Do you wish to take a leave from your school, office or workplace for some reason but are not sure how to write a leave letter? There are a lot of people who get scared while writing a leave letter request to their boss, teacher, or any other department for leave. People always prefer asking for leave and getting it approved in writing to eliminate any further confusion. Writing a formal leave letter request is pretty simple and easy. In this article, we will show you how to write a formal leave letter request and will also provide some formal leave of absence letter example.
What is a leave letter application?
It is a formal way of asking for leave from your boss or teacher. Well, the trend has changed in today’s time, and people ask for leave through email or have a computerized leave application format. The process of how to write a formal leave letter request has changed in the modern world.
In the computerized system, you just need to fill in the form, sign it and submit the Application. Asking for leave through an application shows professionalism and sincerity toward every small bit of your work. This leave letter is required for your personnel file.
You may explain your reason or situation in-person to your boss, but a written letter shows the exact explanation and time for which you want the leave. It makes it simple for your manager or HR to understand and approve the leave.
The major benefit of getting the leave approved through a written format is that your boss can manage the work accordingly in your absence and your colleagues would also not get stuck in the middle of the work when you are not around.
How to ask for leaves?
The formal process of asking for a leave starts by requesting your manager or HR for permission to take leaves for a specific duration. After drafting an email for leave request, you should also request a meeting so that you can discuss in person about the leaves you want and tell them the situation why you want leaves.
What should a leave letter include?
Before we learn how to write a formal leave letter request, it is important to understand what all pointers should it contain. These are a few crucial points that you should always mention while writing a formal leave letter.
1. Date – This is one of the essential parts of your letter. First, you should specify the date on which you are requesting leave and after that, you should mention the dates of departure and return to work, such as from 10/07/2022 to 13/07/2022.
If you want to take leave in advance, it is good to mention the dates as it gives time to your supervisor to plan accordingly when you are absent. Also, he would delegate the work to your colleagues subsequently and ensure that he does not give leave to others on the same date.
2. Salutation – It is similar to other applications, where at the start of the Application, you would need to mention Dear Sir or Madam, you can also write the title of the person. You can also put the name of the manager from whom you are requesting the leave.
3. Subject or purpose of the letter – Here you need to write in one sentence the reason for the letter. Before reading the entire letter, this gives the manager a heads up on what the letter is all about. For example, in the subject for leave application, you can write Application for leave.
4. The reason for the request – Here, you are required to provide a brief explanation of why you need the leave. Ensure that you provide a valid reason for the leave; you should always mention the exact reason for leave be it for marriage, maternity, vacation, paternity, medical, or any other purpose.
In case you are in the middle of some important project and there is an urgent situation for which you require leave, you should always give a detailed explanation of why you need the leave.
For marriage or paternity leave, your boss might give you some extra leaves as it is an important part of everyone’s life, hence the boss will definitely understand your situation.
5. Work plan during your absence – You should always mention the work plan too when you will be on leave. Mention the name of the colleague to whom you would hand over your work. You should always explain to them well in advance about the duties and work they have to do on your behalf so that they can plan their work accordingly.
Mention the status of your project in the letter and also the name of the person who will be responsible for it in your absence.
6. Your Information – In this section, you need to mention your personal details such as name, position, address, phone number and email ID. It is crucial to put these details because if there is any emergency, your boss can contact you quickly and the work would not suffer.
7. Leave information – In case you are taking leaves after a very long time, you should mention that as well in the letter. This way, your boss would get to know how steady you are in your job and when he will see that you have not taken leave for long, he would not be able to reject your leaves.
8. Signature – Once you have mentioned all the details, then, in the end, you need to write Sincerely, mention your name and signature below it.
If you already discussed the leaves with your manager, then you can also mention the date of discussion in the letter as well for reference.
Common reasons to take leave
There are plentiful reasons to take leave from your work sometimes it can be a good reason and sometimes it may be an emergency or something bad. But, whatever may be the reason, the format stays the same only the reason for the request changes. This is a crucial point in understanding how to write a formal leave letter request.
Some of the common reasons for requesting a formal leave from work are –
- Maternity or Paternity: This is one of the most beautiful reasons for taking leave. The good thing is that these leaves are covered under company policy and FMLA. In the case of both maternity and paternity leaves, the company gives fixed paid leaves to both mother and father. Mostly, the females are provided with leaves for six months, and the father is given leaves of 1 week.
