# 9 July 2026 Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/training-and-updates/changelog/july-2026/9-july-2026 > Astalty updates released on 9 July 2026: Pending Leave & Unavailability on the Schedule; Budget Funding Periods; Clearing and Restoring Shift Clashes; Clock... ## Pending Leave & Unavailability on the Schedule Pending (unapproved) leave and unavailability requests now appear directly on the Schedule, so you can see what's still awaiting a decision while you plan and allocate supports - without switching across to the Unavailability Requests tab. - Pending requests are shown with a **distinct colour and a dashed outline** (versus the solid block used for approved leave), and are marked with an **hourglass icon** and a **Pending** label so the status is clear at a glance - Clicking a pending request opens the **full review panel right on the Schedule**, including any **affected shifts**, so it can be **approved or declined** without leaving the view - A new account setting, **Show Pending Leave on Schedule** (**Settings → Scheduling**), controls this behaviour - it is **on by default** for all accounts, and providers who only want approved leave on the Schedule can switch it off ![The Schedule in Day view with an arrow pointing to a pending Unavailability request in yellow with a dashed outline and an hourglass icon, beside approved Leave shown as solid filled blocks.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/schedule-pending-leave-1.png) For more information, visit the [Viewing the Schedule](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/viewing-the-schedule#pending-leave--unavailability-on-the-schedule) and [Scheduling Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/scheduling-settings#show-pending-leave-on-schedule) guides. ## Budget Funding Periods You can now split a budget's total across multiple **funding periods**, each with its own dates and amount - useful when a Participant's funding is released in stages across their plan rather than all at once. - Tick **This budget has a funding schedule** when creating a budget and set the **Number of funding periods** - this works for both Internal and External budgets - As you add budget items, Astalty automatically calculates the periods and splits the total evenly; use **Edit** to fine-tune each period's end date and amount, or **Redistribute Evenly** to reset them - The **Periods Total** must match the **Budget Total** before saving, so the periods always add up to the full budget - Funding periods flow through to the Service Agreement's Schedule of Supports and to any Service you create from the budget For more information, visit the [Budget Functionality](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/budgets#budget-funding-periods) guide. ## Clearing and Restoring Shift Clashes Some shift clashes are intentional and safe - for example, back-to-back shifts where travel time is already built in. You can now clear these from the Shift Clashes Report so only the genuine clashes that need attention remain. - Clear a clash from the **three-dot menu** on the report, optionally recording a reason - Cleared clashes drop off the report and are no longer counted in the sidebar total, so real scheduling problems stand out - Clearing only hides the clash - the shifts themselves are unchanged, and you can restore a cleared clash at any time from **Actions → View Cleared Clashes** For more information, visit the [Shift Clashes Report](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/reports/shift-clashes-report) guide. ## Clock In and Out in One Step from Shift Alerts When clocking in from the **Shift Alerts** page, you can now record the clock out at the same time - handy when you're tidying up a shift after it has finished. - Tick **Also clock out at the same time** in the Clock In pop-up, adjust the **Clock Out Time** if needed (it defaults to the scheduled end time) and add a reason - Click **Clock In & Out** to complete both entries in a single step - If the clock out fails for any reason, the clock in is still saved and can be completed separately from the shift row For more information, visit the [Shift Alerts](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/shift-alerts) guide. ## Clock Location Variance Notifications You can now automatically alert your team when a Support Worker clocks in or out too far from the Participant's service address, making it easier to stay on top of attendance and location compliance. For more information, visit the [Clock Location Variance Notifications](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/notifications/clock-location-variance-notifications) guide. ## Emailing Support Notes You can now email the Support Worker notes recorded on a support as a PDF attachment directly from the Support Viewer - useful when a Participant, support coordinator, or allied health provider needs the notes from a shift, for example to support a funding review. For more information, visit the [Emailing Support Notes](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/emailing-support-notes) guide. ## Additional Charges on Calendar Event Tasks When creating a linked Task on a calendar event, you can now add extra Charge Items alongside the main session Charge Item - for example travel or kilometres on the same appointment. - Add extras under the **Additional charges** section of the Task Details and set a quantity for each - Additional charges are scoped to the selected Participant; changing the Participant clears the selections so you choose charges relevant to the new Participant - For recurring appointments, additional charges are automatically copied to every session generated by the recurrence For more information, visit the [Calendar Events and Tasks](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/calendar/using-the-calendar/calendar-events-and-tasks) guide. ## Editable Charge Item Names, Prices and References You can now edit the **Name**, **Price** and **Reference** on individual Charge Items within a Set - including preset Charge Item Sets, which previously only allowed the price to be changed. - The **Number** and **Unit** stay locked so the Charge Item remains