Configure the leave cancellation window

Quick answer

• Set the cancellation parameter to the number of days of leave history that stays cancellable.
• The window is measured from the start date of the leave, not the submission date.
• The value can differ by school, so each legal entity can apply its own policy.

Without a limit, an employee could cancel leave from a previous period and reopen a closed balance. The cancellation window sets how far back a request can be withdrawn — anything older is locked.

1. Open the leave and absence parameters

   In D365, go to Leave and absence ▸ Setup ▸ Leave and absence parameters and find the cancellation setting.

   

2. Set the number of days

   Enter the number of days of leave history that remains cancellable — 10 days, for example. Requests older than this time cannot be cancelled in ESS.

3. Understand how the window is measured

   The calculation runs from the leave Start date, not the date the request was submitted. A request submitted well in advance for leave that started yesterday is still within the window; a request for leave that started two months ago is not, no matter how recently it was raised.

4. Set the value per school where policies differ

   The parameter can be set per legal entity, so schools with different policies can hold different values.

5. Check the employee experience

   An employee attempting to cancel leave outside the window sees a message naming the age of the request — Cancellation is not permitted because this request is 16 days old, exceeding the allowed limit of 10 days — and the leave is left untouched. Cancellations inside the window are created and routed for approval as normal.

   Employees will bring genuinely old cancellations to HR instead, so keep the value in line with what your team is prepared to handle manually.