SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: What is the Difference between Entitlement by Role and Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE)? URL: https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/what-is-the-difference-between-entitlement-by-role-and-seniority-based-entitlement-sbe/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2024-02-01 UPDATED: 2026-08-05 READING: 3 min SUMMARY: To reduce manual work and simplify leave management, we’ve created Seniority-Based Entitlement and Role-Based Entitlement automations. With these two automations, Vacation Tracker will automatically award Users additional days. But what is the difference between Seniority-Based Entitlement (SBE) and Role-Based Entitlement automation? # What is the Difference between Entitlement by Role and Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE)? # What is the Difference between Entitlement by Role and Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE)? Both automations award Users additional days of leave beyond their base quota — but they target different criteria. SBE rewards length of service. Entitlement by Role rewards a User's role or position, identified by a label. Knowing which one fits your policy is the first step. ## Where to Find These Automations Both live on the online dashboard at app.vacationtracker.io/app/dashboard (https://app.vacationtracker.io/app/dashboard), under the Automation tab. Admins and Approvers can both view this tab — but only Admins can create or configure SBE and Entitlement by Role automations. ## Why Both Exist To reduce manual work and simplify leave management, Vacation Tracker offers Seniority-Based Entitlement and Role-Based Entitlement automations. With these two automations, Vacation Tracker automatically awards Users additional days — no Admin intervention required after the initial setup. ### Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) SBE is a system where employees earn more paid time off (PTO) based on their length of service with the company. - Can be applied to all Users or to a specific Location. - Admins can create multiple automations for different Leave Types. - Once a User reaches a milestone (anniversary date based on their employee start date), Vacation Tracker automatically adds the configured days to their base quota. - Available on the Core or Complete plan.Complete Example: Admin sets a policy for 2 days to be added to a User's base quota on their 2nd anniversary, 2 days on their 4th-year anniversary, and 2 days on their 6th-year anniversary, until they hit a maximum of 6 additional days earned. On each anniversary, the system automatically awards the two additional days on top of their base quota. For detailed setup steps: How Do I Set Up Seniority Based Entitlement (SBE) Automation? (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-set-up-seniority-based-entitlement-sbe-automation/) ### Entitlement by Role Entitlement by Role awards Users additional days based on their label/role in a company. - Requires the Complete plan — Entitlement by Role uses the Labels feature to assign roles, and Labels are Complete-only.Complete - Labels must exist before setting up the automation. See How Can I Categorize Users (Adding Labels)? (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-can-i-categorize-users-adding-labels/) - Admins can create multiple automations for different roles. - The entitlement applies starting from the current year and the moment the label is applied to the User. Example: An Admin creates a label called "Manager" and assigns all managers in their company with this label. Then they create the Entitlement by Role with a rule to award 2 additional "Vacation" days to all employees with the "Manager" label. All Users with the label are awarded 2 additional days on top of their base quota (starting from the current year). Any Users that receive the "Manager" label later will also automatically be awarded the 2 additional days once the label is added to their User profile. For detailed setup steps: How Do I Set Entitlement by Role? (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-set-entitlement-by-role/) ## Quick Comparison - SBE — based on tenure (anniversary date). Available on Core and Complete plans. - Entitlement by Role — based on labels. Complete plan only. - Both can run alongside each other and against any Leave Type. - Both award days on top of the base quota — they don't replace existing entitlements. Want the full Automations overview? For an overview of every automation Vacation Tracker offers, see Guide: What Automations does Vacation Tracker offer? (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/guide-what-automations-does-vacation-tracker-offer/) ### What's Next? Set Up SBE Automation (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-set-up-seniority-based-entitlement-sbe-automation/) Set Entitlement by Role (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-set-entitlement-by-role/) Customize for Individual Users (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-customize-seniority-based-entitlement-sbe-or-entitlement-by-role-for-individual-users/) Need help? Contact our Support team via email (mailto:hello@vacationtracker.io) or chat (#), Monday to Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM EST.