- Death in the family: There are a lot of companies that offer extra leaves if someone passes away in the family. These leaves are not covered under the regular paid leaves.
- Medical Reasons: If you are not well and there are some medical issues for which you want to request a leave. For example, if there is an accident, an ongoing health issue, some surgery or depression. If you have any medical problems, then you can ask for leave, but in this, they might also ask for a medical certificate too.
- Care for an unwell family member: This is another reason for which many people ask for leave. In case some family member is not well and requires care for that too you might want to take leaves.
- Education: In some cases, a few employees need leave for either further training or if they have some examinations for which they need leave to study.
These were some of the primary reasons why people take leave. Well, yes, there can be many other reasons too for writing a leave letter request. But, what would be the consequences if you do not write a letter or forget about it? It is the next thing we will learn in this how to write a formal leave letter request guide.
Disadvantages of not writing a leave letter
There are a lot of advantages to writing this letter and it can cost you if you do not write this letter. The reason behind this is that this letter is a written proof of leave request and the manager cannot deny saying that he cannot recall the conversation when you asked for leave.
There are times when during a verbal conversation manager approves the leave and later forgets or denies the leave request as he does not mention it in the leave file or, at the same time, gives leave to some other employee.
There are a few companies that have a rule of no call, no show this means that the employee who took leave without any prior notice would be penalized. Thus, being a responsible employee, you should always remember to follow the protocol of formally asking for leave. Now you know why it is important to learn how to write a formal leave letter request.
How to Write a Formal Leave Letter Request? With Samples
Here we would mention some of the samples for various types of leave letter request that you might want to know about and use while applying for leaves:
Annual Leave Application
We will start with learning how to write a formal leave letter request for annual leave. This letter is written by an employee asking for annual leave; they are usually a part of the employee’s contract. It is generally written to the HR department of the company as they look after the leaves granted to an employee.
Ensure that the letter is formal and dates and purpose of leaves are mentioned clearly.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Applying for Annual Leave Dear Sir/Madam (can also mention the name of the recipient) I am writing this letter informing you that I require an annual leave of three weeks. I can avail this as per the company’s policy as I am left with three weeks of yearly leave allowance. I would like to inform you that I have not availed any leaves for the past four months, perhaps I would like to apply for leave from (mention the date of leave). I request you to consider my leave application for three weeks as I am planning a trip with my wife. I remember informing you that I am going on a Europe trip on the dates I have applied for leave. I have delegated my work and project reports to …. (mention the name). He knows about the project thoroughly and is capable of handling it very well without any trouble. I will resume my work from (mention the date), during the days of my absence you can contact me at (write your email address and contact number). In case I wish to return sooner or later, I would inform you about that well in advance. I am waiting for the confirmation of my leave. Yours Sincerely, (Your name) |
Also Read: 25 Best Part-Time Jobs with Health Insurance Benefits
Maternity Leave
Companies offer maternity leaves to their employees whenever they need them. This is one of the most beautiful phases for women and they must enjoy every period of it. For requesting maternity leave, they have to write a maternity leave letter mentioning the time frame for which they want leave.
This helps the company as they can plan for their substitute or delegate their work to someone else in their absence. You should always mention the due date of your pregnancy in the letter and the period for which you want to take your maternity leaves.
The tone of the letter should be formal and you should also attach the supporting documents with it. Here is how to write a formal leave letter request for maternity leave.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Maternity Leave Application Dear Sir/Madam (Recipient’s name) I hope that this letter finds you in the best of health. I would like to inform you that I am in the last trimester of my pregnancy, so I would want to request maternity leave from (start date) to (end date.) Also, I would like to inform you that my due date is …… (Mention the date). My gynecologist has asked me to get admitted to the hospital at the earliest. As I am going on leave for a long time, in my absence, my responsibilities will be taken care of by (mention the name). He/she has agreed to take over my chair until the time I return. I also request you, kindly provide me with the information about hospitals covered under office insurance policy so that my medical expenses can be taken care of. I hope you understand my situation and grant me leave. In case of any emergency, you can contact me at (email address and phone number). Yours Sincerely, (Your name) |
Paternity Leave Application
Not only women, but fathers also get excited when they get to know that their wife is pregnant and is soon going to give birth to a little one. There are a lot of companies that provide paid paternity leaves, to stay at home during the last few weeks when their wife is due or even some weeks after the baby comes.
