Leave of Absence Request Form

A leave of absence request form is an online form employers use to collect the reason, dates, and supporting documentation for an employee's leave request, and to track it through approval. Instead of an email thread and a manager's memory, there's one record of what's requested, what's outstanding, and what's been approved.

Email buries the latest status under every reply that came before it, and a paper form only helps the person holding it. A structured form collects the same information every time, routes it to the right person, and makes it obvious at a glance what's still missing, like a signed certification or a manager's sign-off.

Ask for what your policy actually requires processing a request:

• Employee, manager, and department information
• Reason for leave: medical, parental, military, or personal
• Requested start date and expected return date
• Supporting documentation, like medical certification or military orders
• Whether the employee plans to use accrued PTO or sick leave during the absence

No. The form collects a request, it doesn't grant one. Approval depends on your leave policy, applicable law (FMLA, ADA, and state leave requirements all vary), and the employee's eligibility, which HR still has to confirm. Connect the form to your HRIS through Zapier and an incomplete or approaching-deadline request can trigger a reminder automatically, but a person still has to make the approval decision.

Yes. Add a file upload question and employees can attach medical certification, adoption paperwork, or military orders in the same submission, no separate email required. Pair it with conditional logic so the upload only appears for the type of leave that specific employee is requesting. One caution: medical documentation should be routed to a confidential file separate from the employee's general personnel record, which is a standard ADA requirement, not just a best practice.