Free time off request form templates for every kind of leave

1. Simple time off request form

Best for small teams that want one form for every kind of leave

One page. Employee details, seven leave types, dates, total hours, comments, signatures and a manager section with approved, approved with changes and denied.

This is the form to start with if you have no process today. The “hours to record as paid” and “unpaid” lines tell whoever runs payroll exactly what to enter, which removes the most common follow-up question. Ask employees to fill in the top half and hand it, or email a scan, to their manager. The manager signs, returns a copy and files the original.

2. PTO request form with balance check

Best for employers who track paid time off in hours

Excel sheet with one row per day off and a summary box. Formulas add the hours, count only rows marked “PTO” against the balance, and show the balance left.

This PTO request form stops the most common approval mistake: saying yes to more hours than the employee has. Type the current balance from your payroll or PTO tracker spreadsheet, then one row per day. Paid holidays and unpaid days stay on the form for the schedule, but they do not reduce the PTO balance. In the example, three days off use only 16 PTO hours because Thanksgiving is a paid holiday.

3. Vacation request form with coverage plan

Best for office, admin and salaried staff taking a week or more

Word and PDF: dates, workdays, PTO hours, availability while away, a five-row coverage table, handoff date and signatures from the employee, the covering coworkers and the manager.

A vacation request form is easier to approve when the coverage is already worked out. The employee lists each task and who takes it, and the covering coworkers sign. Ask for it 30 days ahead for a week or more, and decide in your policy how you handle two people asking for the same holiday week; first come, first served by the “date of request” line is the simplest rule to defend.

VACATION REQUEST FORM Employee name: Job title: Manager: Date of request: First day off: Last day off: Return to work: Workdays off: PTO hours requested: While away: [ ] Not reachable [ ] Emergencies only [ ] Checking email once a day Coverage plan (task, covered by, handoff notes): 1. 2. 3. Handoff meeting date: Out-of-office message set (yes/no): Employee signature and date: Covering coworker(s) signature and date: Manager: [ ] Approved [ ] Approved with changes [ ] Denied Signature and date:

4. Partial-day time off request

Best for doctor’s appointments, school events, late starts and leaving early

One page. Scheduled shift, time leaving and returning, hours off, and three pay options: PTO, unpaid, or make up the time.

Short absences cause the most payroll errors because nobody writes them down. This form records the exact hours, so the time card and the PTO balance agree. If hourly employees make up the time, keep it in the same workweek: extra hours in a different week can push that week over 40 and trigger overtime. For exempt employees, check the salary basis rules before you dock pay for part of a day; the DOL lists full-day absences, not partial days, among the permitted salary deductions.

5. Sick leave notice form

Best for recording sick days, especially in states and cities with paid sick leave laws

One page. Up to four absence dates, hours missed and paid, how and when notice was given, an optional reason, and a payroll box for the balance.

Sick days are usually reported, not requested, so this form is filled in when the employee calls out or on the day they return. The reason is optional on purpose. California’s Labor Commissioner, for example, says an employer is not obligated to ask about or record the reason for paid sick leave, and may not deny paid sick leave solely because there is no doctor’s note. Other states and cities have their own rules, so check yours before you require more. Pair this with a clear attendance policy so call-out steps are written down.

6. Time off and shift coverage request

Best for restaurants, retail stores and clinics with a posted schedule

One page. A shift table with the coworker who covers each shift and their initials, a swap line, signatures from both employees and a “schedule updated” box.

In hourly workplaces the real question is not “can I have the day off” but “who works my shift.” This form makes the employee find coverage first and gets the coworker’s signature, so the manager approves a finished plan. Watch the covering employee’s total hours: picking up a shift can push them over 40 in the workweek, which means overtime. In places with predictive scheduling laws, a signed request is also useful evidence; Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries, for example, says changes made at an employee’s written request are not subject to the state’s advance-notice rule, so no extra pay is owed for them (Oregon’s law covers large retail, hospitality and food service employers). If you build schedules in a spreadsheet, our free employee schedule templates pair with this form.

TIME OFF AND SHIFT COVERAGE REQUEST Employee name: Position: Location: Date of request: Shifts affected (date, shift, position, covered by, coworker initials): 1. 2. 3. [ ] Vacation or PTO [ ] Personal [ ] Unpaid [ ] Shift swap If swapping, shift I will work instead: Employee signature and date: Covering coworker signature and date: Manager: [ ] Approved [ ] Denied [ ] Schedule updated Signature and date:

7. Multi-day leave request with day-by-day table

Best for requests that mix PTO, unpaid, holiday or bereavement days

Excel sheet with 14 day rows and a totals box. SUMIF formulas split the hours into PTO, sick, bereavement, holiday, jury duty and unpaid as you type the leave type.

Use this when one absence crosses leave types, such as bereavement days followed by PTO and an unpaid day. Recording each day separately tells payroll which bank to reduce and which hours are unpaid, and it handles irregular schedules because you enter the scheduled hours for each day. Our guide to bereavement leave covers how to set a bereavement policy and what to write in it. Type leave types exactly as listed (PTO, Sick, Bereavement, Holiday, Jury duty, Unpaid) so the totals pick them up.

8. Leave of absence request (FMLA-ready)

Best for medical, family, military or personal leave of a week or more

One page. FMLA reason categories, expected dates, continuous, intermittent or reduced schedule, PTO to use during leave, and an HR section that tracks the notices you owe.

The FMLA covers private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks, and gives eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period. The employee does not have to say “FMLA” on the form; if the reason may qualify, the Department of Labor says the employer must give an eligibility notice within five business days, and the DOL publishes optional model notices (WH-381 and WH-382). If you ask for medical certification, the DOL says the employee generally has at least 15 calendar days to return it, which is why the example sets a due date of November 20 for a November 5 request. The HR box on this form keeps those dates in one place. Smaller employers can still use it for personal leave. Read our FMLA leave guide for eligibility and certification details.

9. Time off request email templates

Best for employees whose workplace has no form

Three fill-in-the-blank emails: planned time off, a short-notice request, and calling out sick. The preview shows the first one filled in.

If you are an employee and there is no form, an email does the same job because it is written and dated. Put the dates in the subject line, give the return date and hours, say whether you want PTO or unpaid time, and name who covers your work. Send it early: two weeks is a common minimum for a few days, and 30 days for a week or more. Keep the reply; it is your record that the time was approved.

10. Time off request log for managers

Best for managers who approve requests for a whole team or location

Excel log with 40 rows, columns for request number, dates, leave type, hours, status, who decided and notes, plus COUNTIF totals for pending, approved and denied requests.

Forms record one request; the log shows them all, in the order they arrived. That order matters when two people want the same holiday, and the notes column records why a request was denied, which is your best protection if a decision is questioned later. Review the pending rows before you publish each schedule. For jury duty, keep the summons with the request; our jury duty pay guide explains what employers owe.