Free template
Free leave tracker template for employee time off
This free leave tracker template gives you two sheets: a log of every day off and a balance per person for the year. Both are plain CSV files that open in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers. Download them, no sign up needed, and move to a leave system when a spreadsheet stops being enough.
What is in the leave tracker template
The leave log has one row per absence: who, which team, the leave type, the first and last day off, working days, status, who approved it and when. The balance sheet has one row per person per year: allowance, days carried over, days taken, days booked and days remaining.
Each file has example rows marked Example so you can see the format. Delete them, add your people, and keep dates in one format throughout. Year, month, day sorts correctly in every spreadsheet.
- Leave tracker template (CSV)
One row per absence: dates, working days, leave type, status and approver.
- Leave balances template (CSV)
One row per person per year: allowance, carried over, taken, booked and remaining.
How to use a leave tracker template well
Count working days, not calendar days
A week off over a weekend is five working days. Take public holidays out too, or a balance runs down faster than it should.
Record the approver
When somebody asks later who agreed a week off, the row answers it.
Never overwrite a row
If leave is cancelled, change the status rather than deleting the row, so the log still explains the balance.
Remaining is a formula
Allowance plus carried over, minus taken and booked. Type it as a formula once and fill it down.
One file, one owner
Two copies of a spreadsheet drift apart. Keep one shared file and decide who edits it.
Holiday tracker in the UK
The same template works as a staff holiday planner or annual leave tracker. Only the words differ.
When a leave tracker template stops being enough
A spreadsheet works for a handful of people. It starts to hurt when requests arrive by message and somebody has to copy them in, when two managers approve the same week for two people in a small team, or when a balance is wrong and nobody can say which row made it wrong.
That is what the Leave screen in the ExecCortex Human Resources app does instead. Requests come in from staff, the Waiting tab holds only what needs a decision, approval counts the days against the balance, and How is this worked out shows every movement behind a balance in order. The Leave Calendar shows who is away today and tomorrow.
Moving from the template to leave in ExecCortex
Your spreadsheet is the record of what you agreed so far. These steps carry it over by hand.
1.Set up leave types and holidays
In HR Settings add the leave types you use, and on Holidays add the public holiday calendars and who each one covers.
2.Add your people
Add each employee on Employees with their first job record.
3.Give people their leave
Add each allowance on the employee page, using the remaining days from your balance sheet.
4.Take requests from now on
Staff request leave from My Profile or the Employee Portal, and you work the Waiting tab.
Every screen is explained in detail in the Human Resources guide.
What it costs
Every workspace starts on the free plan, with no card required. Each app is then priced per workspace and switched on by itself, and capacity packs raise one limit at a time without moving you to a bigger plan. Prices below are read live from the platform.
See every price and capacity pack or read more about Human Resource Management.
Related: Leave management system, Free employee database template, or every use case.
Free template: common questions
Is the leave tracker template free?
Yes. Both CSV files are free to download and use, with no sign up.
Does it work in Excel and Google Sheets?
Yes. CSV opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice. Save it in your spreadsheet format after opening to keep formulas.
Can I import the template into ExecCortex?
Not at the moment. Use it as your reference and add each allowance on the employee page when you move over.
Is this the same as a holiday tracker?
Yes. In the UK the same sheet is usually called a holiday tracker, staff holiday planner or annual leave tracker.
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