Leave Without Pay Letter Sample

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Let us explore together the proper way of writing a letter to request an unpaid leave, then we will give an example that you can use.

Is there a valid reason for the leave?

With the exception of annual leave, all kinds of leaves need to be justified unless it is an extremely private matter. Keep in mind that taking an unpaid leave without justification could leave a negative impact with your employers.

Now that we got that out of the way, let's examine what goes into the letter

How to write unpaid leave letter?

Start with the statement. Example: "I would like to take an unpaid leave from [start date] to [end date] due to [some reason]".

Apologize for the short notice if necessary. Example: "I am sorry for the short notice but I was caught off guard and did not expect this to happen at all."

Specify who is going to cover for you while you are on leave. Example: "My colleague John will assume my duties during my absence. I have already discussed the matter with him and he is more than willing to cover for me".

Putting it all together

Dear [Manager Name],

I would like to ask for your approval to take unpaid leave from [start date] to [end date] due to [reason or private matter]. I apologize for the short notice but this is an emergency situation and is totally unplanned.

The workflow will not be interrupted as John is willing to cover for me during that period.

Thank you very much for understanding.

Best Regards