Rate Definition FTE Settings

Out of frustration with the published guidance – which doesn’t really explain how these settings behave in practice – I’ve spent some time testing how the FTE-related flags actually work in rate definitions.

There are three controls involved:

• Element Input Value FTE (Flat Amount Elements)
• “Return Full‑Time Rate” on the rate contributor
• “Return Full‑Time Rate” on the Returned Rate Details tab

The key to understanding the behaviour is to think in terms of two states: actual value and full‑time equivalent (FTE). Everything the system does is just moving between those two states.

The element input setting defines how the system treats the value it receives. If it is set to No, the value is handled as an actual amount. If it is set to Yes, the value is handled as an FTE amount.