Off for Vacation Tracking
- Eliminates manual calculations
- Prevents overlapping team vacations
- Removes manager confusion
- Gives HR accurate reports
- Simplifies onboarding for new employees
- Saves time for admins
- Improves team productivity
Day Off is built to solve real workplace challenges without overcomplicating things.
FAQ
How long does it really take to set up a vacation tracker?
With a tool like Day Off, you can complete the setup in 3-5 minutes, even if your company has multiple departments or locations.
Is Day Off suitable for both small teams and large companies?
Yes. Day Off is used by teams ranging from 3 employees to large enterprises, offering flexibility, multiple policies, and advanced management features.
Can employees request time off using mobile apps?
Absolutely. Day Off has iOS and Android apps, allowing employees to request leave, check balances, and receive notifications instantly.
Does Day Off support multiple leave policies?
Yes. You can create unlimited custom leave policies for different roles, locations, or employment types. Perfect for remote, hybrid, and multi country teams.
Can we track different types of leave such as sick, vacation, and unpaid?
Yes. Day Off allows fully customizable leave types such as vacation, sick leave, unpaid leave, remote work, maternity leave, half days, and more.
Does the system support multi location or international teams?
Yes. You can assign employees to different time zones, countries, holiday calendars, and schedules, making it ideal for global teams.
Can managers see who is off at the same time?
Yes. Day Off includes a team calendar that clearly shows all approved and pending leave requests to prevent overlapping vacations.
Does the vacation tracker integrate with other tools?
Day Off integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Calendar, and Outlook, sending notifications and syncing scheduled leaves automatically.
Is it better to use a vacation tracker instead of spreadsheets?
Yes. Spreadsheets lead to mistakes, outdated data, and approval delays. A vacation tracker automates everything, improves accuracy, and saves managers hours every month.
Can I generate reports for payroll or attendance?
Yes. Day Off provides exportable reports that help HR and payroll teams track PTO usage, balances, carry over, and more.
Is Day Off more affordable than other PTO tracking apps?
Yes. Compared to large HR systems like BambooHR or Absence.io, it offers advanced features at a much more accessible price, making it ideal for businesses of all sizes.
Conclusion
Setting up a vacation tracker is one of the fastest and most impactful improvements you can make to your workflow. With the right tool, you can eliminate errors, improve communication, and make time off management smooth and transparent.