How to Request a Leave of Absence at Work (With Examples)

What Is a Leave of Absence?

A leave of absence (LOA) is an extended period of time away from work that goes beyond your regular paid time off (PTO) or vacation days. Employees request a leave of absence when they need weeks or months off for medical treatment, family emergencies, military service, the birth or adoption of a child, or significant personal matters.

A leave of absence can be paid or unpaid depending on your employer’s policy and applicable federal or state laws. In the United States, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides the federal baseline: up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave per year for eligible employees. Many employers offer additional leave options beyond what the law requires.

Leaves of absence fall into two categories. Mandatory leave is protected by federal or state law (FMLA, ADA, USERRA), and your employer must grant it if you meet the eligibility criteria. Voluntary leave is offered at the employer’s discretion and typically does not carry the same job protection guarantees. The process for requesting either type follows a similar path.

Common Types of Leave of Absence

The most common types of leave of absence include medical leave, family and medical leave under the FMLA, parental leave, bereavement leave, military leave, and personal leave. The type of leave determines whether it is legally protected, how long you can take, and whether you will receive pay during your time away.

Medical leave. If you have a serious health condition that prevents you from working, you may qualify for medical leave under the FMLA. This includes surgery recovery, chronic illness treatment, and inpatient care. Eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job protected leave per year.

Family and medical leave. FMLA also covers situations where you need to care for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition. The same 12 week entitlement applies, and your employer must hold your job or provide an equivalent position when you return.

Parental leave. New parents can request leave for the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child. FMLA covers this for eligible employees, and many employers offer additional paid parental leave beyond the federal minimum.

Bereavement leave. When an employee loses a close family member, many employers offer bereavement leave of three to five days. While no federal law mandates bereavement leave, some states have enacted their own requirements, and most companies include it in their leave policies.

Military leave. The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects employees who leave their jobs to serve in the military. FMLA also provides up to 26 weeks of caregiver leave for employees caring for a service member with a serious injury.

Personal leave. Some employers offer voluntary leave for personal reasons such as pursuing education, taking a sabbatical, or managing a major life change like a relocation. Personal leave is typically unpaid and granted at the employer’s discretion.

How to Request a Leave of Absence: Step by Step

To request a leave of absence, review your company’s leave policy, determine how long you need off, talk to your supervisor, submit a written request letter or form, plan for your workload, and follow up to confirm the details.

1. Review your company’s leave policy

Start with your employee handbook or internal HR portal. Look for the section on leaves of absence and note the types of leave offered, eligibility requirements, how far in advance you need to submit a request, and which forms or documentation are required.

If your company does not have a written policy, contact your HR department directly. Understanding the rules before you make your request helps you frame it correctly and avoids unnecessary back and forth.

2. Determine the duration of your leave

Provide specific dates whenever possible. If you know you need surgery on October 1 and your doctor recommends four weeks of recovery, state that your leave would run from October 1 through October 28.

If you cannot determine an exact return date, give your best estimate and let your employer know you will provide updates. A realistic timeline shows that you have thought through the impact on your team and are not making a casual request.

3. Talk to your supervisor

Before submitting anything in writing, have a direct conversation with your manager. If possible, do this in person or on a video call rather than over email. A face to face conversation lets you explain the situation, answer questions, and show that you take the request seriously.

Give as much advance notice as you can. For foreseeable events like a planned surgery or the birth of a child, the FMLA requires at least 30 days notice. Even for non-FMLA leave, most employers expect a minimum of two weeks. The more time you give your employer to plan for your absence, the smoother the transition will be.

4. Submit a written request

After speaking with your supervisor, put your request in writing. This can be a formal leave of absence letter addressed to your manager and HR department, or an email if your company accepts that format.

Your written leave of absence request creates a record that protects both you and your employer. It documents the dates, the reason for your leave, and any agreements you made during your conversation. Some companies also have a standard leave of absence request form that you will need to complete in addition to your letter.

5. Plan for your workload

Before your leave starts, document your ongoing projects, deadlines, and any tasks that someone else will need to handle. Brief the colleague or team members who will take over your responsibilities. Create a handoff document if your role involves complex or specialized work.

A good handoff makes the difference between a smooth absence and a chaotic one. Managers regularly point to poor handover as the biggest source of disruption when someone goes on leave.

6. Follow up and stay communicative

Once your leave is approved, confirm the details in writing: your start date, expected return date, and who to contact if something urgent comes up. If you are able and willing to respond to critical questions during your leave, say so. If not, make that clear as well.

During a longer leave, check in occasionally with your manager to provide updates on your expected return date, especially if your timeline changes.

What to Include in Your Leave of Absence Request

A leave of absence request should include your name and position, the type of leave, start and end dates, the reason for your leave, your workload coverage plan, and any supporting documentation. Whether you write a formal letter or fill out a leave of absence form, make sure you cover all of these:

• Your full name, job title, and department
• The type of leave you are requesting (medical, personal, parental, etc.)
• Your requested start date and return date (or estimated duration)
• The reason for your leave, at whatever level of detail you are comfortable sharing
• Your plan for handling work responsibilities while you are away
• Whether you will be available for urgent questions during your leave
• Any supporting documentation you are attaching (doctor’s note, jury summons, military orders)
• Your contact information during the leave period

The more complete your initial request is, the fewer follow up questions you will get. If you are not comfortable disclosing specific medical details, you can use general language like “a medical condition requiring treatment” without providing a diagnosis.

Leave of Absence Request Letter Examples

These three sample leave of absence request letters cover the most common scenarios. Adapt them to your situation.

