Casual leave letter
Casual leave covers the odd day pulled out of a normal week: a bank appointment, a relative arriving, a repair somebody has to be home for. Brevity is the whole trick.
Take this for one or two days of personal business, usually with a few days' notice. Sickness and bereavement have their own notes in this section and should not be filed as casual.
Subject: Casual leave — [day] Hello [manager's name], I need to take casual leave on [day] for a personal matter. [coverage sentence] I am reachable on [contact method] if something urgent lands. [your name]
What to put in each blank
- [day]
- One day, or two at most. A longer stretch belongs in an annual leave application.
- [coverage sentence]
- Say what moves and what does not. A meeting pushed to Thursday is more useful than a promise to catch up.
- [contact method]
- Offer this only if you mean it. Say nothing rather than go quiet on a number you gave.
Before you send it
- "A personal matter" is a complete reason. You are not obliged to expand on it.
- Casual days are usually a small yearly allowance, so check what is left before you spend one on something a weekend could absorb.
- Put it in writing even when you have already mentioned it in passing. A verbal yes leaves no record for whoever approves the month.
Casual leave is one of the leave types an admin configures with its own yearly quota
Questions people ask about this letter
What counts as casual leave?
Short personal absences that are neither illness nor a planned holiday. Errands, appointments and family obligations are the usual cases.
Do I have to say what the personal matter is?
Usually not. Most employers accept the phrase as written, and a manager who needs more will ask.
Can casual leave be taken at short notice?
Often yes, which is the point of it. Give whatever notice you have, even if that is the same morning.