Employee absence form template

Record an absence that has already happened: the dates, the type, who was told and when, and what would help the person back, without medical details.

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Employee’s name (required)

Department or team (required)

First day of absence (required)

Last day of absence (required)

Not back yet? Give the last day you expect to be off.

Were these full days?

Type of absence (required)

Anything the manager should know

Optional. Medical details are not needed.

Was the manager told on the day? (required)

Is there anything that would help the employee return?

For example a change of hours or duties for a while.

Who is filling this in? (required)

Declaration (required)

The details above are correct.

Signature

Draw your signature, or choose Type instead to type your name.

19 questions · about 2 min · logic · file upload · signature

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Print it as a PDF Word version

Change the questions in Word, then print.

What you get back

Every response lands in your results the moment it is sent. Turn on email notifications and each one arrives like this, and the same answers become a row in your spreadsheet.

From PulseFormCreator

Subject New response to Absence report

Employee’s name: Hamid Karimi
Department or team: Customer service
First day of absence: 14 Sep 2026
Last day of absence: 15 Sep 2026
Were these full days?: Yes
Type of absence: Sick

and 6 more answers

A sample email with made-up answers.

submitted_at	Employee’s name	Department or team	First day of absence	Last day of absence	Were these full days?
23 Sep 2026 09:41	Hamid Karimi	Customer service	14 Sep 2026	15 Sep 2026	Yes

Export to CSV or Excel, or send responses to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook. All free.

What happens after someone submits

The manager hears the same day, and payroll has the hours before the next pay run.

Submitted
An absence is reported

The manager and payroll get an email with the dates, the type of absence and any hours missed.
It was caused at work

HR gets a separate email only when that answer is Yes, so an incident report can follow.
At the end of each week

One digest email lists the week’s absence reports, so none is missed before payroll runs.

Set this up when you use the template

What this form asks, and why

Question	Why it is there
Employee’s name Required	Whose absence this is.
Department or team Required	Routes the report to the right manager. A link can fill it in.
First day of absence Required	Where the record starts.
Last day of absence Required	Closes the record, or tells the manager when to expect the person back.
Were these full days?	Payroll needs hours for part days.
Hours missed Only when “Were these full days?” is No	Shown after No.
Type of absence Required	A category is enough for pay and policy, and it decides what else is asked.
The employee’s relationship to the person who died Required Only when “Type of absence” is “Bereavement”	Bereavement pay often depends on it.
Was it caused by an accident or condition at work? Required Only when “Type of absence” is “Sick”	Shown for sickness. A yes means an incident report too.
Anything the manager should know	Optional, and it says medical details are not needed.
Was the manager told on the day? Required	Whether it was reported on the day, which your policy may require.
Who was told, and when? Only when “Was the manager told on the day?” is Yes	Shown after Yes. A name and a time settle it later.
What stopped it being reported on the day? Only when “Was the manager told on the day?” is No	Shown after No. Sometimes the answer is a hospital bed.
Supporting document Only when “Type of absence” is “Sick” or “Jury service or court”	Shown for sickness and jury service.
Is there anything that would help the employee return?	Asked on the first day, when a small change can bring someone back sooner.
Who is filling this in? Required	A partner or the manager can report it when the employee cannot.
Your name and relationship to the employee Required Only when “Who is filling this in?” is “Their manager” or “Someone else”	Shown when it is not the employee, so the record says who reported it.
Declaration Required	A plain statement that the record is correct, with no threat attached.
Signature	Optional: the checkbox and the submission time already make the record.

What we left out

A diagnosis or a list of illnesses. The type of absence is enough for pay and policy, so no question asks what the illness was. PulseFormCreator is not HIPAA compliant.
“No call, no show” and other violation boxes. They belong on a disciplinary record the manager writes, not on the employee’s own report.
A “pre-approved” option. Leave asked for in advance goes on a time-off request, so this form holds only absences that happened.

How the form changes as people answer

Most people see a shorter form. These questions and screens only appear when an answer calls for them.

When “Were these full days?” is No

shows “Hours missed”
When “Type of absence” is “Bereavement”

shows “The employee’s relationship to the person who died”
When “Type of absence” is “Sick”

shows “Was it caused by an accident or condition at work?”
When “Was the manager told on the day?” is Yes

shows “Who was told, and when?”
When “Was the manager told on the day?” is No

shows “What stopped it being reported on the day?”
When “Type of absence” is “Sick” or “Jury service or court”

shows “Supporting document”
When “Who is filling this in?” is “Their manager” or “Someone else”

shows “Your name and relationship to the employee”

Make it yours

Give each team its own link

Add ?dept=Customer service to the link and the department is filled in, so reports sort by team.
Say when a doctor’s note is needed

Edit the thank-you screen with your own rule, such as a note after three days off in a row.
One school note for every school

In the school preset, add ?school=Riverside Primary to each school’s link.

Good practice and the law

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and state, so check anything important where you operate.

US
An employer may ask for a doctor’s note to justify sick leave if it asks everyone, with or without a disability. EEOC, disability-related inquiries
UK
No fit note is needed for seven days off or fewer; after that the employee must give one. GOV.UK, taking sick leave
UK
Children may miss school only when too ill to attend or with the school’s permission in advance. GOV.UK, school attendance

Questions about this template

How is an absence form different from a time-off request?

Timing. A time-off request asks permission before the leave. This form records a day already missed, often without notice.

Do employees have to say what illness they had?

Not on this form. It asks for the type of absence, and the note says medical details are not needed.

Can parents report a child’s absence from school with it?

Pick “School absence note” above the preview: the student, their year, a full day or a late arrival, the reason and the parent’s details.

Can a manager fill it in when someone phones in sick?

Pick “Absence call-in log”: who took the call and when, whether the employee called personally, the expected return and work to cover.

Which form do you need?

Not quite the job? One of these may fit, or browse all HR and employee forms.

Leave request form
For asking in advance for leave that is planned, such as a vacation or an appointment.
Medical release to return to work
For clearing someone to come back after a longer illness or an injury.
Employee write-up form
When absences have become a pattern and you are taking action.

Start with the absence form template

Open it in the editor, choose who gets each report, and share the link with your team.