When employees request planned time away from work, have them complete a time off request form. Your paid time off (PTO) request, or vacation request form, should document the reason and duration of your employees’ time away from work, when the request was made, and who approved it. Using a standardized form not only streamlines staff scheduling but also ensures clear communication and compliance with workplace policies.
Our free employee time off request form can be tailored to your company’s needs. Simply add your company name, logo, and any additional fields necessary. Download the form in Word, Excel, Google Docs, and Google Sheets for easy customization.
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. It supports online PTO requests and approvals and lets you create time-off policies to automatically track leave accruals and balances. To learn more, read our Homebase review or visit its website.
What to include in your time off request form
If you’re creating your own PTO request form, include the core fields the requesting employee and approver need for accurate recordkeeping. These fields are:
- 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. PTO approvers, such as supervisors and people managers, can use this to prioritize which requests to accept. It is also beneficial if your time-off policy requires employees to submit their requests in advance.
- Date(s) of PTO: Include data fields to capture the beginning and ending dates of PTO. In addition to helping you decide how to schedule employees given the requested time off day(s), this allows you to 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 hours off requested: For accurate tracking, have employees specify the total working hours covered by the request. This is especially helpful when PTO spans several days or includes a weekend. If your policy permits unpaid leave requests, add a separate field for unpaid hours.
- Reason: Tracking the leave category helps you apply the correct policy and maintain accurate balances. Common categories include vacation, sick, jury duty, military, bereavement, and family or medical, such as maternity, if your company has a maternity leave policy. State and local laws may affect both the available categories and the information you can request. For example, California requires at least 40 hours or five days of paid sick leave per year, while Illinois allows covered employees to use earned leave (1 hour of paid leave for every 40 hours worked or up to 40 hours per year) for any reason. To stay compliant, add a simple “reason category” field (e.g., sick/safe/any reason) and avoid collecting detailed medical information.
- 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 monitor work hours, read our guide on ways to track employee time. If you need a tool to manually capture staff attendance, check out our employee attendance tracker article, which contains a template you can download for free.
Reasons to track employee time off
Using a paid time off request form to track employee PTO requests is essential for several reasons, such as:
- Compliance with labor laws: Some employee absences involve paid sick leave required by state or local law (see our paid sick leave laws by state guide). Other leave types are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Properly documenting these time-off transactions is crucial, helping you avoid potential fees and penalties for non-compliance.
- Avoid scheduling conflicts: People managers and supervisors need to plan work schedules to efficiently manage employees and maintain adequate coverage when team members take time off. A time off request template makes it easier to monitor who will be out and when, especially if work needs to be reassigned during an employee’s absence.
- Consistent application of company policies: A standardized time off or vacation request form lets you apply your company’s PTO policies fairly across all employees. In addition to ensuring consistency, it will help you avoid favoritism, misunderstandings, and potential disputes.
Best practices for managing time off requests
Effective management of time-off requests is essential for maintaining a productive and compliant workplace. While a PTO request form can help track employee leave, here are other best practices to consider:
- Establish clear policies: Create a PTO policy that clearly outlines the types of leave available, when each should be used, and how employees should submit requests. Identify who approves requests, how decisions will be communicated, and when managers should route a request to HR for additional review.
- Identify submission timelines: Specify how far in advance time off requests must be submitted. For planned vacation days and scheduled appointments, such as scheduled surgeries, the standard advance notice is one week to one month. Sick days and emergencies require prompt notification, although some paid sick leave state laws require notice “as soon as practicable.”
- Plan for overlapping requests: To prevent staffing shortages, review PTO requests as they arrive and apply a consistent decision method. A first-come, first-served rule, rotating holiday priority, or documented operational standard can help manage overlapping requests fairly. Before denying a request, confirm that it is not covered by a protected-leave requirement.
- Set blackout periods carefully: Identify peak dates when discretionary vacation may be restricted, which can be valuable for manufacturers, retailers, restaurants, and other seasonal businesses. Explain the business reason, affected dates, exceptions, and escalation process. Blackout periods should not be used to block legally protected leave or emergency absences.
- Choose the right record-keeping system: There are two ways to manage time off request forms: manual tracking and digital systems. However, each has its benefits and drawbacks.
With this method, you use paper forms to document employee time-off requests. It can work for a small team with a low volume of requests and employ an HR staff who can check approvals, record leave taken, update balances, and send paid and unpaid leave information to payroll.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Inexpensive to implement. | Manual tracking can be prone to errors and is labor intensive. |
| Requires minimal setup and can be used immediately. | Paper forms can be lost or misplaced and require physical storage. |
| Paper forms can be used without internet access. | Approvals and notifications may be delayed. |
This method utilizes online forms or HR systems, such as time and tracking software or payroll solutions, to track and store PTO forms. If you want to automate approvals, notifications, and time-off accrual calculations, consider using a digital tool.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Streamlines processes and reduces errors from manual PTO tracking. | Implementing a digital system is more expensive than using paper forms. |
| Real-time PTO requests and updates. | Employees and managers have to undergo training to use the software. |
| Sends automated notifications. | Most HR or time tracking software require internet access to function. |
| Online or cloud storage; no need to file forms. | |
Looking for online software to simplify PTO and employee time tracking? Check out our best time and attendance software guide.
Time off request form frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Where do I keep completed time off requests?
Paper copies of time off request forms should be kept in individual employee personnel files. If you collect your requests digitally, you can create a folder for each employee to store them online.
How often can employees request time off?
In the US, there isn’t a legal or federal regulation that limits the number of times employees can submit a time off request. If you want to avoid workers requesting PTO too often, include a rule in your company policy that specifies the number of time-off requests that can be submitted monthly.
How many days is too many to request off?
The appropriate number of time off days to request depends on your company’s PTO policy, operational needs, and the type of leave (e.g., maternity leave or prolonged leave due to sickness). Generally, requesting more than two consecutive weeks at once may be considered excessive in most workplaces, especially if it falls during busy periods and creates significant manpower coverage issues.
Does an employee have to explain why they need time off?
It depends on the leave type and applicable law. Employers may need limited information to determine whether an absence qualifies for protected leave, and documentation may be permitted in specific circumstances. A general employee time off request form should not require a diagnosis or detailed medical history, and some paid-leave laws allow employees to use leave without explaining the reason.
