--- title: "Employee Leave Tracker in Excel (Free Template) | LekhaHR" description: "Free leave tracker in Excel for earned, casual and sick leave: a monthly ledger, corrections with reasons, and the OSH Code's 30-day carry-forward." canonical: https://lekhahr.in/resources/leave-tracker-excel/ last_updated: 2026-09-30 --- Free template · Excel · updated 30 Sep 2026 # Leave tracker in Excel, kept as a ledger. Earned, casual and sick leave as a running ledger: opening, credit, taken, adjustment and closing, one row a month. Filled here with Asha Rao's earned leave for 2026, including the month a credit was missed and put right. [Download Excel (.xlsx)](https://lekhahr.in/downloads/leave-tracker-excel.xlsx) [Request an invite](https://lekhahr.in/request-invite/) leave-tracker-excel · Ledger tab · filled example Earned leave · Asha Rao - **Employee**: Asha Rao · Senior Software Engineer - **Leave type**: Earned leave - **Policy**: 15 a year · 1.25 on the 1st of each month - **Leave year**: Jan to Dec - **Carry-forward cap**: 30 days | Month | Opening | Credit | Taken | Adjustment | Closing | Reason | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jan | 8.0 | 1.25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 9.25 | | because 8.0 was left on 31 Dec 2025, under the 30-day cap | | Feb | 9.25 | 1.25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | | | | Mar | 10.5 | 1.25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 11.75 | | | | Apr | 11.75 | 1.25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 13.0 | | | | May | 13.0 | 1.25 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 9.25 | | because five working days, Mon 11 to Fri 15 May, and no holiday fell inside | | Jun | 9.25 | 1.25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | | | | Jul | 10.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 10.5 | | because the July credit was not entered, so the balance ran 1.25 short | | Aug | 10.5 | 1.25 | 0.0 | +1.25 | 13.0 | July credit missed; added 3 Aug by Meenal | because a correction is a new line with its reason, never an edit to July's row | | Sep | 13.0 | 1.25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 14.25 | | because the ledger now agrees with the balance: 14.25 days | | Oct–Dec | 14.25 | 3.75 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 18.0 | projected | because 1.25 more lands on 1 Oct, 1 Nov and 1 Dec if she takes no more | | Carry to 2027 | | | | | 18.0 | up to 30 | because 18.0 is within the 30-day cap, so all of it carries forward | | Encash at year end | | | | | 0.0 | above 30 | because days above 30 cannot be carried; where the policy is silent they are paid out on the worker's demand rather than lapsed, for the workers the OSH Code covers | 1. Jan because 8.0 was left on 31 Dec 2025, under the 30-day cap 2. May because five working days, Mon 11 to Fri 15 May, and no holiday fell inside 3. Jul because the July credit was not entered, so the balance ran 1.25 short 4. Aug because a correction is a new line with its reason, never an edit to July's row 5. Sep because the ledger now agrees with the balance: 14.25 days 6. Oct–Dec because 1.25 more lands on 1 Oct, 1 Nov and 1 Dec if she takes no more 7. Carry to 2027 because 18.0 is within the 30-day cap, so all of it carries forward 8. Encash at year end because days above 30 cannot be carried; where the policy is silent they are paid out on the worker's demand rather than lapsed, for the workers the OSH Code covers - Closing = Opening + Credit − Taken + Adjustment. Each month opens with the month before's closing. - On exit, all unused annual leave is encashed, for the workers the OSH Code covers (OSH Code, 2020, in force 21 Nov 2025). because a balance should be the sum of its lines, and a mistake belongs on a line of its own, dated and explained. No. 01 How to use it --- because the only balance typed by hand is January's opening. ## How do I track employee leave in Excel? Set up once: rename the leave types, set the leave year and the carry-forward cap, and list your people. Then add one row a month per person, with opening, credit, taken, adjustment and closing for each leave type. Only January's opening is typed; a correction is an adjustment with its reason. 1. 1 ### Setup Rename the leave types to your policy (EL, CL, SL and one of your own), set the leave year and the carry-forward cap, and list your people. 