Example 1: Medical Leave Request

Example 2: Personal Leave Request

Example 3: Parental Leave Request (Email Format)

FMLA Basics Every Employee Should Know

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job protected leave per year for qualifying medical or family reasons. It is the primary federal law governing leave of absence rights in the United States.

What FMLA provides. Eligible employees can take up to 12 workweeks of unpaid, job protected leave during any 12 month period. For military caregiver leave, the entitlement extends to 26 workweeks.

Who is eligible. To qualify for FMLA leave, you must meet three conditions: you have worked for your employer for at least 12 months (not necessarily consecutive), you have logged at least 1,250 hours during the 12 months before your leave starts, and you work at a location where your employer has at least 50 employees within a 75 mile radius.

Qualifying reasons. FMLA covers a serious health condition that makes you unable to perform your job, caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition, the birth or placement of a child for adoption or foster care, and qualifying exigencies related to a family member’s military service.

Job protection. Your employer must restore you to the same position you held before your leave or place you in an equivalent role with the same pay, benefits, and working conditions.

Benefits continuation. During your FMLA leave, your employer must maintain your group health insurance on the same terms as if you were still working. You continue paying your share of the premium, and your employer continues paying theirs.

Notice requirements. For foreseeable leave, you must give your employer at least 30 days notice. For unforeseeable situations like a sudden illness or emergency, notify your employer as soon as practicable.

State protections. Many states have their own family and medical leave laws that provide additional protections. California’s CFRA, for example, covers employers with five or more employees (compared to FMLA’s 50 employee threshold). Oregon’s paid leave program provides up to 12 weeks of paid benefits. Check the laws in your state, as they may give you more leave time, broader eligibility, or paid benefits.

Note: This section provides general information about FMLA, not legal advice. Consult your employer’s HR department or an employment attorney for guidance on your specific situation.

Can Your Employer Deny a Leave of Absence Request?

If your leave qualifies under the FMLA and you meet the eligibility requirements, your employer cannot deny it. Denying FMLA leave to an eligible employee is a violation of federal law, and retaliating against an employee for requesting protected leave is also illegal.

However, employers can deny leave requests in several situations:

• You do not meet the FMLA eligibility requirements (hours worked, length of employment, or employer size)
• Your leave does not fall under a protected category, and your employer’s voluntary leave policy does not cover your reason
• Granting the leave would cause significant operational disruption and no legal requirement applies
• You failed to follow the proper request procedures outlined in your company’s policy

If your request is denied, ask for the reason in writing. Review whether state laws in your area provide protections that FMLA does not. Some states cover smaller employers, offer broader qualifying reasons, or provide paid leave benefits.

If you believe your rights were violated, consider consulting an employment attorney or filing a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.

How to Manage Leave Requests as an Employer

If you manage a team or run HR, the employee side of this process is only half the picture. The other half is making sure leave requests do not pile up in inboxes, get lost in spreadsheets, or create compliance gaps.

Create a clear leave management policy

Your policy should spell out which types of leave your company offers, whether each type is paid or unpaid, how employees should submit requests, how far in advance they need to apply, and who approves each request. Make the policy accessible in your employee handbook and onboarding materials so every team member knows the process before they need to use it.

A clear policy also protects the company. When rules are documented and applied consistently, you reduce the risk of compliance issues and discrimination claims.

Give employees self-service access

Employees should not need to email HR every time they want to check their PTO balance or find out if their request was approved. A self-service system lets them handle these tasks on their own, which frees up HR for work that actually requires human judgment.

With actiPLANS, employees can check their current and future PTO balances, submit leave requests from any device, and track approval status in real time. The mobile app lets team members request time off even when they are away from their desks. Before submitting a request, employees can preview the impact on their balance, so there are no surprises after approval.

Automate approvals and calculations

Manual PTO calculations lead to errors, and chasing managers for approvals wastes everyone’s time.

actiPLANS lets you set up auto-approval rules for specific leave types, automate PTO accrual calculations with configurable schedules (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly), and send automatic notifications to remind managers about pending requests. When an employee’s leave is approved or declined, they get notified instantly.

For workforce planning, actiPLANS generates absence reports that break down leave data by team, department, and leave type. You can export these reports in CSV or PDF for payroll processing and compliance documentation.

Try actiPLANS free to see how it works for your team.

FAQ

How far in advance should I request a leave of absence?

For FMLA leave, you should provide at least 30 days notice when the leave is foreseeable, such as a scheduled surgery or the birth of a child. For non-FMLA leave, check your company’s policy. Most employers expect at least two weeks notice to arrange coverage for your responsibilities. In emergencies or unforeseeable situations, notify your employer as soon as you possibly can, even if you cannot provide all the details right away.

Can I work part time while on a leave of absence?

Yes, in some cases. Under the FMLA, intermittent leave is available when it is medically necessary, allowing you to take leave in separate blocks of time or on a reduced schedule rather than all at once. For non-FMLA leave, your employer may offer part time work or flexible hours as an alternative to a full leave. Discuss these options with your manager and HR department before your leave begins.

What is the difference between a leave of absence and PTO?

PTO (paid time off) covers short, planned absences like vacation days, sick days, and personal days. It is usually paid and comes from a fixed annual allotment. A leave of absence is extended time away from work, typically lasting weeks or months, that goes beyond your regular PTO. It may be paid or unpaid depending on your employer’s policy and applicable laws like the FMLA. Many employers require employees to use their remaining PTO before starting a formal leave of absence.

Free Downloadable Template

If your company still uses paper forms or email requests, use our free time off request form template to standardize the process. It covers all the essential fields your employees need to fill out when requesting leave.

If you are ready to drop the paper forms entirely, actiPLANS lets employees submit leave requests digitally in a few clicks. Managers approve or decline from any device, and every request is logged automatically.