Leave cancellation letter
Cancelling approved leave leaves a trail behind it. Cover was arranged, a calendar was blocked and days came off a balance. All three need undoing, and only you know it is happening.
Send this when approved dates are no longer wanted — a trip fell through, a project moved, or you simply changed your mind. Send it as soon as you decide.
Subject: Cancelling approved leave — [original dates] Hello [manager's name], I had [leave type] approved for [original dates]. I no longer need those days and would like to cancel the request. [reason line] Could the [number] days go back to my balance? I will be working as normal that week. [cover line] [rebooking line] [your name]
What to put in each blank
- [reason line]
- Optional and brief. "Plans changed" is a complete answer.
- [cover line]
- Name whoever was covering and say you have told them the cover is not needed.
- [rebooking line]
- If you want the days later, say so now. Mentioning it early beats competing for a popular week.
Before you send it
- Tell the person who was covering. They may have rearranged their own week around yours.
- Delete the calendar block yourself. An out-of-office that nobody removed keeps answering your email.
- Confirm the balance went back up. Cancellations are the most common place for a day to quietly vanish.
Questions people ask about this letter
Can approved leave be cancelled?
Usually yes, especially with notice. Employers set their own rules, and a cancellation close to the dates may be harder if cover is already booked.
Do the days return to my balance automatically?
Often they do, but check. A cancellation handled by email rather than in a system is the one that gets forgotten.
What if I cancel and then want the days back?
Submit a fresh request. Say in the note that these are the days you cancelled, so the history makes sense to whoever approves it.