Perhaps, before applying for paternity, check if your company offers paid leaves or not. Also, make sure that you take leave during the last week of her pregnancy when she really needs you.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Paternity Leave Letter Dear Mr./Mrs. {Recipient’s Name}, I am …… (write your name) from …..(name of your department). I am writing this letter to let you know that my wife is pregnant and her due date is approaching soon, so I would like to avail my paternity leave. As this would be our first kid, I am very excited and wish to be with my wife during the last week of her pregnancy and a few weeks after the delivery. I request you to please permit me leave for …… (mention the period). I have delegated all my essential duties to …. (name of your associate) and he/she would look after all my projects till the time I return from my leave. Perhaps, in case of any emergency, I will be reachable on my mobile number ……. I hope you understand my situation and grant me paternity leave. Thanking you. Yours Faithfully, (Name) |
Casual Leave Application
A lot of companies offer casual leave, which the employee can avail once a month. Before taking casual leave, the employee needs to seek permission from the required person. While writing casual leave applications, keep the tone and content of the letter polite.
Also, it is vital that you clearly write the reason why you need to take casual leave. The wording should be written in such a way that the reader gets convinced and sanction your leaves immediately. Here is how to write a formal leave letter request for taking casual leave.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Casual Leave Application I wanted to bring it to your kind attention that I need to take leave from …. (start date of the leave) to … (end-date) as one of my close relatives is suffering from a medical emergency. He is complaining of a severe stomach ache for a couple of weeks; thus, he needs immediate medical attention for the same. As my relative is based in Rajasthan, I would need to take a leave for that. I would delegate my work to …. (name of a colleague) and he will handle all my clients too. I would be reachable on my mobile number, in case you need any assistance. I hope that you will understand my situation and give me leave for … (days). I would be grateful for considering my application. Thanking you, Yours sincerely, (Name) |
Medical and Sick Leave Application
Everyone is prone to health issues and diseases some may have for the long term and some for the short time. Almost all the companies provide sick leaves to their employees, which they can avail in case of any health issues.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Sick Leave Application Dear Mr./Mrs. (Recipient’s name) My name is ….. and I am from the sales department. I wish to inform you that I am suffering from severe viral fever and would need to take sick leave for the same. I caught the infection day before yesterday and since then, I am not feeling well. I consulted a doctor and he has advised me to take complete bed rest for 5 days. Thus, I would not be able to turn up to work from … (start date) to …. (end-date). I have attached the letter that I got from the doctor that confirms the requirement of time to recover from viral fever. I would request you to grant me leave for five days, in case an extended off is required, I would inform you about that in advance. I assure you that I will complete all my pending tasks once I am back within the time. If you need assistance with the project that I am working on, please feel free to contact me at my mobile number. Thank you for your attention. Yours Faithfully, (Name) |
Leave Application due to death in the family
This letter is written when someone close in your family passes away. Numerous companies provide paid leaves for it and some of them do not. You can check this with your HR to clarify. Ensure that you write every detail about the situation in the letter so that the manager gets to know about it in detail. Here is how to write a formal leave letter request in case of a death in the family.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Leave needed because of death in the family I wish to inform you that, unfortunately, my uncle passed away today as he was unwell for a couple of months. He lives in Rajasthan, so I would have to leave today and make the funeral arrangements. I will be back by …. (date). I kindly request you to grant me leave for 5 days, I will be back after the mentioned date and would complete all my work within time. I assure you that my current incomplete tasks would not be hampered because of this short break. I promise you that I will make all efforts to catch up quickly with all my unfinished tasks once I return. Thank you so much for understanding me in this situation. Yours sincerely, (Name) |
Vacation Leave Application
Do you wish to go on a vacation with your family for a couple of days? If yes, then for that, you would have to ask for leaves and write a letter for permission. You can also use your paid leaves for going on a vacation. You should make sure that you want to ask leaves for going on a vacation well in advance so that it does not get rejected.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Leave Application for vacation Dear Sir/Madam (Recipients name) I am writing this letter to seek approval from you for a planned vacation for 7 days, starting from …. To …… I wish to take my leave in May as it is my kid’s summer vacation. I plan to take them to Greece as it is the best time to visit there. I have made all the required arrangements and completed all the tasks before going on leave. I am sure that the team would be able to handle the work well in my absence. In case of any assistance, you can always reach me on my mobile number. I await your response eagerly so that I can make the required changes. Thank you for your consideration. Yours sincerely, (Name) |
One-day Leave Application
This letter is written when you want to take a day off from your office, college, or school. In this letter, you need to tell why you need to take leave and should be addressed to the immediate boss. Mention the date on which you need to take a leave and try not to be very descriptive as it is just one day leave.
