Leave Letter for Work: How to Write, Template & Examples

At best, you’re expecting. At worst, you’re dealing with health issues or a family emergency. Whatever the reason, you need time off work and you need to either inform your employer or make a request in writing. Only problem is, you don’t know how to write a leave letter. You’re in the right place.

In this article, you’ll find a leave letter template you can adapt and use, no matter the reason for your upcoming absence. With plenty of expert, UK-specific examples and a step-by-step writing guide, you’ll be able to get back to focusing on what really matters.

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Had a different letter in mind? See:

• Resignation Letter Sample
• Retirement Letter Sample
• Appreciation Letter Sample
• Apology Letter Sample
• Termination Letter Sample
• Appointment Letter Sample
• Appeal Letter Sample
• Acceptance Letter Sample
• Recommendation Letter Sample
• Reference Letter Sample

Sample leave letter for work

The maternity leave letter above is something you can refer to when wondering how to write a letter for leave, even if the reasons for your absence are completely different.

Here's how to write a leave letter in a few steps:

1. Begin your leave letter with a proper header and salutation

Even if you have an easy-going relationship with your superior, your leave letter is a formal document. You'll also notice that it resembles a typical cover letter structure. So start with a proper header: align to the right your name, postal address, email, and phone number. Leave a line and add the date of writing, followed by another empty another line.

Then, align to the left your manager’s name, their job title, the company name, and the company’s inside address. Type out the postal addresses just as though you were addressing an envelope. Do all of this even if you’re attaching your application for leave to an email, it might be printed and archived.

Continuing on with the business letter format, you’ll need an appropriate salutation. Use ‘Dear + Mr/Ms + Surname’ or ‘Dear + First Name’. Go with your better judgement as to which, and default to the more formal ‘Dear Ms Jones’ if you’re not sure. 

Not sure who to address your leave letter to? Ask around among your colleagues, someone will know. Do you work for a big corporation? Drop by or call the human resources department. If all else fails, address it to your immediate superior: they’ll be able to direct your leave notice letter to where it needs to go.

Leave letter for work examples: header and salutation

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2. Get straight to the point of your leave letter and lay out the key facts

Immediately state that you’re writing to apply for or inform your reader of your need or desire to take a leave of absence. Name the reason without going into any details. Need to take time off for medical reasons? Simply state this, identifying the specific reason only if you feel comfortable doing so.

Let the recipient of your leave letter know when you intend to go on leave and when you expect to be back at work. That’s all this opening paragraph should do. If your situation is such that you need to provide extra details or a backstory, do so in a separate paragraph. Seek legal advice in very complex cases.

Leave letter example: opening paragraph

3. Indicate what will happen to your duties while you're away

If at all possible, take a paragraph to help your superiors delegate your workload to other workers. Mention any urgent duties or deadlines that might fall by the wayside in your absence. Suggest a temporary replacement, if appropriate. Let your recipient know what needs doing and who might be able to help.

Your ability to do this will be limited if you’re writing a sick leave letter, emergency leave letter, or bereavement leave letter. Just do what you can in the time you have. Put more thought into putting your affairs in order if you’re applying for maternity or paternity leave or writing a sabbatical leave letter.

Manage your recipient’s expectations when it comes to your availability during your leave of absence. Set clear boundaries, this will save both you and your employer some stress and frustration. Include your contact details if you do intend to make yourself available.

Leave letter for work example: planning ahead and declaring availability

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4. End your leave letter for work by expressing gratitude and signing off

If possible, make yourself available to answer any follow-up questions from your employer. Offer to submit any necessary supporting documentation if appropriate, like a medical certificate. Thank your reader for their time or consideration. An expression of gratitude like this can go a long way.

Sign off with ‘Yours Sincerely’. Leave a few lines blank and type out your name in full. Sign above your name if you’re printing out your leave letter. Consider pasting in a digital copy of your signature if emailing your notice of leave letter. An emailed leave letter will be good without a signature.

Leave letter for work examples: closing and signing off

5. Pay attention to these leave letter format best practices

Your leave of absence letter should closely follow the standard business letter format. It does so already if you’ve followed the advice in this article. Proofread your leave letter for spelling and grammar—this is the bare minimum in professional contexts and will increase your chances of approval.

Set out your leave letter for maximum readability

Set the line spacing in your leave letter to 1.15 and use double spaces between paragraphs. Leave all four margins at the default one inch. Try to keep your letter to a single page, but don’t bunch up your text to make this happen. Aim to make your leave letter as easy to read as possible.

Choose a professional-looking font

Choose an understated, easy-to-read font for your leave letter—the default Arial or Calibri will do just fine. Leave the font size at 11–12 points. Don’t go any lower than 11 points: your leave letter might be printed out and archived in hard copy, so it needs to be readable even when there’s no option to zoom in. 

Send your leave letter in PDF

Emailing your leave letter? Save it in PDF before you send it off. PDF will preserve your formatting and layout better than something like a *.docx file. It’s also more stable on a wider variety of devices and screen sizes as well as printing more predictably.

Do you feel confident that you now know how to write a notice letter to leave work? Is there anything you need clarification on? Got any experiences of your own to share? Drop us a line down below—we’ll be sure to get back to you.

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