This articles explains how to import time off periods and balances. After you have configured your time off types and policies, you can import any past and planned time off into Personio.  

This is also helpful if you want to import a recurring time off period for your employees at once, or add absences in bulk.

If you experience errors during the import, have a look at our troubleshooting article on importing time off. 

Before you start

• To import time off periods and balances, you need edit permissions for Time off periods or Time off balances imports in Configurations > Imports. You also need edit permissions for the time off type of the employees you want to import time off data for. You can find time off type permissions in the People data > Time off section. Learn more about import permissions.
• Imports cannot be reverted. Make sure the data you're importing is correct, and consider importing a small data set first to test the results.
• Format all dates in your import file as YYYY-MM-DD (for example, 2025-05-01). Other date formats cause import errors.

Import time off periods in bulk

Follow this process if you want your employees' time off for the current year to appear in their personal time off calendars. This is also helpful to add: 

• A recurring time off period for your employees at once or several absences in bulk.
• Company-wide holidays that you want to deduct from your employees' balance.

Download and fill out the template

1. Go to Settings.
2. In the Organization section, click Imports.
3. Select the import type Time off periods and download the template.
4. Open and read the Guidelines tab.
5. Fill out the template.

Import the completed template

1. Go to Settings.
2. In the Organization section, click Imports.
3. Select the import type Time off periods.
4. Click Next and follow the instructions on the screen.
5. Assign the columns in your file to the corresponding attributes stored in Personio.
6. If there are errors, review your file. Follow the instructions and tooltips on the screen to fix the errors.
7. Confirm the import.

Import time off balances in bulk

If you need to adjust your employees' balances, follow the steps to adjust time off balances in bulk. 

Import time off policy assignments in bulk

If you need to import time off policy assignments in bulk, follow the steps in our dedicated article.