Time Off Request Form: What to Include + Free Template

If you are looking for a free time and attendance tracking tool that allows you to create an attendance policy, consider Homebase.

Before you allow your employees to take any kind of leave, have them fill out a time off request form. Your time off request, or vacation request form, should track and document the reason and duration of your employees’ time away from work, when the request was made, and who approved the time off. Our free time off request template can be updated to fit your specific company needs—add your company name, logo, and additional time off fields. Simply download the employee time off request form template in Word, Google Docs, or PDF and customize it.

If you want to ditch the paper forms and track employee time off in the most efficient way possible, consider using time and attendance software, such as Homebase. Learn more about our recommendations in our best time and attendance software guide.

What to Include in Your Time Off Request Form

• Name/ID Number: This is needed to identify which employee is submitting the request, whether for auditing purposes or to maintain the employee’s leave balances.
• Date of Request: This is the date when the employee requested time off. It is useful for managers to prioritize which requests to accept and is also beneficial if your time off policy requires employees to submit their requests in advance.
• Date(s) of PTO: Include a line for the date(s) of PTO. This may be just one day or a series of days. The beginning and ending dates are necessary for tracking how many days an employee is taking. This also helps keep tabs on any leave that is dependent on how many days an employee has already taken off (e.g., disability leave).
• Half Day or Full Day: Have your employees check the box for whether they are taking a half day off or a full day. This information is dependent upon your policy rules and if you allow half days.
• Total Number of Hours Requested: While you can calculate the total number of hours based on the dates submitted, sometimes an employee will submit time off requests that span a weekend. For this reason, it is a good idea to have your employees put in the total number of working hours they will be taking off.
• Reason: Tracking why employees take time off is needed for reporting purposes and maintaining accurate leave balances based on your PTO policy. Types of leaves can include vacation, sick, jury, voting, military, family/medical (such as maternity leave, if your company has a policy), leave of absence, and bereavement.
• Explanation (optional): Leave a space for your employees to explain the type of leave they are requesting. However, this should be listed as optional only—requiring an employee to explain certain types of leave could be a violation of certain laws and could be considered discriminatory.
• Signatures: This field is to ensure that all necessary parties are aware of the request and are in agreement for leaves that require a supervisor’s approval.

For more ideas and resources to help you track work hours, check out our guide on ways to track employee time. To help you create a solid process from there, refer to our article on how to track employee attendance.

Reasons to Track Employee Time Off

Tracking employees’ time off requests can be important in several ways, including:

• Federal compliance: Some employee leaves include paid sick days, which are mandated by certain state laws (see our paid sick leave laws by state guide). In this case, the employer does not need to approve time—but it is an important practice to document that the leave was used. These laws may also include potential fees and penalties for non-compliance.
• Scheduling: Many managers and leaders need to create regular schedules to ensure that the company has adequate coverage if employees in their department are taking time off. Some work may need to be reallocated to ensure that all necessary items are covered in an employee’s absence.
• Company compliance: Using a time off or vacation request form will allow employees to make sure they comply with their own paid time off (PTO) policy, allowing you to properly manage employees. Even states that do not have laws regarding time off will require employers to consistently apply their own policies.

Learn more in our guide on employee management—everything from hiring to policy management.

Once you have your PTO policy, you may want to try out Homebase. It has a free time and attendance system that has a place to input your time and attendance policy, making it simple to track employee days and your official company policies.

Time Off Request Form Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Paper copies of time off request forms should be kept in individual employee personnel files. If you collect your requests online, you can create a folder for each employee to store them online.

For small businesses, you can track time off requests on a calendar, either by using an online calendar, like Google Calendar, or a paper calendar on the wall. Make sure the calendar is available to all employees so that they know when others are not going to be in the office. If you use time tracking software, like Homebase, the forms will be tracked online within your system.

Every business is different—but the general rule of thumb is that time off requests should be submitted at least two weeks in advance. This allows you, as the business owner, to make sure your shifts are covered so that your business can continue to run as smoothly as possible.

Bottom Line

Taking time off is necessary for all employees, no matter the work environment. Time off can be used for many different reasons, including going to doctors’ appointments, taking care of a loved one, completing mandatory obligations, or just taking a break. Having a well-crafted time off request form or time and attendance software will make this a seamless process for both the employee and employer.

About the Author

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Jennifer Soper

Jennifer Soper has 25+ years of writing and content design experience, working with small businesses and Fortune 100 companies. For over a decade, Jennifer worked as an HR generalist, providing expertise in accounting, payroll, and HR by implementing payroll and benefits best practices and creating onboarding and employee-relations documentation.