How do Missing Days work and what is the difference between a Missing Day and a negative Hours Bank balance?

A Missing Day does not need to be created manually in Day.io. It is identified automatically when an employee has planned work for a day but does not record any punches on that day.

Before trying to create a Missing Day manually, check whether the employee has a Schedule planned for that date and whether there are actually no punches recorded.

This classification is different from having negative hours in the Hours Bank or Missing Hours. The result depends on the punches recorded during the day and the Pay Policy applied to the employee. The Pay Policy includes a Missing days setting that determines how days without punches affect the Hours Bank. 

When does the platform automatically generate a Missing Day?

In general, a Missing Day is identified when:

1. The employee has a Schedule with Planned Hours for the date;
2. There are no punches recorded on that day;
3. There is no absence or justification that causes the day to receive a different treatment.

For example:

• Planned Schedule: 09:00 to 18:00;
• The employee does not record an Entry, break, or Exit;
• The day may automatically be classified as a Missing Day.

In the Payroll Report, this occurrence is displayed on the corresponding date. In Summary, the ABSENSE DAYS indicator shows the number of days classified as absences during the period.

Important: the Missing Day indicator does not represent all Absence Requests. An approved absence, such as medical leave, may justify the day and therefore not be counted in this indicator.

What is the difference between a Missing Day and negative hours?

The main difference is whether there are any punches recorded for the day.

If the employee does not record any punches on a planned workday, the platform may classify the day as a Missing Day.

If the employee records at least one punch but does not complete all Planned Hours, the remaining hours are not treated in the same way as a full Missing Day. They are calculated according to the employee's Pay Policy:

• With an Hours Bank, they may generate a negative Hours Bank balance;
• With a Pay Policy configured for Extra Hours, they may appear as Missing Hours.

Example

Consider a Schedule with 8 Planned Hours.

Scenario 1 — No punches during the day

The employee does not record any punches.

Result: the day may be classified as a Missing Day, according to the applicable configuration.

Scenario 2 — The employee worked only part of the day

The employee records punches but works only 6 of the 8 Planned Hours.

Result: because there are punches on the day, the remaining 2 hours may generate a negative Hours Bank balance or Missing Hours, depending on the Pay Policy.

Therefore, Missing Day, negative Hours Bank balance, and Missing Hours are not necessarily the same information.

Can a Missing Day also reduce the Hours Bank?

Yes. When the employee uses an Hours Bank, the Pay Policy allows the company to define how days without punches affect the balance.

Under Missing days, the company can determine whether days without punches reduce the Hours Bank balance and whether they are classified as Missing Days for platform indicators.

The available treatments are:

• Set as missing day without reducing from the bank: the day is identified as a Missing Day, but the Planned Hours do not reduce the Hours Bank balance;
• Reduce hours from the bank and set as a missing day: the day is identified as a Missing Day and the corresponding hours also reduce the Hours Bank balance;
• Reduce hours from the bank: the hours are deducted from the Hours Bank without applying the Missing Day treatment used by the other options.

This means that, depending on the company's configuration, the same day without punches may:

• Be displayed as a Missing Day without reducing the Hours Bank;
• Be displayed as a Missing Day and also reduce the Hours Bank;
• Reduce the Hours Bank according to the selected treatment.

How do I check the Missing Days configuration in the Pay Policy?

For companies that use Hours Bank:

1. Go to Pay Policies;
2. Open the Pay Policy applied to the employee;
3. Go to the Paid Overtime tab;
4. Locate Missing days;
5. Check which treatment is selected.

When reviewing a Missing Day or negative Hours Bank result, always consider this setting together with the employee's Schedule and the punches recorded for the day. The Hours Bank configuration is managed within the Paid Overtime tab of the Pay Policy. 

Where can I check Missing Days?

Missing Days can be reviewed in different places depending on the type of analysis you need.

Payroll Report

Use the Payroll Report to identify which dates were classified as Missing Days.

Because the report provides one row for each day, you can review information such as:

• The Schedule applied;
• Planned Hours;
• Recorded punches;
• Daily Hours Bank results;
• Missing Hours;
• Cumulative Hours Bank;
• Absences, holidays, and other occurrences.

Occurrences such as Missed Day may appear on the corresponding date in the Payroll Report.

