Bradford Factor calculator

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Calculate an absence score and see exactly how the number is worked out.

Enter your absence totals

Use totals for one person, from the same review period in your absence policy.

spells

One continuous absence is one spell, even if it lasts several days.

days

Add up the days in those spells. Use 0.5 for a half-day if your policy counts it.

What should I count?

Count spells, not individual bookings. A single absence entered as several records is not automatically several spells. Check your policy for linked absences and breaks between working days.

Use working days, not calendar days or hours. Count only the days the person was due to work. Part-days are accepted to two decimal places, without rounding them up.

Use one review period. This tool does not choose date boundaries, check records or convert a shorter period into a yearly score. A 52-week period and 12 calendar months are not identical.

Apply the relevant exclusions or adjustments before entering both totals. Removing a whole spell can change both S and D. Read the fair-use guidance below.

No names or health details needed. Calculated in your browser.

Check which absences should be included before using the score. Exclusions and fair use

Same days. Different scores.

These examples all use 10 working days. Squaring the spell count gives frequency much more weight.

Arithmetic illustrations, not “good” or “bad” absence patterns. The number alone cannot explain why someone was absent.

Look beyond the number.

For employers using absence review points. The guidance here is for Great Britain; other jurisdictions can differ.

Read our guide to absenteeism

Review points should start a conversation.

Acas advises against automatic disciplinary action at an absence review point. Discuss the circumstances and support the employee may need. Read the guidance (opens in a new tab)

Keep pregnancy-related sickness separate.

Acas says pregnancy-related absence should be recorded separately and left out of absence review or trigger points. Pregnancy-related sickness (opens in a new tab)

Consider disability-related adjustments.

Reasonable adjustments may include excluding some disability-related absence or changing review points. These depend on the individual circumstances. This calculator does not decide exclusions. Disability-related absence (opens in a new tab)

A few useful answers.

What the calculation does—and what it does not.

What is the Bradford Factor formula?

The formula is S × S × D: separate absence spells multiplied by themselves, then by the total working days absent in the same period. For example, 3 spells totalling 10 days give 3 × 3 × 10 = 90. Registers of Scotland describes the formula; its own policy thresholds are not used here.

Source: Registers of Scotland, maximising attendance procedure (opens in a new tab) · checked

Is there a “good” or “bad” Bradford score?

We do not assign one. Review points belong to an organisation’s policy, not this calculator. A score alone cannot establish why an absence happened or what response is fair.

Source: Acas on absence review points (opens in a new tab) · checked

What counts as one spell, including across a weekend?

Treat a continuous absence as one spell rather than one spell per absent day. Do not split it merely because an unscheduled weekend sits inside it. Check your policy for linked episodes and review-period boundaries. This totals-only calculator cannot inspect dates or decide whether records belong to the same spell.

Can I enter half-days or a shorter review period?

Yes. The tool accepts day totals to two decimal places, such as 0.5 or 3.5. It does not decide whether your policy should count part-days that way. Both totals must cover the same period; a shorter period is not automatically scaled to a year. Use comparable definitions before comparing scores.

Does the calculator store employee information?

This calculator asks for two numbers only. It does not send them to TimeOff, save them in browser storage or place them in a link. Copying, downloading and printing happen only when you ask. Treat any exported absence record appropriately when adding it to your own records.

Keep the absence record clear.

Record sickness and other leave in TimeOff, with privacy controls and a shared view of availability. Keep the human decision separate from the score.

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Sources, scope and calculation notes

Scope

One person’s manually entered totals; no date filtering, annualisation, automatic exclusions or HR-system connection.

Calculation

Days accept up to two decimal places and are multiplied exactly. Spells must be a whole number. Both zero gives zero; inconsistent zero totals are rejected. Technical input limits are 1,000 spells and 10,000 days, not policy recommendations.

Source check:

The formula reference supports the arithmetic; the Acas pages support the Great Britain fair-use guidance. They do not endorse this tool. This is not a legal, medical or disciplinary assessment.

Method: bradford-totals-v1.0

Disclaimer

This calculator and the information on this page are provided for general guidance only. The score is arithmetic on the totals you enter, using the method shown; it is not legal, HR or medical advice, and it is not an assessment of any employee. Using the calculator creates no legal obligation, commitment or liability for TimeOff.Management. Absence policies, the law where you work and individual circumstances differ: check your policy and current guidance, such as Acas in Great Britain, and take qualified advice before you act on a score.