A time off request is an employee’s formal ask for paid or unpaid time away from work on specific dates. A good process gives a clear answer, a record of it, and a schedule that still works. A request that involves a leave law needs more than a yes or no.
In shortA time off request is how an employee asks to be away from work on certain dates, for vacation, personal reasons, appointments, sick time or a longer leave. For the employer, it is both a scheduling decision and a record. Most companies set rules for how far in advance requests must be made, how many people can be off at once, how conflicts are settled, such as first come first served or by seniority, and which dates are blacked out. No federal law requires employers to give vacation, so for ordinary vacation the rules are mostly company policy. Some requests are different. When the reason is a serious health condition, the birth of a child or caring for a family member, the FMLA may apply, and an employer that learns the reason may qualify is responsible for giving the required notices, even if the employee never says FMLA. In states and cities with paid sick leave laws, sick time requests are subject to notice and documentation rules in those laws, not only the company’s vacation rules. A written record of every request, the answer and the date of the answer protects both sides when there is a later dispute about whether time off was approved.
A simple time off request policy
Rules to decide in advance
Rule
Example
Notice
Vacation requests at least 14 days ahead
Coverage limit
No more than 2 people off per shift in each department
Vacation requests follow the policy. A request that may fall under the FMLA goes to HR.
Worked example: two requests for the same week
A busy week at a 30-person bakery
A bakery allows 2 of its 6 bakers off in the same week. For the week of July 5, three bakers ask for vacation. Two asked in March, the third in June.
Under the written first come first served rule, the two March requests are approved and the June request is denied, with a note suggesting the week before or after. Each answer is recorded in the system with the date, and the schedule for that week is built around the two approved absences.
A fourth baker then asks for two days the same week because her father is having surgery and she will care for him. The manager does not treat it as a vacation request. Caring for a parent with a serious health condition may qualify for FMLA leave, so it goes to HR, which sends the notices and approves the time. The coverage limit is a vacation rule, and it does not decide a leave law request.
Mistakes that are specific to time off requests
Approving requests by text, so there is no record of what was approved and when.
Treating a request for a family member’s surgery as an ordinary vacation request.
Denying sick time under vacation notice rules where a sick leave law sets different rules.
Letting requests sit without an answer until the week is already scheduled.
Applying the conflict rule differently depending on who asks.
Answering requests quickly and fairly
Set a target to answer every request, such as within 3 working days.
Check coverage before approving, not after the schedule is built.
Use the written rule for conflicts, such as first come first served, every time.
When you deny a request, suggest another date and record the reason.
Send anything that may be protected leave, such as a serious health condition, to HR before deciding.
Publish blackout dates at the start of the year, so people do not plan trips around a week that will be refused. Keep the list short; a long list of blackout weeks makes the vacation policy feel empty.
Second example: holiday season in retail
A sporting goods store blacks out the two weeks before Christmas for vacation, and lists it in January. In October, an associate asks for December 18 to 22 for a family wedding.
The manager answers within two days. The week is blacked out, but the policy allows exceptions for events with fixed dates when cover can be found. The associate posts the shifts as open shifts, two coworkers claim them, and the manager approves both the swaps and the request, recording the reason for the exception.
Answer with a date, not just a yesRecord the date of every approval or denial along with the decision. When two people disagree later about who asked first, the system has the answer.
Questions people ask
How far in advance should you request time off?
It depends on the company policy, often 2 to 4 weeks for vacation. Sick time and leave law requests follow different notice rules.
Can an employer deny a time off request?
For ordinary vacation, generally yes, based on the policy. Requests that fall under the FMLA or a sick leave law cannot simply be denied for scheduling reasons.
What should a time off request include?
The dates, the type of time off, such as vacation or sick, and any details the policy asks for.
How do you write a time off request?
State the dates, the type of leave and how your work will be covered, and send it through the channel your company uses.
How quickly should a time off request be answered?
Set a target, such as 3 working days, and keep to it. Waiting weeks for an answer makes planning hard and invites last-minute call-outs.
Can an employer cancel approved time off?
For ordinary vacation, generally yes unless a policy or agreement says otherwise, but it damages trust. Leave protected by law cannot simply be canceled.
Disclaimer: This explanation of time off request is general information, not legal, payroll or tax advice; rules differ by state and city and change over time, and the examples are fictional.
