Free time off request form builder

Prepare a time off request with the employee, leave type, dates and any handover details. This free form builder supports full-date requests and a partial-day request measured in hours. Add reviewer details when you have a decision, then print the document or download text and CSV copies.

Create a PTO request form

1. Enter the business, employee, leave type and request date.
2. Choose full days or a partial day. For full days, enter the first and last dates of the request. For a partial day, enter its date and the number of hours requested.
3. Add a reason if useful, and write down any handover arrangements. The reason is optional.
4. Leave the decision pending while the request awaits review. Record the reviewer, decision and review date when those details are known.
5. Check the preview, then print or download the form and send it through your workplace's usual request process.

The form records the information you enter. Selecting a decision does not authorize leave, notify anyone or update a balance in a business system.

Understand the duration shown

For a full-day request, the form counts calendar dates inclusively. A request from Monday through Wednesday therefore spans three calendar days. Weekends and public holidays remain in the span when they fall between the two dates. The maximum date span is 366 days.

Calendar days are not necessarily the same as leave days deducted. For example, a Friday-through-Monday request spans four calendar days even if the employee was scheduled to work only two of them. The person reviewing the request should apply the relevant schedule and policy when deciding the actual leave deduction.

A partial-day request must be on one date and contain more than zero and no more than 24 hours. An illustrative request for three hours on one afternoon records three requested hours; it does not infer a start time or deduct those hours from payroll.

Write a useful handover

Keep the handover specific to work that needs attention during the absence. Name the task, where the information is kept and who has agreed to cover it. “Jordan will check Tuesday's delivery against purchase order PO-104” is more useful than “team to cover.” Confirm the arrangement separately rather than treating a typed name as an assignment.

You can use the shift handover tool for a fuller work summary. The employee availability form is useful for a repeating weekly pattern, while this form records one request for particular dates.

For an estimate of hours earned and used under a fixed accrual rule, use the PTO accrual calculator. It uses the rules supplied by the person calculating and does not determine leave eligibility or replace an employer's records.

Print, download and keep the request

The preview is the document you will print. Use Print / PDF to choose a printer or save a PDF from the browser dialog. Text and CSV downloads let you keep another readable or spreadsheet copy.

Your draft stays in the current browser tab when browser storage is available. Download it before closing the tab or replacing the contents with Start blank or Reset sample. The tool does not submit the request or store it in an employee account.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use the template for unpaid leave?

Yes. Enter the appropriate leave type. The form records the request without determining whether the absence is paid, eligible or approved under the applicable policy.

Does it check my available PTO balance?

No. Check the current balance and relevant policy through the process your workplace uses. This form has no connection to payroll or a leave ledger.

Can a manager approve the request here?

Reviewer fields record a decision for the document. They are not a signed approval workflow and do not verify the person entering them. Submit and approve the request through your established process.

Can I leave out the reason?

Yes. Include the details needed for the request and handover; the reason field is optional.