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Time Off Request Form Template

Replace email chains and Slack DMs with a structured time off form. This template captures the type of leave, dates, manager, and coverage plan — so HR and managers have everything they need to approve and plan around the absence.

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Free for non-commercial projects, with unlimited forms and responses.

Last updated

The starting point

About this template

Time off requests are one of the most repetitive HR processes in any company, and the way most teams handle them — Slack messages, email threads, shared spreadsheets — creates real problems. Requests get lost, dates conflict, coverage plans don't exist, and managers approve things they later forget about. A structured form solves all of this with almost no overhead.

More about this template

This template captures the fields that turn a vague request into a clean record. Employee and manager email make routing automatic. Leave type lets HR distinguish PTO from sick leave for tracking and policy reasons. Start and end dates plus total days requested are the core information for approval and calendar updates. The coverage plan field is the one most companies forget to ask for — but it's the difference between a smooth absence and a panicked Monday morning when something falls through the cracks.

formformform makes time off tracking free for any team. Embed the form on your intranet, link it from your handbook, or bookmark it for employees to access. Every request lands in HR's inbox and the manager's inbox simultaneously, and the records are stored in your dashboard for easy review later. For startups and small businesses that don't have a dedicated HR platform yet, it's a much better solution than email or paper forms.

11 fields to make your own9 required in this starting form

Make it fit your workflow.

Use your own copy to change labels, remove questions and add the details you need. Try the preview alongside this guide to see what respondents will be asked.

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The questions, explained

Fields in this template

Review the starting questions and choices. You can change them in your own copy.

  • Short answerRequired

    Employee Name

    Jane Smith

  • Email addressRequired

    Employee Email

    jane@company.com

  • Short answerRequired

    Department

    Engineering

  • Short answerRequired

    Manager Name

    John Smith

  • Email addressRequired

    Manager Email

    john@company.com

  • Single choiceRequired

    Type of Leave

    8 choices
    • Vacation / PTO
    • Sick leave
    • Personal day
    • Bereavement
    • Jury duty
    • Parental leave
    • Unpaid leave
    • Other
  • DateRequired

    Start Date

  • DateRequired

    End Date

  • NumberRequired

    Total Days Requested

    5

  • Long answerOptional

    Reason (optional)

    Brief explanation of your request.

  • Long answerOptional

    Coverage Plan

    How will your responsibilities be covered while you're out?

Where it fits

Who uses this template

Suggested uses, and why this starting point can help. Adapt the questions to your own process.

HR teams

Collect a consistent starting point for review, so the next conversation can focus on suitability and missing details rather than repeating basic questions. Review “Department” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

People operations

Replace scattered requests with a consistent starting point. The answers help you understand the work, identify gaps and prepare a follow-up. Review “Type of Leave” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Small business owners

Turn initial interest into information you can review. Use the answers to prepare a relevant follow-up and decide whether the opportunity fits your work. Review “Start Date” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Office managers

Replace scattered requests with a consistent starting point. The answers help you understand the work, identify gaps and prepare a follow-up. Review “End Date” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Department heads

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Total Days Requested” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Remote teams

Replace scattered requests with a consistent starting point. The answers help you understand the work, identify gaps and prepare a follow-up. Review “Reason (optional)” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

Startups without an HR system

Use this as a starting point when you need the same essential information from each person. Review the questions against your process before sharing your copy. Review “Coverage Plan” in particular and adapt it to the detail you need.

What's included

Employee and manager identification fields
Leave type selector (PTO, sick, personal, parental, etc.)
Start date, end date, and total days fields
Optional reason field for context
Coverage plan field for handoffs
Free with unlimited requests and instant email alerts
No HR software subscription needed

How to create a time off request form

  1. 1

    Click "Use this template" to add the time off request form to your free formformform account.

  2. 2

    Customize the leave types to match your company's PTO policy and any region-specific categories.

  3. 3

    Set notifications to send to both HR and a configured manager email when each request is submitted.

  4. 4

    Add a hidden field for the employee's department or team if you want to organize requests by group.

  5. 5

    Update the heading and intro paragraph to match your company's branding and policy language.

  6. 6

    Publish and embed — drop the form on your intranet, link from your employee handbook, or bookmark it for staff.

Best practices for your time off request form

Ask for coverage plans

even one sentence about who's covering what reduces the panic when things slip through the cracks.

Notify both HR and the manager

approval shouldn't require forwarding. Set up notifications to both parties at submission time.

Don't require a reason

most requests don't need one, and asking for one creates unnecessary friction. Make it optional.

Track totals separately

for compliance and PTO tracking, keep a spreadsheet or use a webhook to push approvals into your tracking system.

Set submission lead times

encourage employees to submit requests at least two weeks in advance for vacations, but keep emergencies easy.

Confirm approvals in writing

once a manager approves, send the employee a confirmation so there's a clear record on both sides.

Frequently asked questions

Is this time off request form free?

Yes. You can collect unlimited time off requests for free, with no trial period and no credit card required.

Can I route requests to different managers automatically?

The form captures the manager's email, and you can configure notifications to send to that address on every submission. For more advanced routing, use webhooks to push requests into your HR system.

Can I track PTO balances?

The form captures requests, but balance tracking happens elsewhere. Most teams export submissions to a spreadsheet or push them via webhook into a dedicated HR tool to update balances after approval.

Can I use this for sick leave too?

Yes. The leave type dropdown includes sick leave, personal days, bereavement, parental leave, and other categories. Customize the list to match your company's policy.

Can I require manager approval before the request is finalized?

The form itself doesn't enforce approval workflows. Most teams treat the submission as a request, and approval happens via email reply or in a follow-up tool. For more structured workflows, use a webhook to integrate with your HR system.

Can I customize this for a specific country's leave laws?

Absolutely. Edit the leave types and labels to match local regulations, and add fields for any required documentation (e.g., a doctor's note for sick leave above a certain length).

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