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How to Configure Roster and Period Overtime

Roster (period) overtime rules calculate overtime based on total hours worked across an entire payroll period, rather than a single day. This is used when an award defines overtime as hours exceeding a weekly or fortnightly threshold.

Where to Find It

  1. Go to Settings > Payroll Rules and scroll to the Pay Rules and Calculations section.
  2. Select or create an award, then open the Rules step (Step 4).
  3. Select the relevant Employment Type.
  4. Expand the Roster Overtime accordion.

Period Overtime Threshold

The Period Overtime Threshold field appears at the top of the Roster Overtime accordion when at least one roster overtime rule exists. Hours worked beyond this threshold within the payroll period will trigger overtime.

  • This threshold applies to all roster overtime rules in the group (Roster Overtime, Public Holiday Roster Overtime, and all Distribution variants).
  • Harvest Period rules do not use this threshold — they manage their own Day OT Limit and Week OT Limit independently.

To set it:

  1. Expand the Roster Overtime accordion.
  2. Enter the threshold value in the Period Overtime Threshold field at the top of the section.

Rule Types Available

1. Roster Overtime

Overtime based on total hours worked in a payroll period exceeding the configured threshold.

How to set it up:

  • Click Add Rule under the Roster Overtime header.
  • Applicable Days — tick the days (Sunday–Saturday) that contribute to the period overtime calculation.
  • Conditions — define tiered overtime rates:
    • "[rate]% of the ordinary hourly rate for the first [X] hour(s)"
    • Additional tiers for progressive rates
    • Final tier: "[rate]% of the ordinary hourly rate thereafter"
    • Click Add Condition to add more tiers.
  • Enter the Clause, Rule Title, and use the Enabled toggle.

2. Public Holiday Roster Overtime

Overtime rate rules that apply specifically to roster overtime accumulated on public holidays.

How to set it up:

  • Click Add Rule.
  • Conditions — define tiered overtime rates (same format as standard roster overtime).
  • No day selection needed.
  • Enter the Clause, Rule Title, and use the Enabled toggle.

3. Roster Overtime Distribution — With Worked Public Holiday Hours

Distributes roster overtime from the end of the roster period, applying per-day thresholds. Worked public holiday hours count toward roster overtime hours, even when those hours have already been applied to public holiday daily overtime.

How to set it up:

  • Click Add Rule under the Roster Overtime Distribution — With Worked Public Holiday Hours header.
  • Applicable Days — all seven days are automatically selected (mandatory). For each day, enter Daily Ordinary Hours — the per-day threshold for distributing overtime.
  • Conditions — define tiered overtime rates.
  • Enter the Clause, Rule Title, and use the Enabled toggle.

4. Roster Overtime Distribution Exclude Daily Overtime

Distributes roster overtime from the end of the roster period with per-day thresholds and configurable worked public holiday leave hours. Unlike the standard distribution rule, this variant gives you control over how worked public holiday hours interact with daily overtime.

How to set it up:

  • Click Add Rule under the Roster Overtime Distribution Exclude Daily Overtime header.
  • Conditions — define tiered overtime rates (rate multipliers).
  • Enter the Clause, Rule Title, and use the Enabled toggle.

When to use: Choose this variant when your award requires that public holiday hours already applied to daily overtime are excluded from the roster overtime distribution calculation, or when you need configurable public holiday leave hour handling.

5. Roster Overtime Distribution — Worked Hours

Distributes roster overtime from the end of the roster period. The overtime pool is built from remaining worked ordinary hours after daily overtime has been accounted for. Public holiday hours only count toward the pool when they are treated as worked and are still ordinary (not already classified as overtime).

How to set it up:

  • Click Add Rule under the Roster Overtime Distribution — Worked Hours header.
  • Rate Multipliers — define tiered overtime rates (e.g. 1.5x for the first band, 2x thereafter).
  • Enter the Clause, Rule Title, and use the Enabled toggle.

When to use: Choose this variant when your award requires that the overtime pool is based strictly on actual worked ordinary hours, and public holiday hours should only contribute when treated as worked time.

6. Harvest Period Daily Overtime

Specialised overtime rules for harvest seasons with different daily and weekly overtime limits. These rules are separated from the main roster overtime rules and do not use the Period Overtime Threshold — they manage their own caps.

How to set it up:

  • This rule type is only available for awards that support harvest period rules.
  • Configure a table with:
    • Harvest Period — start and end dates (DD/MM format)
    • Day — select the day of the week
    • Day OT Limit — daily overtime limit in hours
    • Week OT Limit — weekly overtime limit in hours
    • Lower OT Rate — the lower overtime rate percentage
    • Higher OT Rate — the higher overtime rate percentage

How Period Overtime Works

  1. The system totals all hours worked in a payroll period.
  2. Hours exceeding the Period Overtime Threshold (set at the top of the Roster Overtime accordion) are classified as roster overtime.
  3. The Conditions tiers determine the overtime rate applied to those excess hours.

Example: With a 38-hour weekly threshold:

  • Hours 1–38: ordinary rate
  • Hours 39–40: 150% (first 2 hours of OT)
  • Hours 41+: 200% (thereafter)

Important: Only One Distribution Type at a Time

The three distribution rule types — Roster Overtime Distribution — With Worked Public Holiday Hours, Roster Overtime Distribution Exclude Daily Overtime, and Roster Overtime Distribution — Worked Hours — are mutually exclusive. You can only enable one distribution type per employment type. If you try to add a second distribution type while another is enabled, the button will be disabled with a message explaining why.

Similarly, standard Roster Overtime and Public Holiday Roster Overtime rules cannot be active alongside any distribution rule.

Managing Rules

  • Enable/disable the entire group — use the toggle on the Roster Overtime accordion header.
  • Remove a rule — click the remove icon in the clause section.
  • Add tiers — use Add Condition for progressive rate structures.

Tips

  • The Period Overtime Threshold is inside the Roster Overtime accordion — set it before configuring individual rules. It applies to all roster overtime rules in the group.
  • Harvest period rules use their own limits — they have separate Day OT Limit and Week OT Limit columns and are not affected by the Period Overtime Threshold.
  • Roster overtime distribution is useful when your award requires overtime to be allocated back to specific days in the period.
  • Choose the right distribution variant:
    • Use With Worked Public Holiday Hours when public holiday hours should always count toward roster overtime regardless of daily overtime.
    • Use Exclude Daily Overtime when your award requires public holiday hours already classified as daily overtime to be excluded from the roster distribution calculation.
    • Use Worked Hours when the overtime pool should be based on actual worked ordinary hours only, and public holiday hours should only contribute when treated as worked.

Related Topics

  • How to Configure Daily Overtime Rules — per-day overtime rules
  • How to Configure Minimum Overtime Rules — guarantee minimum overtime hours