What is an essential characteristic of leave as opposed to liberty?

The essential characteristic of leave, as opposed to liberty, being chargeable to a leave balance is correct because leave specifically refers to authorized time away from duty that is deducted from an employee's accrued leave entitlements. When personnel take leave, they must account for it against their available leave balance, such as vacation or sick leave. This financial aspect distinguishes leave from liberty, which typically refers to informal periods of absence not deducted from leave balances and may not require prior approval or accounting.

In many organizations, liberty is often granted as a form of free time or time off that occurs outside of formal leave structures, such as holiday breaks or weekends, where employees are not taking a portion of their accumulated leave.