Keeping in touch (KIT) days

Employees can return to work while having time off, but without changing their leave allowance.

Daniels Korens avatar
Written by Daniels Korens
Updated over a week ago

Many legislations contemplate the possibility of an employee working during their leave.

For example in the UK employees can take up to 10 Keeping In Touch (KIT) days to return to work during some parental leaves.

For information on KIT days visit the HMRC website:

Sage HR helps track these days including a separate approval flow.


Requirements for KIT days

  • You need the Leave Management module.

  • Access to Time off settings in Sage HR


Create a time off policy that allows KIT days

KIT days are only available for parental and bereavement policies. If you haven't already, create a parental leave policy.

When you create one of these policies, go to the Conditions section. Enter the number of days the employee will be able to go back to work during their vacations.

📎NOTE: The number of days must be equal to or less than the allowance.


Create and cancel keep-in-touch requests

A KIT day can only be requested if the employee has an approved time off request. More information is available in our Parental leave guide .

  1. Go to your employee profile, then click on the Time off tab on your profile menu.

  2. Click the KIT days button to request a keep in touch day.

    📎NOTE: This button only appears on approved time off requests.


  3. In the new modal, you can:

    • See your KIT day balance

    • Request a new KIT day - Click New KIT day

    • See a list of requested KIT days and their status


  4. When you add a new KIT day, enter the date(s) you want to request, then click on Request day

    📎NOTE: You can only request keep in touch days during your parental leave, not before or after it.


  5. Once requested, your KIT balance is deducted and the KIT day has a status of Awaiting approval. To cancel the request by click ❌.

    📎NOTE: If you cancel the request, the KIT day balance is updates and the status of the KIT day changes to Canceled.


Approve and Decline KIT day requests

A KIT day can only be approved or declined by admins or time off approvers.

  1. The time off approver receives an email to approve or decline the time off request.


  2. The time off approver also receives a dashboard task to approve or decline the KIT day.


  3. After the time off approver approves or declines the KIT day, the status changes from Waiting for approval to Approved or Declined.


Additional information

The KIT day has no impact on the employee's time off policy allowance or the leave they requested.

EXAMPLE: If an employee requests a parental leave to end on March 22, and while on leave they decide to take some KIT days, the employee's day to return will still be March 22 and the leave allowance will not be extended.

The used KIT day balance is calculated based on the sum of the approved and awaiting approval KIT day requests.

The KIT days status have certain restrictions:

  • Time off approvers can Approve and Decline KIT days, but they can't cancel them

  • Employees can request and cancel a KIT day request

  • An 'Awaiting for approval' KIT day request can be approved, canceled or declined

  • An Approved KIT day request can be declined or cancelled, but can't go back to 'Awaiting for approval'

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