2. 2 ### Opening balances Type each person's January opening, the balance carried in from last year. Every later month opens by itself. 3. 3 ### Each month Enter the credit and the days taken. If something was wrong, add an adjustment with its reason. Never type over a closing. 4. 4 ### Year end The Year View shows what carries into next year, up to your cap, and flags the days above it for encashment or your policy's treatment. A [leave management system](https://lekhahr.in/leave-management-system/) keeps the same ledger for every person, crediting leave on its date and checking each request against the policy. The [Labour Codes HR checklist](https://lekhahr.in/guides/labour-codes-hr-checklist/) sets annual leave beside the other duties by headcount, and the [full and final settlement guide](https://lekhahr.in/guides/full-and-final-settlement/) covers leave encashment on exit. Paid leave shows as L on the [monthly attendance sheet](https://lekhahr.in/resources/attendance-sheet-template/). No. 02 Tab by tab --- because the ledger, not a typed number, is the balance. ## What should an employee leave tracker include? Each leave type as a running ledger: opening balance, credits, days taken, adjustments with reasons and the closing balance, month by month. Add a year view showing what carries forward under your cap and the days above it, and keep comp-off apart from regular credits, so every balance traces back to its lines. - **Setup**: Leave-type labels, the leave-year start month, the carry-forward cap in days, a comp-off switch and the roster. Labels are yours to rename; the file asserts no entitlement. - **Ledger**: Twelve rows per person, five columns per leave type: Opening, Credit, Taken, Adjustment, Closing, and one reason column shared by all types. - **Year View**: Each month's closing side by side, the year's credits and days taken, what carries forward (never more than the cap) and the days above the cap. - **Comp-off block**: Off by default. A comp-off credit comes from a worked weekly off or holiday, so it is kept apart from the monthly credits. - **Adjustment and reason**: The one place a balance changes outside the policy. A positive or negative number, and a reason someone can read a year later. No. 03 The law behind it --- because the cap and the year end are set by law, not by the spreadsheet. ## What are the earned leave rules in India? Under the OSH Code, 2020, s.32, in force since 21 Nov 2025, a worker who has worked 180 days or more in a calendar year earns 1 day of annual leave for every 20 days worked, for the workers the Code covers. Up to 30 days carry forward, and unused leave is encashed on exit. - **Eligible after 180 days worked in a calendar year**: from 21 Nov 2025 OSH Code, 2020, s.32; earlier under the Factories Act, 1948, s.79 (240 days; repealed) - **1 day for every 20 days worked (adults)**: from 21 Nov 2025 OSH Code, 2020, s.32 - **Carry forward up to 30 days; the excess paid out on demand at year end**: from 21 Nov 2025 OSH Code, 2020, s.32; the leave year is the calendar year. The Ministry's FAQs (MoLE FAQ, 16 Mar 2026, reply 26) read year-end encashment as applying to leave applied for and refused; where your policy is silent, pay out the excess on demand. A more favourable state law, such as Andhra Pradesh's 60-day accumulation, prevails (reply 25) - **All unused annual leave encashed on exit, for covered workers**: from 21 Nov 2025 OSH Code, 2020, s.32 - **Holidays within annual leave, or prefixed or suffixed to it, not counted**: from 21 Nov 2025 OSH Code, 2020, s.32 - **Outside the Code: managers, and supervisors over ₹18,000 a month**: from 21 Nov 2025 OSH Code, 2020, s.2(1)(zs) - **Casual, sick and festival leave**: set by each state OSH Code, 2020, s.32 and each state's Shops & Establishments Act and rules OSH Code, 2020, s.32 · in force 21 Nov 2025 · checked by the LekhaHR team, 30 Sep 2026 No. 04 Common mistakes --- because each one is a balance someone will dispute. ## What are the most common leave tracking mistakes? Trimming balances to the cap in March instead of at the calendar year end, typing over a closing balance, counting holidays as annual leave, assuming one national casual and sick leave number, and forgetting that unused annual leave is encashed on exit, for the workers the OSH Code covers. 