NHS TOIL and Flexi Balance Tracker

For NHS staff who bank time off in lieu or flexi hours: log hours as you earn and take them, see a running balance, and watch the Handbook's three-month deadline for overtime TOIL. Private, with no account. FrontlinePay is independent.

Short answer

Log each time you earn or take hours, choose the type, and the tracker keeps a running balance and shows what is left in each category. For overtime taken as time off in lieu it also flags the Handbook's rule that TOIL you cannot take within three months for operational reasons must be paid at the overtime rate (paragraph 3.5). Entries stay in your browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

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Like 7.5 or 7:30.

Only used to show hours as days.

Private by design

Your entries are saved only in this browser on this device. Nothing is sent to FrontlinePay or anyone else. Clearing your browser data, or using a private window, deletes them, so download the CSV now and then.

Your balance

0h (0 days)

Time owed to you across everything you have logged.

Nothing logged yet. Add hours on the left.

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The rules this tracker follows

Type of timeWhat the Handbook saysWhat the tracker does
Overtime taken as TOILStaff may ask for TOIL instead of overtime pay, at plain time rates; if it cannot be taken within three months for operational reasons it must be paid at the overtime rate (3.5, 3.7).Matches time taken to the oldest hours first and shows a three-month date for what remains.
Public holiday TOILStaff who work or are on call on a general public holiday are entitled to equivalent time off in lieu at plain time rates, on top of the pay (13.4). NHS Employers' guidance: due only if the holiday was deducted from your entitlement.Keeps a balance. No deadline, because the Handbook sets none.
Flexi or flexitimeNot in the Handbook. A local scheme.Keeps a balance that can go negative. No cap. Follow your trust's policy.
OtherLocal agreements, for example for on-call or training.Keeps a balance.

Using it well

Enter hours on the day you earn them, and record who agreed them in the note. Log time taken on the day you take it, using the hours on your rota, so a 12-hour shift off is 12 hours. For public holidays, work out first whether TOIL is due with the NHS Bank Holiday Pay Calculator, then log the hours here. If you also want to record overtime that was paid rather than banked, use the NHS Overtime Log.

If your overtime TOIL passes three months, the Handbook says that where you were unable to take it for operational reasons it must be paid at the overtime rate. It does not say that unbooked TOIL simply vanishes. Raise it in writing with your manager and payroll, and see NHS overtime rates explained for the rate.

How we calculate: method, assumptions and sources

Balances. Hours earned minus hours taken, by type and in total. Hours accept decimals (7.5) or hours and minutes (7:30) and are rounded to the nearest hundredth of an hour.

Overtime deadline. The Handbook (version 63, read 19 October 2026) says in paragraph 3.5 that staff who for operational reasons are unable to take time off in lieu within three months must be paid at the overtime rate. We add three calendar months to the date the hours were worked, using the last day of the month if the date does not exist (30 November becomes 28 February). Amber means 30 days or fewer remain; red means the date has passed.

Storage. Entries are stored with your browser's local storage under a key used only by this page. We validate everything we read back and drop anything malformed.

⚠Limits

It cannot see your rota or payroll, does not know your trust's local TOIL and flexi policies, and cannot tell you whether an operational reason prevented you from taking TOIL. It is a personal record and is not payroll advice. Your employer's records and your contract are what count: if they differ from yours, raise it with your manager, HR or your union representative.

Sources. NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook (Sections 3 and 13); NHS Employers, public holidays and time off in lieu guidance. Last checked 19 October 2026. See our editorial policy.

Frequently asked questions

Is my TOIL data sent anywhere? +
No. The tracker saves entries in your browser's own storage on the device you are using. Nothing is uploaded, so FrontlinePay cannot see it, and it is not available on another device or browser. The flip side is that clearing your browser data or using a private window deletes it, so download the CSV regularly.
What does the NHS Handbook say about time off in lieu for overtime? +
Section 3 says staff may ask for time off in lieu as an alternative to overtime payments, and that it is at plain time rates (paragraphs 3.5 and 3.7). Staff who, for operational reasons, cannot take it within three months must be paid at the overtime rate. The overtime rate is time and a half, with double time on general public holidays, for Bands 1 to 7 (paragraph 3.1).
When do the three months start? +
The Handbook does not say. The tracker counts from the day the extra hours were worked, which is the cautious reading, and tells you so. Your trust's policy may count differently or set its own process for agreeing and booking TOIL, so check it before relying on a date.
Is there a TOIL rule for working a bank holiday? +
Yes, a different one. Paragraph 13.4 gives staff who work or are on call on a general public holiday equivalent time off in lieu at plain time rates, in addition to the pay for the duties. NHS Employers' guidance says it is due if the holiday was deducted from your public holiday entitlement and not due if it was not, or if holidays are consolidated into one leave total. The Handbook sets no deadline for it, so the tracker does not apply one. Our bank holiday pay calculator shows how many hours may be due.
What does the Handbook say about flexitime? +
We found nothing in the Handbook about flexitime schemes. They are agreed locally, with local rules on how many hours you can carry, when you can take them and how debits are dealt with. The tracker keeps flexi as a simple balance that can go negative and applies no cap, so use your trust's flexi policy for the limits.
How does the tracker decide which hours were taken? +
For overtime TOIL it matches time taken to the oldest hours earned first, then shows what is left with its deadline. That is a planning convention, not a payroll rule. Other types are just earned minus taken.
Can I use this as evidence if my TOIL goes missing? +
It is a useful personal record, particularly with notes about who agreed the hours, and the CSV or a printed copy can support a conversation with your manager or payroll. It is not an official record, so keep any emails or rota entries that show hours were worked or agreed.
What if my balance is negative? +
A negative balance means you have logged more time off than hours earned, which is normal for flexi where you may take time before working it back. For overtime TOIL it usually means an earned entry is missing. The tracker flags this so you can correct it.

Related tools and guides

NHS Overtime Log

Log paid extra shifts and see the year's total.

NHS Bank Holiday Pay Calculator

Enhancement and TOIL hours for a bank holiday shift.

NHS Overtime Rates Explained

Time and a half, double time and the TOIL alternative.

Bank Holidays on 12-Hour Shifts and TOIL

When TOIL is due on long shifts.

NHS Annual Leave Tracker

Track booked leave against your entitlement.

NHS Overtime Calculator

What extra hours are worth.