Time off request form template (PTO)

A PTO and time off request form staff send before they take leave: the dates, the type, part days, cover and a second choice, for the manager who approves it.

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Page 1 of 2

Your name (required)

Type of time off (required)

First day off (required)

Last day off (required)

The same as the first day if it is one day.

Full days or part of a day? (required)

Back at work on

Work email (required)

Your manager’s reply comes here.

Your manager’s name (required)

20 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 Time off request

Your name: Marcus Webb
Type of time off: Vacation or PTO
First day off: 14 Sep 2026
Last day off: 18 Sep 2026
Full days or part of a day?: Full days
Working days off: 5

and 7 more answers

A sample email with made-up answers.

submitted_at	Your name	Type of time off	What kind of time off?	Their relationship to you	First day off
23 Sep 2026 09:41	Marcus Webb	Vacation or PTO			14 Sep 2026

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

What happens after someone submits

Set it up once in the Workflows tab, and every request takes the same path to payroll.

Submitted
A request comes in Pro

It waits for a manager to approve or reject it from their inbox, and a rejection can email the employee.
The manager approves

Payroll gets an email with the name, the dates, the type of leave and the days off.
At the end of each pay period

Export the requests to CSV or Excel for payroll, with each answer in its own column.

Set this up when you use the template

What this form asks, and why

A time off request form should say who is asking, the type of leave, the first and last day, whether it is a part day and how many working days it uses. The better ones also name who covers the work and offer a second choice of dates, so a no can become a yes.

The last column shows how often real time off request forms ask for it.

Question	Why it is there	Real forms
Your name Required	On 24 of 25 forms. York County’s form relies on the signature alone.	24 of 25 forms
Type of time off Required	Payroll charges each type to its own balance. 17 of 25 forms list types.	17 of 25 forms
What kind of time off? Required Only when “Type of time off” is “Other”	Shown only after Other.	17 of 25 forms
Their relationship to you Only when “Type of time off” is “Bereavement”	Shown for bereavement. Forms that ask want the relationship, never the name.	2 of 25 forms
First day off Required	25 of 25 forms ask for the dates.	25 of 25 forms
Last day off Required	The same date as the first for a single day.	25 of 25 forms
Full days or part of a day? Required	Appointments rarely take a whole day. A part day opens two time boxes.	7 of 25 forms
Leaving at Required Only when “Full days or part of a day?” is “Part of a day”	Shown for part days, as on 7 of 25 forms.	7 of 25 forms
Back at Required Only when “Full days or part of a day?” is “Part of a day”	When the team can expect them back that day.	7 of 25 forms
Working days off Required Only when “Full days or part of a day?” is “Full days”	What payroll deducts. Scheduled days off make it differ from the dates.	18 of 25 forms
Back at work on	Optional. Is the Monday after a Friday finish off too?	8 of 25 forms
Work email Required	The decision goes here. Paper forms are handed back, so few ask for it.	1 of 25 forms
Team or department	Tells HR whose schedule it touches. A team link fills it in.	10 of 25 forms
Your manager’s name Required	The approver, named on 6 of 25 forms. Also filled from the link.	6 of 25 forms
Who will cover your work?	Optional here, required in the school preset.	3 of 25 forms
If these dates don’t work, what would?	Turns a refusal into a yes without a second round.	2 of 25 forms
Jury summons or court notice Only when “Type of time off” is “Jury duty or court”	Shown for jury duty or court, so the notice travels with the request.	1 of 25 forms
Anything else your manager should know?	The comments box found on 15 of 25 forms.	15 of 25 forms
Approval Required	Stops anyone booking flights on the strength of a sent form.	4 of 25 forms
Your signature Required	On 23 of 25 forms. The response records when it was sent.	23 of 25 forms

What we left out

Approve and deny boxes on screen. 24 of 25 forms have them. Staff cannot fill them, so they print on the PDF only.
Leave balance. On 7 of 25 forms, mostly filled in by payroll. Employees rarely know the figure.
FMLA check boxes. On 6 of 25 forms. FMLA leave belongs in your leave-of-absence process.

What 25 real time off request forms ask

How often each field appears, from forms organizations use today. Part of the Form Field Index.

