What a mental health day is, how it fits with sick leave and PTO, what employers should know about U.S. leave and disability rules, and how to request or approve one.
A mental health day is a day off to look after your mental health, in the same way you would take a sick day for the flu. It might be used to rest after a period of intense stress, attend a therapy appointment, manage symptoms of a diagnosed condition, or simply recover before reaching burnout. For employers, it is usually not a separate type of leave: it is sick leave or PTO used for a mental health reason. See our glossary entries on mental health in the workplace and employee burnout.
To record clock-ins, breaks and overtime automatically, see EZTime time and attendance software.
| Type of leave | How mental health time may fit |
|---|---|
| Paid sick leave | Many state and local laws define covered illness to include mental health conditions and treatment |
| PTO | Employees can usually use general PTO for any reason, including rest |
| Dedicated wellness days | Some employers add a few days specifically for wellbeing |
| FMLA leave | Covers serious health conditions, which can include mental health conditions, for eligible employees |
| ADA accommodation | Time off or schedule changes may be a reasonable accommodation for a disability |
| Unpaid leave | Where no paid leave is available, under your policy |
Check the laws where your employees work. Paid sick leave rules, including which uses are covered, notice and documentation limits, vary widely by state and city. See our glossary entry on sick leave.
You usually do not need to explain why you need a sick day. A short, professional message is enough: say you are unwell and unable to work, how long you expect to be out, and how urgent work will be covered. Follow your employer’s call-out procedure, such as calling the manager rather than texting, and give as much notice as you can.
Example: “Hi Sam, I’m not feeling well today and need to take a sick day. I expect to be back tomorrow. Jordan has the handover notes for my morning tasks.” See our guides on how to call in sick and PTO request emails.
Days off help, but the bigger gains come from reducing the causes of stress at work. For shift-based teams, unpredictable schedules, back-to-back closing and opening shifts, chronic understaffing and excessive overtime are common stress sources. Look at what you can control:
Some employers add a small number of paid wellness days on top of sick leave and PTO, or encourage employees to use existing sick leave for mental health without explanation. Benefits include clearer permission to rest and less stigma. Risks are mainly around fairness and coverage: plan how shifts will be covered on short notice, and apply the policy consistently. Whatever you choose, put it in writing in your leave policy.
“Employees may use paid sick leave for their own physical or mental health needs, including rest, diagnosis, care or treatment, as well as for other reasons covered by law. Employees are not required to disclose the nature of their condition when requesting sick leave. Requests should follow the call-out procedure in this handbook. Information about an employee’s health will be kept confidential.” Adapt the wording to the laws that apply to you.
Record mental health days the same way as other sick leave, using the same absence code, so that the reason is not visible to coworkers or managers who do not need it. Accurate records help you track sick leave balances and accruals, apply policies consistently and respond to any later question about leave use. Use our sick leave accrual calculator to check balances.
EZTime lets employees request time off from their phones, gives managers a clear view of who is out and who can cover, and keeps leave balances and absence records in one place without exposing the reason to the team. Learn how to track employee PTO.
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Thank the employee for letting you know | Asking for a diagnosis |
| Confirm the time off and how it is recorded | Commenting on how they seem |
| Focus on covering the shift | Making them find their own cover when unwell |
| Check in briefly when they return | Discussing it with coworkers |
See how to call in sick and PTO vs sick leave.
Tick each item already in place.
0 of 6. Employees may hide stress until it is too late. Start with policy and manager training.
Yes, in many cases. Many paid sick leave laws cover mental health, and employers can treat it like any other sick day.
Usually not. A brief message saying you are unwell is normally enough, subject to your employer’s lawful policy.
An employer may deny general PTO based on business needs, but covered sick leave and protected FMLA or ADA leave generally cannot be denied for that reason.
It depends on state and local law and the length of absence; many paid sick leave laws limit when notes can be required.
Yes, for eligible employees with a serious health condition, which can include mental health conditions.
Like other sick leave, with the same absence code, keeping the reason confidential.
EZTime keeps time off requests and PTO balances next to the schedule, so approved leave shows up before shifts are planned. For a team of 15, EZTime starts at about $30 a month ($2 per employee).