As an employee, it’s essential to take time off work to maintain a work-life balance. However, in some companies, simply sending an email to your supervisor isn’t a proper way to make such a request. Instead, you need an official paid time-off request that complies with your company’s policies. 

What is a time-off request form?

Time-off—PTO, paid time-off—request is a document submitted by an employee to human resource management to schedule an absence from work. Once filled out and sent, the HR department will decide whether to approve or deny the request.

Commonly, time-off requests can be used for:

  • Vacation
  • Health-related
  • Break from work
  • Maternity/paternity
  • Jury duty
  • Military

A well-structured and timely-sent employee time-off request form is essential for systematically managing leave requests. It helps in:

  • Ensuring clear communication between employees and management.
  • Simplifying and accelerating the vacation approval process.
  • Keeping accurate records of employees’ leave history.

Key elements of an effective paid time-off request form

To create a user-friendly and comprehensive time-off request form, consider including the following elements:

  • Employee information – the employee’s name, department, and position.
  • Type of leave – specify that you are requesting paid time off (PTO).
  • Request details – mention the leave start and end dates, the total days requested, and the reason for the leave.

How to fill out the time-off request form

Filling out a PTO time-off request form is simple; here’s what you need to do:

  1. Check your PTO balance – make sure you have enough days acquired. Usually, you can check your current PTO balance in your company’s online system or directly with the HR department.
  2. Review your company policy on taking time off – verify how far in advance you can request PTO, what the approval process entails, and whether you need to communicate with the substitute person and get their approval.
  3. Choose the dates you wish to take off – make sure to verify your project timelines, upcoming deadlines, and team workload.
  4. Fill out the time-off request form – mention your name, department, and job title, then add the requested dates and the reason for PTO, as well as clearly note that it’s paid time off you’re requesting.
  5. Submit your PTO time-off request for approval – submit the form to your supervisor, HR department, or through an online system according to your company’s procedure.
  6. Await confirmation – now all you have to do is wait to get your vacation request approved. Be prepared to communicate and be flexible if necessary.

Employee time-off request sample

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* The template here is provided for reference only, and you should always talk to a professional for all legal matters


An efficient time-off request form is indispensable in managing employee leaves effectively. 

Ready to get your PTO approved? Create your employee time-off request form with our free PDF template. 

Then, download PDF Expert and customize the template to suit your company’s policy. With PDF Expert, you can edit, fill out, adjust, and manage your documents in one place, making your PTO request process more efficient.

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You can edit the PDF using PDF Expert, the best PDF Editor app for Mac. With PDF Expert, you can change text and add your own details to adjust the template to your needs.