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Manage Currency, Exchange Rate, and Allowances in Assembly

Easily manage your currency name and emoji, currency value, default allowances, and create custom allowances for managers and other groups.

Last Updated: November 10, 2026

In this article:

Note: As Assembly features are being incorporated into Quantum Workplace, some users may see a slightly different experience than what is described in this article. The content below reflects the Quantum Workplace Rewards & Recognition platform experience.

Overview

Admins can manage the allowances your employees have to give to each other through recognition points. This guide covers setting currency, defining point values, creating allowances, and managing custom allowance rules.

To track how much of your giving allowance employees distribute, see How to Budget for Recognition.

 

Set Currency Name and Emoji

Note: We recommend avoiding the use of actual currency names (such as Dollars, Euros, or Pounds) and currency-related emojis when naming your points. Doing so can create confusion about point values and exchange rates, particularly for organizations operating across multiple countries and currencies. Instead, choose a unique point name that clearly distinguishes points from real-world currency.

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Enter the singular name of your currency (e.g., 'Trophy')
  6. Enter the plural name (e.g., 'Trophies')
  7. Select an emoji for your currency
  8. To upload a custom emoji, click 'Upload custom emoji'
  9. Custom emojis override the default selection
  10. Remove custom emoji by clicking the 'X'

Set Exchange Rates

By default, $1 USD = 10 points. You can change this and set different rates for different locations.

We recommend using the default 10:1 ratio. A higher point value tends to feel more rewarding and encourages participation in giving recognition.

For example, earning 10 points often feels more meaningful to employees than earning 1 point, even when the underlying value is the same.

Set Default Exchange Rate

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. For security, click 'Request to edit' to unlock the field for one hour.
    1. This will initiate a conversation with our support team to verify and unlock this functionality.
  6. Set the point value (e.g., $1 = 100 points)
  7. This becomes your default for all employees

Exchange Rate Examples

  • $1 = 100 points ($0.01 per point)
  • $1 = 50 points ($0.02 per point)
  • $1 = 20 points ($0.05 per point)
  • $1 = 10 points ($0.10 per point)

Set Exchange Rate by Location

Employees in different countries can have different point values:

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Select 'Set exchange rate by location'
  6. Click 'Select location' and choose office location(s)
  7. Enter the point value for employees in this group
  8. Click 'Add exchange rate' to create additional groups
  9. Changes apply automatically to the selected employees

Important: If an employee doesn't have a work location assigned, they receive the default rate. If they're not in any specified group, they also receive the default rate.

Set Default Employee and Manager Allowances

The default allowance determines how many points employees and managers receive each cycle. Configure separate default giving allowances for employees and managers. Giving allowances determine how many points users have available to give through recognition each cycle. Only users with the Normal or Giver role receive a giving allowance.

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Choose Administration
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Enter the default employee allowance amount.
  6. Enter the default manager allowance amount.
  7. Set the refresh period: monthly, quarterly, or yearly.
  8. Optional: Enable an extra allowance per direct report and enter the additional amount.
    • Example: Manager default 300, plus 20 per direct report = a manager with 3 direct reports receives 360 points.
  9. Click Apply now to apply immediately; otherwise, changes take effect at the next refresh.

Allowance Proration (Quarterly & Yearly Only)

When proration is enabled, new hires automatically receive a prorated allowance based on the number of months remaining in the current cycle. Proration applies to default allowances only and is available for quarterly and yearly refresh periods.

  • Quarterly example: 300 points per quarter, employee joins March 9 = 100 points (1 month × 100/month)
  • Annual example: 300 points per year, employee joins March 9 = 250 points (10 months × 25/month)

Create Custom Allowance Rules

Create special allowances for specific people or groups:

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Click 'Add allowance rules'
  6. Choose to add by individual people OR by criteria (role, department, location)
    1. By people: Click 'Select people' and search for employees
    2. By criteria: Select role, department, and/or location. Combine criteria with 'ALL' (must match all) or 'ANY' (match any)
  7. Give your rule a name
  8. Set the custom allowance amount (can be 0)
  9. Click 'Save rule'
  10. Click 'Apply now' to apply immediately

Priority: If an employee is in multiple custom rules, they receive the highest allowance.

Edit or Delete Custom Rules

Edit Custom Rules

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Under 'Allowance rules', click the 'Edit' icon
  6. Update employees, rule name, or allowance value
  7. Click 'Save rule'

Note: Value changes take effect next refresh; click 'Apply now' for immediate changes

Delete Custom Rules

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Under 'Allowance rules', click the 'Delete' icon
  6. Confirm the deletion
  7. Deleted employees revert to default allowance or other applicable custom rules

User Allowances

View and edit individual employee allowances:

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Click the 'User allowances' tab
  6. Select one or multiple employees
  7. Click 'Edit allowance' to modify recognition permissions and allowance type
  8. Click 'One-time deposit' to add extra points for current cycle
  9. Click 'Save changes' 



One-Time Allowance Deposits

Use one-time allowance deposits to add extra points to an employee's giving allowance for the current cycle only. The deposited points do not carry over — the allowance resets to its standard amount at the next refresh.

  1. Click Recognition
  2. Click your profile picture, then Admin
  3. Select 'Allowances & balances' in the left navigation
  4. Click Giving allowance
  5. Click Deposit history, then select 'Deposit allowance'
  6. Add employees individually by name or group
  7. Set one-time deposit allowance amount
  8. Click 'Save'

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I adjust the exchange rate for individual employees?
Exchange rates are set at the organization or location level, not per individual. However, you can create custom allowance rules to give specific employees a different point allowance amount.

What if an employee doesn't have a work location assigned?
They'll receive the default exchange rate, not any location-specific rate.

Can allowance proration be disabled?
Yes. Proration is an optional setting and can be turned off at any time in the Giving allowance settings. When disabled, new hires receive the full default allowance regardless of when they join the cycle.

What happens to unspent points when the allowance refreshes?
Unspent giving allowance points do not roll over to the next cycle. At each refresh, the employee's giving balance resets to the new allowance amount.