Free Leave Request Form Templates
Free leave request form templates for small business: general, PTO, vacation, sick, bereavement, unpaid, and leave of absence. Download as DOCX. No signup.
Leave Request Form Templates
Seven free employee leave request form templates for small business: a general master form plus PTO, vacation, sick, bereavement, unpaid, and leave of absence versions. Download as Word with the fields, approval trail, and FMLA notes built in. No signup.
A leave request form is how an employee formally asks for time off and how a manager approves or denies it. For a small business, it replaces scattered texts and hallway conversations with one consistent record of who asked for what and whether it was granted. Written well, it keeps leave organized and fair; handled loosely, it becomes the gap that turns a routine request into a dispute nobody can settle.
These seven templates cover the range: a general master form with leave-type checkboxes, plus dedicated PTO, vacation, sick, bereavement, unpaid, and leave of absence versions. Each downloads as a Word document, free and without an email, with the fields, approval trail, and, where it matters, the FMLA and confidentiality notes built in. Because leave sits next to time off and attendance, this pairs with your time off policy and your employee attendance sheet.
What a Leave Request Form Is
A leave request form is a document an employee fills out to request time off and that a supervisor or HR uses to approve or deny it. It captures the employee and department, the type of leave, the dates and total days, an optional reason, and signatures from both sides. Leave request form, time off request form, and PTO request form describe versions of the same document; the label shifts with the leave type, but the structure is the same.
It is a two-sided record: the employee section states the request, and the supervisor or HR section records the decision. Beyond granting time off, it does two jobs: it gives employees a predictable way to ask, and it gives the business a documented, even-handed approval trail. For extended medical or family leave, a plain form is only the starting point, because the Department of Labor FMLA forms may be required instead.
What to Include
A complete leave request form covers four groups: employee fields, leave details, context, and an approval trail. The groups below are the consensus set that strong leave forms share.
The two elements small businesses most often skip, and most need, are the signed employee acknowledgment and the supervisor approval line. The templates here build both in, and keep medical detail off the form so it can be stored separately.
Which Template Should You Use?
Start with the general master form if you want one form for everything, or pick the specific version that matches the request. PTO for a consolidated plan, vacation for planned time, sick for illness, bereavement after a loss, unpaid for personal time beyond PTO, and leave of absence for extended leave.
7 Free Leave Request Form Templates
Download all seven as a single Word document or copy individual forms. The general form is the master; the others adapt it for a specific leave type. Fill in your company name, notice windows, and any policy limits, and keep the FMLA and confidentiality notes intact.
Template 1: General Employee Leave Request Form
The universal master with leave-type checkboxes, a coverage plan, and both acknowledgment and approval lines. The one form to adapt when you want a single request form for everything.
Template 2: PTO / Time Off Request Form
A paid time off form with a balance field, a paid or unpaid toggle, and remaining-balance math. For companies running a single consolidated PTO bank.
Template 3: Vacation Request Form
A vacation form with no required reason for privacy, plus coverage and backup-contact fields. For planned time off booked in advance.
Template 4: Sick Leave Request Form
A sick leave form with dates of absence, an optional doctor's note checkbox, and a state paid-sick-leave reminder, kept free of diagnosis detail.
Template 5: Bereavement Leave Request Form
A compassionate bereavement form with a relationship field, a travel-required checkbox, and a policy day limit. For time off after the death of a loved one.
Template 6: Unpaid / Personal Leave Request Form
An unpaid or personal leave form with an explicit unpaid acknowledgment and an expected return date. For personal time beyond the PTO balance.
Template 7: Leave of Absence Request Form
An extended-leave form with continuous, intermittent, or reduced-schedule options and a built-in FMLA certification note pointing to DOL Form WH-380. For long medical or family leave.
Leave Request vs. FMLA and State Leave
A leave request form is your internal document; it is not the same as the federal FMLA process or a state paid-leave program, and knowing when a plain form is not enough is what separates a careful employer from a liable one. Here is how the three compare.
| Leave request form | FMLA | State paid leave | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your internal request form | Federal job-protected leave | State-mandated paid leave |
| Who it applies to | Any employer, any size | Covered employers, 50+ employees | Employers in that state |
| Paperwork | This form | DOL WH-380, WH-381, WH-382 | State portal or claim |
| Pay | Per your policy | Unpaid, job-protected | Paid per state rule |
| Can you deny it? | Discretionary leave, yes | Generally no, if eligible | Generally no, if eligible |
The rule of thumb: use your leave request form for ordinary time off, and recognize when a request crosses into protected territory. When extended medical or family leave may qualify under the FMLA, the leave of absence form points the employee to the DOL FMLA eligibility rules and the certification forms. For the classification questions underneath leave decisions, the FMLA guide covers the details.
Compliance Notes
Four federal and state points sit underneath any leave form. None is complicated, but each is a place a small business can quietly create liability. Handle these four and a simple form stays defensible.
For the policy that sits behind these forms, the leave of absence policy templates cover eligibility, notice, and the FMLA and ADA interaction in depth, with the same confidentiality guardrails.
Handling Leave at a Small Business
A large company routes leave through an HR team and a leave-management system. A small business has an owner or a manager fielding requests directly, between everything else, and feels each absence more sharply because there is no bench. The good news is that the process is the same at any size; a small business just needs it simple, consistent, and documented.
The single most valuable habit is using the same form for every request and collecting a signed approval each time. A consistent, signed, retained record is what turns a leave question into a quick lookup instead of an argument, and what protects an even-handed decision if one is ever challenged.