1. ### Trimming to the cap in March Under the OSH Code the leave year is the calendar year, and days above 30 cannot be carried. The Ministry's FAQs read year-end encashment as applying to leave applied for and refused; where your policy is silent, pay the excess out on the worker's demand rather than let it lapse, for the workers the Code covers. 2. ### Typing over a closing balance A corrected number with no line behind it cannot be checked. Add an adjustment with its reason. 3. ### Counting holidays as annual leave For workers the OSH Code covers, holidays that fall within the leave, or are prefixed or suffixed to it, are not counted as leave. 4. ### One national CL and SL number There is none. Casual and sick leave follow each state's law and your policy. 5. ### Forgetting exit encashment All unused annual leave is encashed when someone leaves, for the workers the OSH Code covers. The balance on the last day is the figure for the final settlement. No. 05 In LekhaHR --- because nobody should have to find the missing credit by hand. ## Every balance opens into its lines. LekhaHR credits leave on its date, counts each request against the policy, and shows the carry-forward before the year closes. An HR correction is a visible line with who made it and why. Days above the cap are staged for encashment in the payroll run. [Request an invite](https://lekhahr.in/request-invite/) [Read about leave](https://lekhahr.in/leave-management-system/) No. 06 Questions --- Statutory answers carry the date the rule took effect. ## What people ask about tracking leave. ### How do I make a leave tracker in Excel? Download the free template (no email, no account), rename the leave types on the Setup tab to match your policy, set the carry-forward cap and list your people. On the Ledger tab each person has one row a month, with Opening, Credit, Taken, Adjustment and Closing for each leave type. Only January's opening is typed; later months open themselves. ### How is the closing balance calculated? Closing = Opening + Credit − Taken + Adjustment. The next month opens with that closing, so the balance on any day is the sum of the lines above it. A balance is never typed over; if it is wrong, an adjustment line with its reason puts it right. ### How many earned leaves does an employee get in a year in India? Under the OSH Code, 2020, s.32 (in force 21 Nov 2025), a worker who has worked 180 days or more in a calendar year earns annual leave at 1 day for every 20 days worked (for adults). A mid-year joiner qualifies after working a quarter of the days left in that year. Company policies are often more generous, such as 15 days a year. ### What happens to unused earned leave at the end of the year? Where the OSH Code's annual leave applies (from 21 Nov 2025), up to 30 days carry forward. The Ministry's FAQs (16 Mar 2026, reply 26) tie year-end encashment of the excess to leave applied for and refused; where your policy is silent, pay the excess on demand as s.32 reads. A more favourable state law prevails (reply 25). ### Is leave encashed when someone leaves? Under the OSH Code, all unused annual leave is encashed on exit, whether the person resigns, is terminated or retires, for the workers the OSH Code covers. The tracker shows the balance to encash; the amount is worked out in the final settlement. ### What are the casual leave and sick leave rules in India? There is no national number. Casual, sick and festival leave follow each state's Shops and Establishments law, and some states combine casual and sick leave into one entitlement. That is why the template's leave types are labels you rename to match your state and your policy, not entitlements it asserts. ### Who does the OSH Code's annual leave cover? Workers as the Code defines them. People employed mainly as managers or administrators, and supervisors drawing over ₹18,000 a month, are outside that definition, so their leave follows your policy and the state's Shops and Establishments law. ### How do I fix a mistake from an earlier month? Add an adjustment in the month you find it, with the reason in the reason column, as Asha's August row does for the July credit that was missed. The earlier row stays as it was, so the balance shows its own history. OSH Code, 2020, s.32 · in force 21 Nov 2025 · checked by the LekhaHR team, 30 Sep 2026