This article explains how to set up automatic birthday rewards for your team, including how PerkUp gets employee birthdays in the first place. You need admin access to configure automations.
How do birthday automations work?
Birthday automations use the same rules engine as other automated rewards, keyed to each person's date of birth instead of a start date. The engine checks for matches every hour between 9am and 6pm ET, and sends the configured reward automatically on the day itself.
Do birthday automations fire before or after the actual birthday?
No — birthday rules always fire on the day of the birthday. There are no before/after timing controls for this rule type, unlike new hire or leave-of-absence rules. See "Choosing when automations send (timing & offsets)" if you need offset options for other rule types.
Why isn't a birthday reward sending for someone?
Birthday automations depend on PerkUp having that person's date of birth on file. If a birthday is missing, the rule simply has nothing to match. Birthdays can be added to a person's record in three ways:
Manual entry — an admin adds the date of birth directly on the person's profile.
CSV import — include a date of birth column in a guided CSV import.
HRIS sync — if your HRIS integration has the "import birthdays" toggle enabled, birthdays sync automatically.
If your team's birthdays aren't syncing from your HRIS, check that the import birthdays toggle is turned on for that integration.
How do I choose who receives a birthday reward?
Each birthday rule has a Recipients section where you filter by labels (such as department or location). Multiple label groups must all match; values within the same group are either/or. Leave recipients empty to include your whole organization.
What can I configure on a birthday rule?
For each rule you can set:
Enable/disable — turn the rule on or off without deleting it.
Budget — the dollar amount sent.
Reward — the gift type (PerkUp dollars, swag, catalog item, gift card, or Amazon).
Send mode — email or direct mail, depending on the reward chosen. See "Email vs direct mail: automation send modes."
Image, title, message, and from name — the content shown in the reward email.
Recipient expiry — how many days recipients have to claim the reward, up to 365 days.
Funding account — which org balance the reward draws from.
Will someone get the same birthday reward twice?
No. Each match is deduplicated for 180 days, so a person won't receive the same birthday reward more than once in that window even if the rule runs multiple times a day.
How do I edit a birthday rule that's already running?
Open the rule and update any field — budget, reward, recipients, send mode, expiry, or funding account. Changes apply to future matches only; they don't affect rewards already sent. See "Editing a running automation or program" for more detail.
Calendar tips
You can override the gift for a specific person from the birthday calendar before their send date — including swapping the suggested gift for anything else up to the same budget.
The "Missing birthdays" tab lists teammates who have no birthday on file, so you can fill the gaps before their date passes.
If you create the automation after someone's birthday has already passed this year, they're scheduled for next year's date.