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.
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.
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.
Click "Use this template" to add the time off request form to your free formformform account.
Customize the leave types to match your company's PTO policy and any region-specific categories.
Set notifications to send to both HR and a configured manager email when each request is submitted.
Add a hidden field for the employee's department or team if you want to organize requests by group.
Update the heading and intro paragraph to match your company's branding and policy language.
Publish and embed — drop the form on your intranet, link from your employee handbook, or bookmark it for staff.
even one sentence about who's covering what reduces the panic when things slip through the cracks.
approval shouldn't require forwarding. Set up notifications to both parties at submission time.
most requests don't need one, and asking for one creates unnecessary friction. Make it optional.
for compliance and PTO tracking, keep a spreadsheet or use a webhook to push approvals into your tracking system.
encourage employees to submit requests at least two weeks in advance for vacations, but keep emergencies easy.
once a manager approves, send the employee a confirmation so there's a clear record on both sides.
Yes. You can collect unlimited time off requests for free, with no trial period and no credit card required.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Free forever. No credit card required. Customize everything.
Use this template