valid for claiming - When you change a price, all charges before today are locked at the current price - the new price only applies to new charges For more information, visit the [Creating & Updating Charge Item Sets](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/charge-items/managing-charge-item-sets/creating-updating-charge-item-sets) guide. ## SMS Improvements Several improvements make it easier to see who can and can't be texted, and to review SMS activity. - An **opt-out indicator** now appears next to a Participant's Mobile number when they've opted out of SMS (by replying **STOP**), with the same warning shown when creating supports and calendar events; they can opt back in by replying **START** - **Reminders sent for a support now appear in its Audit Trail**, on a new **Reminders** tab; Participant **YES** and **NO** replies remain in your SMS inbox - The **Can access the SMS inbox** permission is now available on **Admins**, **Managers** and **Team Members** For more information, visit the [SMS Reminders](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/sms-reminders) guide. ## Support Worker Contact Visibility You can now choose which of a Participant's Contacts are shared with your Support Workers in the Astalty mobile app. Contacts are hidden by default - you opt each one in individually, so you stay in control of exactly which details Support Workers can see. - Tick **Visible to support workers** on a Contact's relationship; shared Contacts are marked with a green eye icon in the Contacts table - Support Workers see the Contact's name, relationship, organisation, mobile and phone, and can Call, SMS or Copy the details - This setting is separate from **Consent to share information**, and inactive contacts never appear in the mobile app For more information, visit the [Contacts](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/participant-directory/contacts) guide. ## Cloning a Participant Risk You can now **clone** an existing risk to record a variation without building it from scratch - most useful when the risk is largely the same but a few details differ, such as who the risk is to or the controls in place. - Select **Clone** from the three-dot menu next to a risk to open the pre-filled **Clone Risk** drawer - The cloned risk is a separate, standalone entry, and cloning copies within the same Participant's profile only For more information, visit the [Risks](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/risks) guide. ## Merging Document Categories If you end up with duplicate Document Categories, you can now merge them - all Documents are moved into the category you keep and the duplicate is archived. For more information, visit the [Merging Document Categories](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/documents-settings/merging-document-categories) guide. ## Inline Quoted Replies in Chat You can now reply directly to a specific message in Chat, with the original message quoted above your reply so it's clear what you're responding to. Replies work in both direct messages and group channels. - Hover a message and click the **Reply** icon; a **Replying to** preview appears above the compose area - Click a quoted message to jump to the original, which is briefly highlighted - Quotes stay in sync - they update when the original is edited and show **Message deleted** if it's removed For more information, visit the [Messaging](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/messaging) guide. ## Participants With Plan Manager Report A new report lists every plan-managed Participant alongside their Plan Manager's contact details - including the invoice email - so you have it all in one place. For more information, visit the [Participants With Plan Manager](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/reports/participants-with-plan-manager) report guide. ## Site Filtering for Support Notes You can now filter Support Notes by the **Site** the support or group support was scheduled at, in both the Support Notes Report and the Support Notes Export - handy for pulling every note for a SIL house (or any Site) in one view or file. - Select one or more Sites; notes on supports with no Site set won't be included when a Site is selected - The Site filter combines with the existing date range, Participant, tag, Created by and content filters For more information, visit the [Support Notes Report](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/reports/support-notes-report) and [Support Notes Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/support-notes-export) guides. ## Incidents Export You can now bulk export Participant and staff incidents as a CSV or PDF, with filters and a complete record suited to audits. For more information, visit the [Incidents Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/incidents-export) guide. ## New Columns in the Shifts Export The Shifts Export now includes extra columns to give a fuller picture of each shift. - **Shift Type** - distinguishes Support Shift, Group Support Shift, Internal Shift or Unpaid Break - **Status** - whether the shift is Published or Unpublished - **Cost Code** - the cost code assigned to the shift (shown only when cost codes are enabled) For more information, visit the [Shifts Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/shifts-export) guide. ## Time Column in the Tasks Export The Tasks Export now includes a **Time** column showing how much time was allocated to each Task in hours, matching the Time shown in the on-screen Tasks Report. Ticking **Include Unbillable** adds unbillable Tasks and their time. For more information, visit the [Tasks Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/tasks-export) guide. ## SCHADS Interpretation FAQ We've added a Frequently Asked Questions section to the SCHADS interpretation guide, covering common payroll questions - how overtime is calculated from ordinary-hours caps, how breaks between shifts differ from overtime, and how sleepovers are treated. For more information, visit the [SCHADS Interpretations in Astalty](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-faq/schads-interpretations-in-astalty#frequently-asked-questions) guide.