PeopleMuster

Leave extension letter

Timing decides how an extension lands. A request that arrives two days before your return date is a planning problem. The same request on the morning you were expected is a staffing problem.

Write this while you are still away and can see that your original date will not work. Send it as soon as you know, even if the new date is still uncertain.

Subject: Extending my leave — new return date [new return day]

Hello [manager's name],

I am currently on [leave type] and due back on [original return day]. I need to extend to [new return day].

Reason: [why the original date no longer works].

That adds [extra days] working days. [balance line]

I know this lands on short notice. [colleague] has been covering [duty] and I have asked whether they can continue to [new return day]. If that does not work, [alternative].

I will confirm on [confirmation day] that the new date holds.

[your name]

What to put in each blank

[why the original date no longer works]
One line. A delayed discharge, a cancelled flight, a recovery taking longer than expected.
[balance line]
Say whether the extra days come from your balance or are being requested unpaid.
[alternative]
Offer something workable: a half day remotely, a call to unblock someone, a later handover.

Before you send it

  • Ask your covering colleague before you name them again. Being volunteered twice is how goodwill runs out.
  • Do not extend twice in small steps if you can avoid it. One honest longer request is easier to plan around.
  • If the extension is medical, ask whether an updated certificate is needed for the new dates.

An approved change updates the same leave record rather than creating a second one

Questions people ask about this letter

How much notice should an extension get?

As much as you have. Two days before the original return date gives your team a chance to rearrange cover; the morning itself does not.

Can an extension be refused?

It can. Approval depends on your employer's policy and on what is happening at work that week, which is why offering an alternative helps.

Do I write a new request or reference the old one?

Reference the original dates and state the new return day. It keeps one absence as one record rather than two.

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