Formal Leave of Absence Letter Templates (How to Request)

A leave of absence letter requests an employer or supervisor for time off from work for a specific period. It is a formal document requesting permission from work to handle an unexpected personal situation. There are different types of leave an employer can grant an employee. It can be paid or unpaid depending on the employee’s conditions of employment; it can also be voluntary or mandatory, especially where the employee has a disciplinary matter.

Regardless of the type of leave requested, the employee should use a leave of absence letter; it usually guarantees that they will still have a job when they return to work. Besides other details, the letter should outline the reason(s) why the employee is seeking a leave of absence.

The 1993 Family Medical and Leave Act (FMLA) provides guidelines on how employers should provide paid leave to their employees. The Act aims to help employees balance their work and home life. According to the Act, some employees are entitled to a maximum of 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year with particular work benefits, for example, health insurance. 

Unpaid leaves are taken when an employee requests leave for reasons outside the benefits to which the employee is entitled. Benefits such as paid vacation time and sick leave are often stipulated in the employee’s contract; any other time off is considered unpaid. During the period of absence for unpaid leave, the employee is not entitled to receive any payment in wages or salary.

The objective is to ensure employees can take leave from work without being in danger of losing their jobs. According to the FMLA, employees have three alternatives for leave, intermittent leave, continuous leave, or reduced work hours.

This article will discuss why you need to write a leave of absence letter and how to begin the process of requesting leave. It also discusses how to write your letter and provides a sample to help you understand how it should look.

Following are the absence request letter templates that you can download for free:

When and Why Do You Need a Leave of Absence Letter?

A leave of absence differs from other permitted work absences, like paid time off. You should use it when experiencing out-of-the-ordinary circumstances like sickness, surgery, or adoption. Other circumstances include; the birth of a child, caring for a sick family member, mourning the death of a relative, and to further education. While your employer is not obligated to grant your request in every circumstance, it is recommended that you file a formal request for documentation purposes.

You may request a leave of absence when you are summoned for jury duty. In most cases, employers may rely on the employee handbook when deciding whether to grant you leave or an alternative to unpaid leave. They may also have to rely on the FMLA, especially if your employer has more than 50 employees.

Some companies may use alternative benefits to extend your time off if you need a long leave of absence to promote job security. They may allow you to use your vacation or personal days to retain your pay while you are on leave.

Before you request leave, you should consult your employment contract to ascertain the laws and regulations you should follow. You may be required to use state and federal laws or your employee handbook.

The general laws guiding the provision of sick leave in the United States of America are the Family Medical and Leave Act. These laws provide the circumstances requiring your company to give you time off besides your paid leave.

Before you submit your letter requesting a leave, you must understand the appropriate application procedure. You also need to know the format and the information to include.

The tips below can guide you through how to request a leave of absence:

Check company policies

Company policies can help you understand the benefits you are entitled to as an employee. Before submitting your request, you should check your company policies to know where to lodge your request and how to proceed should your request be rejected.

Speak to your supervisor

Your absence from work will affect your colleagues, especially your immediate supervisor. If you head a department, you must inform your team that you will be away from work. You should also meet and formally inform your supervisor why you need the leave. You may also send an email following your meetings so that your communication is documented. This proper communication allows you to leave your workplace organized.

Put your request in writing

Since your leave affects your employment, you should ensure all communication between you and your employer is formal and in writing. While meeting with your supervisor, you may inquire whether other procedures exist for submitting your request. In the request, mention your reasons for living and the dates you will be away.

Give advance notice

A leave of absence is often granted for events you can anticipate, like signing up for military service or taking care of an ailing relative. As much as possible, you should inform your supervisor of your intention to take leave so they can prepare for a temporary replacement in your absence.

Inform your colleagues

After talking to your superior, you should inform your colleagues of your leave of absence. This early warning allows them to prepare and consult you on matters concerning your department.

