Archiving a time off policy is a way to formally retire a policy that is no longer in use. This might happen when your organization updates its leave policies, restructures teams, or moves employees to new time off plans. Once a policy is archived, it becomes inactive across the platform.
Archiving ensures members no longer accrue time off or request leave through the outdated policy, while still preserving historical data and enabling balance transfers where applicable.
What Happens When You Archive a Policy
- Accruals stop immediatelyAny team member still assigned to the archived policy will no longer earn additional time off under it.
- Time off requests are blockedMembers won’t be able to request new leave using this policy once it’s archived.
- The policy is frozenAfter archiving, you will not be able to edit the policy, assign new members to it, or reactivate it.
- Remaining balances are preservedAny existing time off balances under the policy remain accessible and can still be moved to another valid policy for that member.
Steps to Archive a Policy
- Go to the Time Off Policies section in your admin panel.
- Select the policy you’d like to archive.
- Review any assigned member..
- Click Archive Policy from the options menu.
- Confirm the action. Once confirmed, the policy becomes inactive and is no longer editable.
Why Archiving Is Permanent
Archiving a time off policy is a permanent action and cannot be reversed. This ensures compliance, data integrity, and administrative accuracy across your organization.
- Legal compliance
Many employment laws treat accrued leave as a protected benefit. Reactivating or modifying outdated policies can introduce inconsistencies in how entitlements are handled and may conflict with local labor regulations.
- Preservation of historical records
Archived policies remain locked to protect past accrual data. This is essential for payroll audits, legal reviews, and maintaining a clear, accurate history of leave activity.
- Prevention of unintended changes
Locking archived policies ensures outdated rules are not mistakenly applied to current employees or future leave plans.
If similar time off rules are needed again, it’s recommended to create a new policy with the appropriate configuration based on current requirements.
Before You Archive
Before archiving a policy, consider these:
- Transfer member balances: If any members still have time off remaining, transfer those balances to a new policy that supports their employment type and location.
- Reassign team members: If members are still active, move them to a new time off policy before archiving the old one.
- Review policy usage: Make sure there are no pending time off requests tied to the policy that need action.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What happens if a member still has a balance on an archived policy?
That balance can be transferred to another active policy, as long as the destination policy supports the member’s employment type and work location. If you transfer only part of the balance, the remaining amount stays linked to the archived policy and can be reassigned later.
Can members still request leave after their policy is archived?
No. Members assigned to an archived policy will no longer be able to submit new time off requests under that policy. You should move them to a new active policy before archiving if they still require time off access.
Why can’t I edit or assign the policy after archiving it?Archived policies are locked to prevent changes. This protects audit history and ensures that prior accruals and balances are preserved in line with compliance standards.
Should I archive a policy immediately after replacing it?
It’s recommended to first transfer active members and remaining balances to new policies before archiving. Archiving too soon can block members from submitting leave or cause loss of visibility into unused balances.