# Instance settings

> Set the default locale and currency, the holiday policy, public holidays, and how users sign in.

Source: https://help.clockworkcrm.com/admin/instance-settings
Last updated: 2026-09-30

**Administrator Tools → Instance Settings** holds settings for the whole of your Clockwork CRM instance. Only
administrators can open it.

The page has four sections: **Locale Settings**, **Holiday Policy**, **Public Holidays** and
**Authentication Settings**. **Quick Links** on the left jumps to each one. **Save** in a section saves
that section only.

## Locale settings

![The locale settings: date locale, currency locale and system language](https://clockworkcrm.blob.core.windows.net/public-internal/docs/admin/admin-instance-settings.png?v=e672f9ef)

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Date Locale** | How dates are formatted for users, such as **English (United Kingdom)**. Type in the list to find a locale |
| **Currency Locale** | The default currency used throughout Clockwork CRM, such as **Pound Sterling - GBP (£)** |
| **System Language** | The language of Clockwork CRM. English is the only language currently available |

The **Date Locale** also decides whether the gov.uk bank holiday import is offered. See
[Public holidays](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/admin/instance-settings#public-holidays).

## Holiday policy

The holiday policy drives holiday balances across Clockwork CRM. See
[Holidays and absences](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/general/holidays).

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Holiday year starts** | The holiday year runs for twelve months from the 1st of the chosen month, such as **1 January** or **1 April** |
| **Carry-over cap (days)** | How many unused days roll into the new holiday year. Half days are allowed. 0 means unused days are lost |
| **Minimum notice (days)** | How many days ahead a holiday request must start. Absences recorded by an administrator are not affected. 0 turns it off |
| **Warn when team off exceeds** | A percentage from 0 to 100. Approvers are warned when approving a request would put more than this share of a team off at once. It never stops the approval. 0 turns it off |

### Blackout periods

A blackout period is a range of dates when users cannot request holiday, such as a release week or
stocktake. Administrators can still record absences inside one.

To add a blackout period:

1. Choose the **First day** and the **Last day**. The last day is the final day that is blocked.
2. Optionally enter a **Name**, up to 200 characters.
3. Click **Add**.

The period is saved straight away. Each period is listed with its dates and name. The bin button
removes it.

### Absence reports

| Button | What it downloads |
|---|---|
| **Export absence report** | A CSV file of every user's absences in the current holiday year, with the days charged. Columns: **User**, **Email**, **Type**, **Status**, **First day**, **Last day**, **Times**, **Days charged (rounded)**, **Notes** and **Return to work notes** |
| **Export SSP report** | A CSV file of sickness spells in the last 12 months, for payroll to check Statutory Sick Pay. Columns: **User**, **Email**, **First day**, **Last day**, **PIW (4+ consecutive days)**, **Fit note**, **Warnings**, **Calendar days**, **Qualifying days**, **Waiting days served**, **Payable qualifying days** and **PIW link group** |

## Public holidays

Public holidays are the dates the business is closed. They are never taken from anyone's holiday
entitlement: a bank holiday inside a week off is free, like a weekend.

To add a public holiday:

1. Choose the **Date**.
2. Optionally enter a **Name**, up to 200 characters.
3. Click **Add**.

The date is saved straight away. A date that is already a public holiday cannot be added twice. The
bin button beside a date removes it.

### Importing UK bank holidays

When the **Date Locale** is **English (United Kingdom)**, you can import the official gov.uk list of
bank holidays.

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Division** | Which list to import: **England & Wales**, **Scotland** or **Northern Ireland** |
| **Refresh from gov.uk automatically** | Once a year, adds any future bank holiday that is missing from your list |

To import:

1. Choose the **Division** and click **Save**.
2. Click **Import now**.

The import adds the bank holidays from the start of the previous holiday year onwards. Dates already
in your list are left as they are. A message says how many dates were added.

With **Refresh from gov.uk automatically** on, a future bank holiday you have removed is added back
at the next refresh. Leave it off if you remove bank holidays the business works.

## Authentication settings

Authentication settings choose how users can sign in to Clockwork CRM.

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Default Password Authentication** | Users sign in with their username and password |
| **Sign in with your Microsoft Account** | The sign-in page shows **Sign in with Microsoft**. A user can sign in with a Microsoft account whose email address is their Clockwork CRM username |

At least one must be on. Click **Save** to apply the change.

When single sign-on is used, it is recommended to turn password sign-in off. When only passwords are
used, it is recommended that every user uses two-factor authentication. See
[Your profile](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/general/profile#security).

Turning password sign-in off before users have Microsoft accounts with the same email address as
their username locks them out of Clockwork CRM. Contact support@clockworkcrm.com if you need help.

## Related

- [Users](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/admin/users)
- [Teams and permissions](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/admin/teams)
- [Holidays and absences](https://help.clockworkcrm.com/general/holidays)