SOURCE:    Vacation Tracker
TITLE:     How Do I Set Up Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) Automation?
URL:       https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-set-up-seniority-based-entitlement-sbe-automation/
LANG:      en
PUBLISHED: 2026-08-06
UPDATED:   2026-08-31
READING:   4 min
SUMMARY:   Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) is an automation that awards Users additional leave days after being with a company for a certain number of years.

How Do I Set Up Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) Automation?

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Last updated on August 31, 2026

How Do I Set Up Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) Automation?

Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) automatically gives employees extra leave once they reach the years-of-service milestones you set. The days are added on top of their existing quota.

🔒 Admins only ✦ Complete plan ⚠️ Cannot be edited after creation
Read this first
An SBE automation cannot be edited after it is created. Open each step below and set every option before you save. If something is wrong later, you have to delete the automation and create it again.

Watch the tutorial

A short walkthrough of setting up a Seniority Based Entitlement automation:

1 Add the Add-on

1Log in at app.vacationtracker.io/signin
2Open Workspace Settings → Add-ons
3Open the Seniority Entitlement card
You already have itShown under My Add-ons as "Included in your plan". Click View on the card.
You don't have it yetOpen Discover More Add-ons, select Seniority Entitlement, then click Subscribe to add it.

2 Configure the Automation

On the Seniority Entitlement page, click Create automation (top-right) to open the form. Open each step, set it, then move to the next. You will preview and save at the end.

Check start dates first
Make sure employee start dates are correct before configuring. Changing a User's start date afterwards will not change how the automation has already applied to that User.

Work through the steps top to bottom:

1Automation detailsName + who it applies to

Name the automation, then choose who it applies to.

All usersEvery employee in the workspace.
A segmentFilter by Location. Pick one or more Locations.
2Which leave type gets the extra days?Where days are added

The seniority days are added on top of the existing quota for the leave type you pick.

3Seniority tiersYour milestones

Add one tier per milestone. Add tier adds another; the red minus removes one.

After 5 years → grant +2 days
New seniority automation form (top) showing 1) Automation details, 2) Which leave type gets the extra days?, 3) Seniority tiers
4When the rule starts applyingMost important choice

This decides how much of each employee's past counts.

From todayIgnores tiers already passed. Applies future ones only.
From employee's start dateCounts full seniority. Credits every tier already reached.
If you pick "From today": milestones an employee already passed are not added automatically. You top those up manually. Example rule: +5 days after 2 years and +5 days after 4 years.
Employee Milestone Result
Ana 2 years, already passed (started Jan 12, 2022) Admin adds the 5 days manually.
Stacy 2nd anniversary upcoming (Sep 3, 2024) System adds 5 days automatically.
Rick 4th anniversary upcoming (Mar 3, 2024) System adds 5 days (10 total). The 2-year milestone from 2022 must have been added manually.
5When days are added to the balanceWhen days land
Beginning of the fiscal yearDays land on the first day of each fiscal year.
Employee's work anniversaryDays land on each work anniversary.

Split the award across fiscal years (toggle under work anniversary): a tier that lands mid-year is split. Part is added on the anniversary, the rest at the next fiscal-year start.

Beginning of the fiscal year: fiscal year starts Jan 1st and John's anniversary is Aug 15th. He gets the earned days from Jan 1st, before his anniversary.
Split across fiscal years: with work anniversary + split on, a mid-year tier is split: part on the anniversary, the rest at the next fiscal-year start.
New seniority automation form (continued) showing 4) When the rule starts applying, 5) When days are added to the balance, with the live Preview panel on the right
6Preview before you saveCheck the result first

Pick any employee in the Preview panel to confirm the result is what you expect. Nothing is saved yet, so adjust the steps above until it looks right.

Preview · pick an employee
Join date and current seniority
A Year row per tier: upcoming or credited
Totals: From past seniority · Future tiers · Total entitlement
Balance: Current allowance → Added by this rule → New balance
7

Create the automation

When the Preview looks right, click Create automation at the bottom of the form to save. Remember: it cannot be edited afterwards, so double-check steps 1 to 6 first.

You can revisit your automations under Workspace Settings → Add-ons → Seniority Entitlement.

Related & What's Next

Difference between Entitlement by Role and SBE Set Entitlement by Role instead Customize SBE for individual Users Customize leave quotas for individual Users Create a Location Delete the SBE automation
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