DA Settings

Set up Daily Allowance categories, rates, and deadlines - and choose whether DA is calculated automatically or claimed manually.

DA Settings lets administrators configure how Daily Allowance (DA) works for field employees. Create DA categories, such as Local, Long Distance, or Outstation, each with its own daily distance range and allowance rate. Then assign each field employee a category, and choose whether their DA is calculated automatically from tracked distance or submitted manually for approval.

How it works, in short

1. Create DA categories - set a distance range and daily rate for each one.

2. Assign a category to each employee - from the DA Master tab on the Field Employees page.

3. DA is calculated or claimed - with Auto on, PrimeHR works out DA from the employee’s tracked daily distance. With Auto off, employees submit DA requests manually.

4. Requests go for approval - manual requests follow the approval workflow set in Expense Settings.

How to Access DA Settings

1. Log in to the Admin Panel.

2. Go to Field Tracking → Settings → DA Settings.

Submission Deadline

Set how many days after a work date employees can submit a DA request.

1. Enter the number of days in Days Allowed.

2. Click Save. (The Save button becomes active once you change the value.)

For example, if the deadline is 2 days, an employee who worked on the 10th can submit their DA request up to the 12th.

To remove the deadline, clear the value and click Save. Employees can then submit DA requests at any time.

DA Categories

DA categories decide how much Daily Allowance an employee gets, based on how far they travel in a day.

How to Add a DA Category

1. Go to DA Settings → DA Categories.

2. Click + Add Category.

3. Enter the category name.

4. Set the minimum and maximum daily distance, in kilometres.

5. Enter the DA rate, in rupees.

6. Turn Auto on or off (see below).

7. Turn on Active to make the category available.

8. Save the category.

Category Details

• Name - the category name, such as Local or Outstation

• Min Km - the minimum daily travel distance covered by this category

• Max Km - the maximum daily travel distance covered by this category

• Rate (₹) - the Daily Allowance amount for this category

• Auto - whether DA is calculated automatically for this category

• Active - whether the category can be used. Inactive categories can’t be assigned or used.

• Delete - remove the category permanently

For example, you might set up Local (0-50 km, ₹200), Long Distance (51-150 km, ₹400), and Outstation (151 km and above, ₹800).

Automatic and Manual DA

• Auto On - DA is calculated automatically from the employee’s tracked daily distance and their assigned category. Distance limits must be set, and employees don’t need to submit DA requests.

• Auto Off - employees submit DA requests manually, and these go through the approval workflow.

Best practices

• Keep distance ranges clear, with no overlaps - for example, 0-50 km and 51-150 km, not 0-50 km and 50-150 km

• Use category names that are easy to understand

• Deactivate categories you might need again, instead of deleting them

Assigning a DA Category to an Employee

Creating a category doesn’t assign it to anyone - each employee needs to be assigned a category before DA applies to them.

1. Go to Field Tracking → Field Employees.

2. Open the DA Master tab.

3. Select a DA category for each field employee.

4. Save the changes.

The assigned category decides which DA rate and distance range apply to that employee.

DA Approval Workflow

Manual DA requests follow the same approval chain as expense, conveyance, and TA requests - the employee’s reporting manager, plus any additional approvers you’ve set up. Approvers can’t be set from DA Settings.

To change the approval process:

1. Go to Settings → Expense Settings.

2. Open the Approval Workflow tab.

3. Set the required approval levels, whether to include the reporting manager, and any additional approvers.

Why it helps

• DA rates are applied the same way for everyone, based on clear distance rules

• Automatic calculation removes manual claims and approvals for routine travel

• Different categories for local, long-distance, and outstation work

• Submission deadlines keep claims timely and records clean