Midnight boundary rules determine which day type (weekday, weekend or holiday) applies to a shift that crosses the date boundary between two days. This ensures the correct pay rates and rules are applied to the shift on the timesheet.
When a shift spans two calendar days (for example, 22:00–06:00), the system must decide which day type applies to the shift so that the correct Rates and Rules are used.
You can define multiple midnight boundary rules within each set of primary interpretation rules for a pay agreement. This allows you to:
Use different rules for weekdays and weekends
Apply different rules to specific days of the week
Apply different rules for specific holiday types
If a holiday type applies to a given date, that date is flagged as a holiday and can be treated differently from regular working days for pay interpretation.
How Midnight Boundary Rules Work
A midnight boundary rule is made up of:
Name – A unique name that identifies the rule.
Boundary type – How the applicable day type is determined for shifts that cross midnight. The boundary type can:
Use the shift start date
Use the shift end date
Use the date on which the majority of the shift hours were worked
Treat the shift as two separate shifts occurring on consecutive dates
Shift day types – The days of the week to which the rule applies (for example, Monday). If a shift day type of Monday is selected, the rule applies to any shift that starts on a Monday.
Holiday types – Specific holiday types to which the rule applies. If a holiday type is selected, the rule will apply to dates flagged as that holiday, rather than to specific days of the week.
You can create multiple midnight boundary rules within the same primary interpretation rule set, for example:
One rule for weekdays.
Another rule for weekends.
Separate rules for specific holiday types.
Midnight Boundary Rule Conditions
The following conditions apply when defining midnight boundary rules:
A single midnight boundary rule can apply to shift day types or holiday types, but not both.
You cannot define multiple midnight boundary rules for the same shift day type or for the same holiday type.
If:
a midnight boundary rule exists for a holiday type, and
another midnight boundary rule exists for the shift day type on which that holiday occurs,
then the holiday type rule overrides the day type rule.
If one primary interpretation header is valid on the shift start date, and another primary interpretation header is valid on the shift end date, the header that is valid on the shift start date applies to the entire shift, even if the shift is split for the purposes of determining the applicable day types.
⚠️ Important
Where primary interpretation headers differ between the shift start date and the shift end date, the header valid on the shift start date always governs the entire shift for pay interpretation. Splitting the shift at midnight only affects how day types are determined, not which header applies.
Define a Midnight Boundary Rule
To define a midnight boundary rule for a pay agreement, follow the steps below.
Open the pay agreement
If not already open, open the required pay agreement in the Pay Agreement Entry screen.
Open the Primary Interpretation section
Scroll down to the Primary Interpretation section, then click the Open button.
The Primary Interpretation section expands.
Select the primary interpretation header
Click the existing primary interpretation header to which you want to add the midnight boundary rule.
The options Primary Interpretation Header, Time Rounding Rule, Midnight Boundary Rules and Unpaid Breaks are displayed.
Add a new midnight boundary rule
In the Midnight Boundary Rules area, click the Add button.
The Midnight Rule Entry page is displayed.
Enter the midnight boundary rule details
On the New Midnight Rule Entry page, type or select the relevant information as required, including:
A unique name for the rule
The boundary type (for example, start date, end date, majority of hours, or split shift)
Either the shift day types or the holiday types to which the rule applies
Refer to the field descriptions in the New Midnight Rule Entry pane for more information about each field.
Save the agreement
Click Save.
A confirmation message is displayed, indicating that the agreement has been saved successfully.