From Request to Approved and Stored
A leave request form delivers its value when it is filled in consistently, approved with a signature, and stored where you can find it, with the medical piece kept separate. That means picking the right form, collecting the signatures, checking compliance, and filing the record.
The templates above work on their own. To run leave without a paper tray, FirstHR captures the request and approval with e-signature, the same flow it uses for the employee handbook, stores the approved form on the employee record, and keeps medical documentation in a separate, access-controlled place. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll or leave-accrual engine: it does not calculate PTO balances, run payroll, or determine FMLA eligibility for you, so pair it with your payroll and leave providers and, for protected-leave questions, a professional advisor. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an employee leave request form?
An employee leave request form is a document an employee fills out to formally request time off, and that a supervisor or HR uses to approve or deny it. A typical form captures the employee name and department, the type of leave, the start and end dates, the total days requested, an optional reason, and space for the employee to acknowledge and the approver to sign. It creates a clear, consistent record of who asked for what, when, and whether it was granted. Leave request forms come in general versions that cover every leave type with checkboxes, and specific versions for PTO, vacation, sick, bereavement, unpaid, and extended leave. The form does two jobs: it gives employees a predictable way to ask for time off, and it gives the business a documented, even-handed approval trail that supports fair decisions and clean records.
What should a leave request form include?
A complete leave request form includes employee fields, leave details, any needed context, and an approval trail. The employee fields are the name, ID, department, job title, and manager, plus a contact during leave. The leave details are the type of leave, the start and end dates, and the total days or hours requested. The context is a reason where appropriate, a coverage or backup plan, and documentation such as a doctor’s note if your policy requires one. The approval trail is the employee acknowledgment and the supervisor or HR approval, each with a signature and date. The two elements small businesses most often skip, and most need, are the signed employee acknowledgment and the supervisor approval line, because together they turn an informal ask into a dated, defensible record. Keep medical detail off the form and store it separately.
What is the difference between a leave request form and FMLA paperwork?
A leave request form is your internal document for any time-off request; FMLA paperwork is a specific set of federal forms used when leave qualifies under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Your leave request form collects the basics and routes the request for approval. When leave may be FMLA-qualifying, that internal form is not enough. The employer may require a DOL medical certification, Form WH-380-E for the employee’s own serious health condition or WH-380-F for a family member’s, and provides eligibility and designation notices (WH-381 and WH-382). The FMLA applies only to covered employers, generally those with 50 or more employees, and eligible employees. So a small business under 50 employees usually is not covered by the FMLA, but may still face state leave laws. Use the leave request form for ordinary requests and the DOL forms when the FMLA applies. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a small business need a leave request form?
Yes, even a very small business benefits from one. A written form replaces scattered texts and hallway conversations with a single, consistent record of every request and decision. That matters for three reasons: it helps you apply your leave policy evenly, which is your best defense against a claim of unfair treatment; it creates the documentation you need if a request is ever disputed; and it makes coverage planning easier because requests arrive in a predictable format. A small business is not usually covered by the FMLA, which generally applies at 50 or more employees, but it is still subject to state paid-sick-leave laws, the ADA for medical accommodations, and basic recordkeeping expectations. A simple, consistent leave request form is the low-effort way to stay organized and even-handed. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can an employer deny a leave request?
It depends on the type of leave. Discretionary leave, such as vacation or personal time beyond any policy entitlement, can generally be approved or denied based on business needs, as long as the decision is applied consistently and not for a discriminatory reason. Protected leave is different. Leave protected by the FMLA, a state paid-sick-leave law, or as an ADA accommodation generally cannot be denied simply because it is inconvenient, and mishandling it can create liability. The safe approach is to check whether a request is protected before denying it: if it might qualify under the FMLA, a state law, or the ADA, pause and confirm eligibility rather than issuing an automatic denial. For ordinary discretionary requests, apply your policy evenly and document the reason. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much notice should an employee give for a leave request?
Notice expectations depend on the leave type and are set by your policy, within legal limits. For planned leave like vacation, a common expectation is two to four weeks of notice, enough to arrange coverage. For foreseeable FMLA leave, the law expects the employee to give about 30 days of notice when practical. For unforeseeable leave, such as a sudden illness or emergency, the employee should give notice as soon as practicable, and you cannot require advance notice that is impossible to give. Sick leave and protected leave often cannot carry the same strict notice requirements as vacation. State the notice windows for each leave type clearly in your policy and on the form, but build in the reality that genuine emergencies will not follow the schedule. This is general information, not legal advice.
How should I store a completed leave request form?
Store the approved request as part of your employment records, but keep any medical information separate. A completed leave request form generally belongs in the employee’s personnel file, but doctor’s notes, medical certifications, and anything describing a health condition must be kept confidential and stored in a separate medical file with restricted access, which is an ADA requirement. Retain the records for your applicable recordkeeping period; leave and payroll-related records are commonly kept for at least three years, and some states require longer. The practical setup is simple: file the request itself with the employee’s records, file the medical backup separately and securely, and make sure both are retrievable if a question or audit arises. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a bereavement or sick leave request required by law?
It varies by state. There is no federal requirement for paid bereavement leave or, in most cases, paid sick leave, but a growing number of states and cities require paid sick leave, and a smaller number require bereavement leave. Where a law applies, you generally cannot treat protected time as an ordinary discretionary absence or discipline an employee for using it, and documentation rules may be limited. Because these laws apply based on where the employee actually works, including remote employees, and change frequently, identify the requirements for every state where you have staff and re-check them periodically. Absent a state mandate, bereavement and sick leave are set by your own policy, which the forms on this page help you apply consistently. This is general information, not legal advice.