Summary

Use Summary when you need to quickly identify how many absence days each employee has during a period.

In the generated Summary report, this indicator appears as ABSENSE DAYS. It represents the number of days classified as absences and does not represent the total number of Absence Requests. 

How can I track Missing Days for multiple employees in Super Punch?

When you need to review many employees, use the Groups view in Super Punch.

In this view, the Missing Days column shows the total number of planned workdays without any punches recorded.

A practical workflow is:

1. Go to Attendance;
2. Make sure Super Punch is selected;
3. Select the desired period;
4. Open Group, Employee;
5. Select a group view, such as All Teams;
6. Review the Missing Days column;
7. Open groups with occurrences;
8. Locate the affected employees and review their Schedule, punches, and possible Absence Requests.

The Groups view is useful for identifying where issues are concentrated before opening employees individually.

Example: Missing Day vs. negative Hours Bank balance

Consider an employee with a Schedule of 8 Planned Hours per day and an Hours Bank Pay Policy.

For this reason, when analyzing the result of a day, do not review only the Hours Bank balance. Also check whether punches were recorded, which Schedule was planned, and which Missing days treatment is configured in the Pay Policy.

Tips and troubleshooting

• I want to create a Missing Day manually: this is generally not necessary. The platform identifies it automatically when there is planned work and no punches on the day;
• The employee did not work, but the Missing Day did not appear: check whether there was a Schedule with Planned Hours for the date and whether an Absence Request or another occurrence was applied;
• The employee worked only a few hours, but the day does not appear as a Missing Day: if punches exist, review the result as negative Hours Bank or Missing Hours according to the Pay Policy;
• A Missing Day appeared, but the Hours Bank did not become negative: check the option selected under Missing days in the Pay Policy;
• The Hours Bank became negative, but I also want the day to be classified as Missing: review the Missing days treatment configured in the Pay Policy;
• I need to know which dates generated the Missing Days: use the Payroll Report;
• I need to identify many employees with Missing Days: use the Groups view in Super Punch or Summary.

Best practices

• Do not create adjustments just to try to generate a Missing Day; first confirm whether the platform already classified the date automatically;
• Before analyzing a Missing Day, confirm the Schedule and Pay Policy applied on that date;
• Review the Missing days configuration when setting up an Hours Bank Pay Policy;
• Define in advance whether a Missing Day should also reduce the Hours Bank balance;
• Use Summary to identify employees with absence days and the Payroll Report to investigate the specific dates;
• For large teams, use the Groups view in Super Punch as an initial review before opening each employee;
• Check for possible Absence Requests before concluding that a day without punches represents a Missing Day that requires action.

Frequently asked questions

1. Do I need to create a Missing Day manually?

   No. When there is planned work and the employee does not record any punches during the day, the platform can automatically identify the date as a Missing Day.

2. Where can I view Missing Days?

   In the Payroll Report, you can identify the dates with a Missed Day occurrence. In Summary, ABSENSE DAYS shows the number of days classified as absences during the period. The Groups view in Super Punch also provides a Missing Days indicator for managing multiple employees.

3. Are a Missing Day and a negative Hours Bank balance the same thing?

   No. A Missing Day is related to a planned day without punches. A negative Hours Bank balance represents hours that were not completed and received that treatment according to the Pay Policy.

4. If the employee records only the Entry punch, will it be considered a Missing Day?

   Not as a full day without punches. Because a punch exists, the unworked hours are treated according to the applicable rules and may generate a negative Hours Bank balance or Missing Hours.

5. Can a Missing Day reduce the Hours Bank?

   Yes. This depends on the option selected under Missing days in the Pay Policy. The company can define whether days without punches reduce the bank and whether they are classified as Missing Days.

6. Can the same day be a Missing Day and also generate a negative Hours Bank balance?

   Yes, when the Pay Policy is configured to classify the date as a Missing Day and also reduce banked hours.

7. Why does Summary show “ABSENSE DAYS” instead of “Missing Days”?

   In the generated Summary report, the column is displayed as ABSENSE DAYS. It represents the number of days classified as absences during the period.

8. Does an approved absence always generate a Missing Day?

   No. An approved absence may justify the date and therefore not be counted in the absence-day indicator.