Dates of leave 100% (25 of 25 forms)
Supervisor approves or denies 96% (24 of 25 forms)
The employee's name 96% (24 of 25 forms)
Employee signature 92% (23 of 25 forms)
Date beside the employee signature 80% (20 of 25 forms)
Total days or hours 72% (18 of 25 forms)
Type of leave 68% (17 of 25 forms)
Comments 60% (15 of 25 forms)
Date the request is made 40% (10 of 25 forms)
Department or unit 40% (10 of 25 forms)
Second approver 32% (8 of 25 forms)
Date the employee returns to work 32% (8 of 25 forms)

Read September 2026 · US 19, UK 4, Australia 2 · Sources

Herrin Community Unit School District No. 4 · school district, US
Cedar City Corporation (Utah) · city government, US
Daemen University · university, US
East Texas Baptist University · university, US
York County Department of Emergency Services (Pennsylvania) · county government agency, US
Houston County (Georgia) · county government, US
City of Evansville (Wisconsin) · city government, US
Long Beach Unified School District · school district, US
Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod · church, Australia
Work & Training (Group Employment) · group training organization (apprentices and trainees), Australia
Central Consolidated School District (New Mexico) · school district, US
Pleasant Hill School District No. 1 (Oregon) · school district, US
St. Paul Baptist Church · church, US
U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM Form 71) · federal government agency, US
Town of Longmeadow (Massachusetts) · town government, US
Wills Eye Hospital · hospital, US
Complete Care Agency · home care agency, UK
BeRecruit · recruitment agency (temporary workers), UK
Fisk University · university, US
Colorado Mesa University · university, US
New York State Department of Transportation (PER 35a) · state government agency, US
Rutgers University-Camden, School of Arts and Sciences · university, US
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust · NHS hospital trust, UK
City of London Academies Trust · multi-academy trust (schools), UK
NYC Health + Hospitals · public hospital system, US

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 “Type of time off” is “Other”

shows “What kind of time off?”
When “Type of time off” is “Bereavement”

shows “Their relationship to you”
When “Full days or part of a day?” is “Part of a day”

shows “Leaving at” and “Back at”
When “Full days or part of a day?” is “Full days”

shows “Working days off”
When “Type of time off” is “Jury duty or court”

shows “Jury summons or court notice”
When “Type of time off” is “Sick or medical appointment”

shows the “Request sent, Marcus” ending
At the end

shows one of 2 thank-you screens, each headed “Request sent, Marcus” with its own message

Make it yours

Give each team its own link

Add ?team=Operations&manager=Priya Raman to the link and both questions arrive filled in.
Name your call-in line

Put the number staff call when they are too unwell to work on the sick-leave thank-you screen.
Count hours instead of days

For hourly staff, change the working-days question’s suffix to hours and allow two decimals.

Good practice and the law

US
Federal law does not require paid vacation. Leave types and notice come from your own policy. US Department of Labor, vacation leave
UK
By default a worker gives notice of twice the leave wanted, plus a day. An employer can refuse particular dates, but not all leave. GOV.UK, booking time off

Questions about this template

Is PTO the same as vacation?

PTO usually pools vacation, sick and personal days into one balance, so many employers use one request for all three. Pick the Vacation start above the preview if you track vacation separately.

How much notice should staff give?

Whatever your policy says. Employers ask for anything from 48 hours to six weeks, so put yours in the note at the top.

Should staff say why they need sick leave?

No. “Sick or medical appointment” is enough, and the form never asks for a diagnosis. Doctor’s notes go to HR separately.

What if two people ask for the same week?

The form cannot see who else is off, so it asks for a second choice up front. Sort your export by first day to spot the clash before you reply.

Does it work for annual leave in the UK or Australia?

Pick “Annual leave” above the preview: time off in lieu and compassionate leave, a half day at either end, and a total in working days.

Which form do you need?

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

Employee absence form
For a day already missed, such as a sick day reported afterward.
Staff availability form
For the hours someone can work each week, not particular days off.
Business travel request form
For approval to travel for work, with its cost and purpose.

Start with the time off request form template

Open it in the editor, add your notice period and teams, and share the link with staff.