How to build a PTO & leave request workflow with approval logic

Simplify how your team requests and approves time off

In this guide, you’ll build a PTO and leave request workflow that lets employees submit time-off requests, managers approve or decline them, and HR track balances automatically — all within Formaloo.
📘 Learn more: Create your first form, app, or portal in a flash

Step 1 — Create your PTO request form

Start from your workspace and click + New → Form. You can start from scratch or choose the Leave & vacation requests with memory forms template from the Template gallery.

Or use Magic Create, describe your goal:

“A leave request form that collects employee details, leave type, dates, and routes automatically for manager approval.”

Why this matters: centralizing time-off requests ensures fairness and eliminates messy email trails.
📘 Learn more: How to create any form using Magic Create in Formaloo

Step 2 — Add employee details and leave fields

Collect all necessary data to process requests efficiently:

• Employee name
  
  
• Email address
  
  
• Department / manager
  
  
• Type of leave (Annual, Sick, Unpaid, Maternity, etc.)
  
  
• Start date
  
  
• End date
  
  
• Total days requested (auto-calculated variable)
  
  
• Reason for leave
  
  

Example variable for total days:

@days_requested = datediff(@end_date, @start_date)

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📘 Learn more: How to use a variable with a formula

Step 3 — Add manager and HR review fields

Include internal-only fields for workflow tracking:

• Approval status (Pending / Approved / Rejected)
  
  
• Manager comments
  
  
• HR confirmation (checkbox or signature)
  
  
• Return-to-work date (optional)
  
  

💡 Tip: mark these fields as “Visible only to collaborators” to hide them from employees.
📘 Learn more: How to edit forms and form responses

Step 4 — Set up conditional approval logic

Go to Settings →  Advanced logic to automate your approval flow:

• If Department = Sales → Notify Sales Manager for approval.
  
  
• If Days requested > 10 → Send to HR for secondary review.
  
  
• If Type of leave = Sick → Skip approval and mark as auto-approved.
  
  

📘 Learn more: How to add advanced logic to your form

Step 5 — Automate email notifications

In Settings → Advanced logic or Notify tab, create automated messages for each step:

• To employee: confirmation email after submission.
  
  
• To manager: new leave request assigned.
  
  
• To employee: approved or rejected update with comments.
  
  

Use variables like @employee_name, @start_date, @days_requested, and @approval_status.
📘 Learn more: How to send and receive conditional email notifications

Step 6 — Add on-update logic for workflow automation

Enable on-update logic so changes trigger the right actions:

• When Approval status = Approved → Notify HR and mark as Approved in dashboard.
  
  
• When Approval status = Rejected → Send automated rejection email to employee.
  
  
• When HR confirms → Update remaining leave balance automatically.
  📘 Learn more: What is on-update logic and how it works
  
  

Step 7 — Track leave balances with linked forms

Create a Leave Balance Form or Employee Directory Form that lists each employee’s remaining days. Then, use linked rows to connect it with your PTO form:

• When a request is approved, the balance updates automatically.
  
  
• Managers can view history and remaining PTO at a glance.
  📘 Learn more: What are linked rows and how to use them
  
  

Step 8 — Build your leave management dashboard

In Results → Responses, visualize and manage all leave requests:

• Table view: all requests with filters by department or status.
  
  
• Kanban view: group by Approval status (Pending, Approved, Rejected).
  
  
• Charts: display total leaves per month, average days off, or department summaries.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a Kanban board
  
  

Step 9 — Create a staff portal for self-service requests

From your workspace, click + New → App → Portal to build a Leave Management Portal.

Add pages such as:

• Submit leave request
  
  
• My requests (employee view)
  
  
• Manager dashboard (filtered by department)
  
  
• HR overview (all company)
  
  

Set access permissions so:

• Employees can view and edit only their own requests.
  
  
• Managers and HR can approve, reject, and update balances.
  📘 Learn more: How to create a portal and manage users’ access
  
  

Step 10 — Generate approval summaries or leave letters

Use custom PDF templates to automatically generate approval letters or summaries:

• Employee and manager details
  
  
• Dates and type of leave
  
  
• Status and comments
  Attach them to approval emails automatically for record-keeping.
  📘 Learn more: How to generate custom PDFs using templates
  
  

Step 11 — Use AI to analyze leave patterns

Enable AI Analyze to uncover insights such as:

• “Top 3 departments with the highest leave rates.”
  
  
• “Average leave duration by type.”
  
  
• “Employees with low remaining PTO balance.”
  📘 Learn more: Uncover insights and trends in your data with AI Analyze
  
  

Pro tips

• Add Memory Forms so employee details auto-fill when logged in.
  
  
• Set conditional redirection to show a thank-you or policy page after submission.
  
  
• Combine with approval logic and linked rows for end-to-end HR tracking.
  📘 Learn more: Build personalized and time-saving flows with logic, automations, and AI
  
  

Example scenario

An employee submits a 5-day vacation request. The form routes it to their manager, who approves it. HR is notified automatically, and the system deducts 5 days from the employee’s balance in the linked Leave Directory. The employee receives a confirmation email with their updated balance, and the request appears under “Approved Leaves” in the company portal.

FAQ

1. Can managers edit or add notes after approval?
Yes, they can update any submission from the portal if they have correct access.

2. Can this workflow handle multiple approval levels?
Yes, use advanced logic to add multi-step approvals (Manager → HR → Director).

Your leave workflow is live, automate time-off management effortlessly

You’ve built a complete PTO workflow that simplifies requests, approvals, and tracking. Keep improving it with linked databases, automation, and AI to make HR operations smooth and transparent.
📘 Learn more: How to personalize ending pages and email notifications with AI

Last updated October 2025

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