Consider other options

Although leave offers you job security, once your leave of absence ends,  it is good to consider alternatives that will benefit you and your employer. You could discuss with your employer whether you can work from home, part-time, or at reduced hours instead of not working completely.

Depending on your reason for seeking leave, you can reach a compromise on your terms. You can work from home if you care for a sick relative. You can also work part-time if you will constantly be traveling.

Now that you understand when and how to request a leave of absence, you must know how to write your letter. You should know what information should be included and excluded and how to structure it.

The steps below can help you write an excellent letter.

Include a date

You must indicate the date of your letter at the top. The date allows you to record when you submitted your request, especially if your employer provides a timeline for responses to such requests. For example, if your employer requires you to submit requests at least two weeks before you are due to leave, you should send your letter at least two weeks before. 

You can write the date as:

April 10, 2021

Add your and your manager’s information

Since this request is a formal letter, you should include your and your manager’s information. Include your name, title, address, and contact information when writing your details. You should also provide the same information when writing your manager’s information. All the information in this section allows you to show to whom you sent the request for leave. 

For example: 

Gregory Meads
Sales agent, XYZ Corporation
4567 Beech Rd.
Houston, TX
555-12345
James Arlington
Supervisor, XYZ Corporation
7822 Wood Avenue
Houston, TX

Include the reason for the request

Usually, you request a leave of absence for personal reasons. You should mention your reason in the letter because it differs from other types of leave, which are requested for obvious reasons; for example, vacation time is requested for an employee to go on holiday. You do not have to give a long explanation, only provide the relevant information.

Your explanation may be as shown below:

I would like to submit a request for a leave of absence to provide care for my ailing mother.

Provide a start and end date

For records and accuracy reasons, you should mention when you expect your leave to start and end. You should provide precise dates so your employer can consider the company’s plans and other employees’ schedules. This information can also help your employer decide on the projects they will assign you to ensure you do not leave pending work when you go on leave.

Your statement can be as follows:

Since she will have her surgery on May 1, 2021, I request leave from May 1 to May 30 to take care of her.

Pro tip: Do not provide any ultimatum. The main purpose of your request is to be allowed to take time off. While you may expect an automatic acceptance, it is necessary to be polite regardless of the outcome of your letter. As such, you should avoid giving ultimatums as they may make your letter seem like a statement more than a request. If your request is rejected, you may forward the matter to the legal department.

Include an offer to help

As a sign of goodwill, you should include an offer to help. Since you understand your job description better, you should offer to leave instructions on how tasks can be done in your absence. You can help by training your replacement or providing instructions on how your colleagues best handle your tasks.

Your offer can be as shown in the example below:

I would love to train a temporary replacement or help in any way possible to prepare for my absence.

Consequences of Not Using Leave of Absence Letter

It is advisable to ensure all your communication with your employer is in writing. This allows you to pass information formally and to set expectations. The information is also documented for future reference. Likewise, your request should be made in writing.

A letter allows you to provide a record of when you made the request and whether it was granted. Further, you can easily return to work after your designated leave period.

The leave of absence request letter almost always guarantees that you will not be terminated if you fail to come to work. Without it, your employer may penalize you according to company policy. Some may consider your absence a no-call/no-show, which may lead to your termination. Others may also fail to inform your colleagues and other superiors of your absence which may result in your termination.

• A leave of absence is best taken when you are facing extraordinary circumstances in life. It is different from time off, which may be paid or unpaid.
• Your company policy and state or federal laws may provide the circumstances under which you seek leave. You should check them to learn how to apply and the circumstances under which you can apply for leave.
• While your employer may not grant leave under all circumstances, some, like jury duty or maternity/paternity, should always be granted.
• Once you know that you might need some time off work, you should inform your employer early to allow them to prepare for your absence.
• Your letter should be brief; you only have to provide relevant information, such as your reasons for seeking leave.
• You should provide the dates for the period you will be absent from work; where you cannot be sure, provide tentative dates for your return.