---
title: 'Absence types'
summary: 'A category of non-working time (Vacation, Sick, Maternity, Parental, Bereavement, Unpaid, Sabbatical). Each absence and holiday request names one type, which drives balance, evidence, and reporting behavior.'
section: features
tags:
  - crud
  - tempus
  - holidays
  - absences
updated: '2026-06-17'
---

> An **absence type** in Tempus is a category of non-working time (Vacation, Sick leave, Maternity, Parental, Bereavement, Unpaid, Sabbatical). Each [absence](tempus_absences.md) or [holiday request](holiday_requests.md) names exactly one type, which drives the balance it draws from, the proof that can be uploaded, and its calendar color.

Types are tenant-defined. Most tenants start from the defaults and customize to match their jurisdiction's leave categories.

## Overview

The Absence types page lets you list, create, edit, delete (only if unused), and import defaults. **Import defaults** creates a starter set in one click - run it once at tenant setup, then edit freely. Each type can have sub-types (a parent-child tree), for example Sick branching into Sick (paid) and Sick (unpaid). Sub-types inherit the allow-uploads behavior and notes unless overridden, and are the right tool when payroll treatment differs, reporting needs a breakdown, or one umbrella covers several categories.

## What it does

The setting that changes employee-facing behavior is **Allow employee uploads**. When on, employees filing this type get a file-upload field, used for sick leave (medical certificate), bereavement, and similar. When off, no field appears.

> [!NOTE]
> Allow-uploads affects employee-facing Voxbi forms only. HR can always attach files to an absence record from the admin form regardless of the toggle.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> A type in use cannot be deleted. Rename instead - historical names re-attach correctly, but a rename also relabels every past absence of that type, so be careful with semantic (not cosmetic) renames. Some jurisdictions require specific categories for legal reporting, so check with HR or legal before adding types, since names matter for payroll exports.

## See also

- [Absences](tempus_absences.md) - the per-employee absence record that references a type.
- [Holiday requests](holiday_requests.md) - the employee-initiated workflow that produces absences.
- [Employee holiday quotas](tempus_employee_holiday_quotas.md) - the leave-balance entity that interacts with the vacation type.
- [Time point overviews](tempus_time_point_overviews.md) - where absences appear in reports.