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Administrator Guide
Last Updated: 2026-06-26
Enter Time Off Requests

Enter Time Off Requests

  • Set up time off plans. See Steps: Set Up Time Off Plans.
  • Configure the
    Request Time Off
     business process and security policy in the Time Off and Leave functional area.
You can enter a time off request on behalf of a worker using the
Request Absence
 task.
When entering a request for workers, you can project time off balances and view:
  • Current balances for time off plans.
  • Holidays if the worker has a holiday calendar.
  • Time off requests.
Workers can enter time off requests using the
Request Absence
 task on the
Manage Absence
 report on the Home dashboard. They can also use the Workday mobile app to request time off.
  1. Access the
    Manage Absence
     report.
    To project balances for a future date, update the
    Balance as of
     date.
  2. Click
    Switch Worker
     and select the worker.
    Workday displays the current aggregate balance of all the worker's time off plans as of the date specified in the
    Balance as of
     field. If a worker has both hour-based and day-based plans, it displays total hours and days separately.
    You can configure the
    Balances as of date in the New Absence Calendar Experience
     option on the
    Edit Tenant Setup - HCM
     task.
  3. On the
    Manage Absence
     calendar, select the days for the time off request.
  4. Click
    Request Absence
    .
  5. Enter details for the time off. As you complete this task, consider:
    Option Description
    Request Absence
     micro calendar
    You can hide the
    Request Absence
     micro calendar from all users, specific security groups, or a specific group of workers, so that only the
    Request Absence
     date range view displays.
    To configure the display, access the
    Configure Optional Fields
     task, and select the:
    • Request Time Off functional area.
    • Request Absence Calendar Visibility
       field.
    To hide the
    Request Absence
     micro calendar from a specific group of workers who meet specific criteria, in the
    Condition Rule
     prompt, select an existing condition rule or create a new one. See Configure Optional Fields.
    View Balances
     link
    You can hide the absence balance view from all users, specific security groups, or a specific group of workers. The absence balance view includes the:
    • Balances
       tab of the
      Manage Absence
       calendar.
    • View Balances
       link in the
      Request Absence
      :
      • Micro calendar.
      • Date range view.
    To configure the view, access the
    Configure Optional Fields
     task, and select the:
    • Request Time Off functional area.
    • Absence Balance Visibility
       field.
    To restrict the view for a specific group of workers who meet specific criteria, in the
    Condition Rule
     prompt, select an existing condition rule or create a new one. See Configure Optional Fields.
    Type of Absence
    Displays only the time off types, absence tables, and leave types that the worker is eligible for, either:
    • On the request date.
    • On the first day of the request, if you selected multiple dates as part of the same request.
    Position
    Displays only if you select a time off type that is position-based.
    When a worker has only 1 position that's eligible for the time off, Workday displays it.
    A plus sign (+) after a position name identifies it as a secondary position.
    Start Time
    End Time
    Displays only if you select a time off type that you've configured to display an optional or required start and end time.
    Daily Quantity
    Applies to each date requested. Example: If Mary is taking 2 days off from a daily plan, enter
    1
     for each day. If she's taking 8 hours off each day and the plan is hourly, enter
    8.
    If the time off or time off plan has a defined
    Daily Quantity Default
    , Workday displays a value that's based on the first day of the request.
    If the time off is configured to
    Calculate Quantity Based on Start and End Time
    , Workday displays a read-only value in the
    Daily Quantity
     field. This value equals the duration of time between
    Start Time
     and
    End Time
    .
    When you request absence on behalf of another worker, if you’ve selected the
    Restrict Requests to Days to Include on Calendar
     check box when you configure the calculation details for the time off plan, Workday:
    • Sets the
      Daily Quantity
       to 0 on the unscheduled days.
    • Treats the
      Restrict Requests to Days to Include on Calendar
       validation as True on all tiers.
    Workday displays an alert for the employee self-service experience to indicate that your request only includes days that aren't working days and you can edit individual days to include the days or go back to the calendar to remove them.
    Comment
    The comment that’s associated with the time off entry.
    The comment is visible on the
    Details
     tab of the
    Request Time Off
     business process event.
    When users enter a time off request for multiple days, they can enter a different comment for each day.
    You can configure the visibility of this field for all users, specific security groups, or a specific group of workers who meet specific criteria. Access the
    Configure Optional Fields
     task, and select the:
    • Request Time Off functional area.
    • Time Off Entry Comment
       field.
    To hide the field for a specific group of workers who meet specific criteria, in the
    Condition Rule
     prompt, select an existing condition rule or create a new one. See Configure Optional Fields.
    Comment to Approver
    The comment that’s associated with the
    Request Time Off
     business process.
    The comment is visible to the approver and on the
    Process
     tab of the
    Request Time Off
     business process event.
  6. Click
    Submit Request
    .
    If your time off request includes days that aren’t valid Days To Include (DTI) days for all tiers in the absence tables, Workday automatically removes the non-DTI days.
If the time off request requires approval, Workday routes it to the approvers.
  • To view the latest plan balance that takes into account the requested time off, enter a
    Balance as of
     date that falls after the time off dates.
  • If you need to edit a request that has already been approved, use the
    Manage Absence
    report.