How Points Are Earned and Tracked
Explains how employees earn points from recognition and how balances and activity are reflected in PraisePal.
PraisePal uses two separate point balances: Allowance (points you give to others) and Earnings (points you redeem for rewards). They work independently — spending Allowance doesn't reduce your Earnings, and redeeming a reward doesn't affect your Allowance.
100 points = US$1 in reward value.
Why two separate balances?
Separating giving from earning means your team can recognise each other freely within a monthly budget, while your personal rewards balance grows at its own pace. You're never forced to rush a redemption because a deadline is coming — Earnings are yours to save. And because Allowance resets each month, there's always a fresh reason to recognise the people around you.
Allowance — points you give away
Allowance is a monthly budget of points for recognising others. Your admin sets the amount, and it refreshes on the 1st of each month.
When you send a recognition with points, those points come out of your Allowance. If you recognise three people with 20 points each, 60 points are deducted. You can't use Allowance for your own redemptions — it exists only for giving.
Your admin can also add or deduct Allowance on an ad hoc basis. Any additions still expire at month-end along with whatever you haven't used.
Unused Allowance expires at month-end. There is no way to carry it forward.
Earnings — points you redeem
Earnings accumulate whenever someone recognises you, when you're included in a celebration (like a birthday or work anniversary), or when an admin grants you a manual award. Unlike Allowance, Earnings never expire — they sit in your balance until you choose to redeem a reward or your account is deactivated.
When you redeem, the cost is deducted from your Earnings balance. Admins can also grant or deduct Earnings directly; granted Earnings behave the same as any others — no expiry, no special rules.
You'll receive an email when points are added to your balance. Deductions don't trigger a notification, so if your balance changes unexpectedly, check with your admin.
Seeing it in action
Here's how a typical month might play out:
Start of month — You have 200 Allowance (your monthly allocation) and 150 Earnings.
You recognise two teammates with 30 points each — Allowance drops to 140. Earnings unchanged.
A colleague recognises you with 50 points — Earnings rise to 200. Allowance unchanged.
You redeem a reward costing 80 points — Earnings drop to 120.
Month resets — Allowance returns to your monthly allocation (200 in this example), regardless of what was left. Earnings stay at 120.
Where to find your balances
Header bar — visible on every page. Shows your current Allowance remaining and Earnings balance at a glance.
Account > Profile — a fuller breakdown with your points balance and recognition stats (how many you've given and received).
Account > Activity — detailed history of your recognitions and redemptions, with date-range export.