Do not forget to mention the backup when you would be on leave; it shows that you are responsible and the work would not be hampered. It keeps a relationship with your boss good plus increases the chance of your leave being approved. Here is how to write a formal leave letter request for one day leave.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – One Day Leave Application Dear Sir/Madam I am writing this letter to inform you that I need leave on …. (date) of the month. I need to go and meet my school friend as he is coming from New York. I would come back to the office the next day without fail. ….. (name of the colleague) would be my backup while I will be on leave. In case of any questions or clarifications, you can contact me at my number. Also, I have emailed you and the team, progress report of my project. I am confident that the team would be able to handle it in my absence. I hope you will understand my situation and grant me leave for one day. Thank you Yours Sincerely, (Name) |
Half-Day Leave application
This letter is written when you need a leave just for half-day either the first half or second half. It is important to write a letter about this as it shows your seriousness about work. Ensure that you mention your work status in this and also if you have any urgent meeting, then specify who would attend it when you are on leave.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Half-Day Leave Application Respected Sir/Madam I would like to bring to your kind attention that I would not be able to come to work in the first half on … (date). I have an appointment with the passport office and it is at 11.00 am. I would come to work at around 3 pm and finish my work quickly. I have submitted all my reports yesterday and there would be no issues while I would not be at work. Also, I have explained everything to …. (colleague) as he will handle any update if required. Please call me on my phone number if there is any assistance required. Thanking you Yours sincerely, (Name) |
Leave Letter for Marriage
You always need long leaves for marriage as there are a lot of things you need to do, such as arrangements, clothes, then honeymoon and other endless things. So, you should make sure that you grant permission for marriage leaves well in advance so that your work can be delegated to others in time.
Ensure that the tone of the letter should be polite and also mention the dates plus invite your manager in the letter too. Here is how to write a formal leave letter request for marriage.
Sample:
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Your name Address Phone number Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Half-Day Leave Application Respected Sir/Madam I am writing this letter to inform you that my marriage is on ….. (date). I am really excited about it and looking forward to it. I will send you a formal invitation very soon. I would like to bring to your kind attention that I would like to take leave from …(start date) to … (end-date) for making the wedding arrangements. I have sent all the reports to you and all the team members. I would ensure that I complete all the pending tasks before I go on leave. ….(colleague) would take care of my projects when I will go on leave. You can contact me at my mobile number if you have any queries or doubts about the ongoing projects. I hope that you will grant me leave for the dates mentioned above. Yours sincerely, (Name) |
School Leave Letter
You may need leave from your school for any reason such as health reasons, going for a vacation, family member unwell, some marriage in the family and much more. For taking a leave from school, you need to inform your teacher about that. Ensure that the tone is polite and the reason is clearly mentioned. Attach the necessary documents, if required.
Sample:
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Your name Address Date – Mention the date on which the letter is written Subject – Leave Application Respected Sir/Madam I would like to inform you that my child …. Of class….. As one of our family members is unwell and hospitalized because of which everyone is in the hospital. We would not be able to send our child to school for three days as we are not in a position to send him/her to school. Hence, I would request you to please approve the leave from …. To … I assure you that he/she would attend all the classes regularly after that. I have also attached the medical documents for your reference. Thank you so much for understanding the situation. Yours sincerely, (Name) |
These were some of the important samples for how to write a formal leave letter request for different reasons. This would really provide you assistance in case you need to take leave from work. Below mentioned are some of the pointers for you to follow while writing a formal leave letter.
Also Read: How to Call in Sick at Walmart?
Do’s and don’ts for requesting a formal leave request
It is vital for you to know about a few things that you should take care of before asking for leave so that your leave does not get rejected, plus the manager also gets ample time to manage the work accordingly.
- The first thing you should always do is speak to your supervisor verbally so that he is aware of your situation. Ensure that while talking to your boss your tone should be polite
- Request for leaves well in advance, it is essential that you give as much notice as possible. It is important as it provides your supervisor time to arrange someone for your work role. Also, if you ask for it in advance, there are very fewer chances of the leave request getting rejected
- You should know your rights and check if your company is giving unpaid leave wherein it should be paid leave, such as in the case of maternity leave, sick leave, or any such leave.
