Leave applications that I received over a decade are depicted in the above image.
Sick leaves are the most common type of leave that is used (45%) across school, college and offices.
Then comes the casual leaves and privilege leaves with 30% and 22% respectively. Other leaves like Maternity leaves, Paternity leaves,
Bereavement leaves and loss of pay type of leaves are rarely applied.
I have explained the broader types of leaves in the below section.
- Sick Leave
- Privilege/ Earned/ Annual Leave
- Casual Leave
- Maternity Leave
- Paternity Leave
- Bereavement Leave
- Leave without Pay
Sick Leave is provided to an employee in case of personal illness or injury.
Sometimes, leave application should be supported by a medical certificate issued by a doctor, clinic or hospital as per the policy in your organization.
Generally, accumulated sick leaves will not qualify for any kind of encashment.
Read more on application for sick leave
Privilege/ Earned/ Annual Leave provides an opportunity to an employee to take a break from work and spend time on personal
as well as leisure activities with family and friends. An employee is entitled to get some fixed working days of leave every year as per the organization policy.
Privilege Leaves can be carried forward and accumulated based on the policy defined in your organization.
Accumulated privilege leaves will get encashed only at the time of separation in most of the organizations.
Read more on leave application for office
Casual Leave is the one which is provided for urgent or unforeseen matters to the employees.
Casual leave cannot be carried over from one calendar year to the next. Casual leave cannot be combined or connected with any form of leave.
Read more on leave application for urgent piece of work
Maternity Leave is applicable for female employees for maternity leave of 12 weeks in accordance with the provisions of Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. This is limited to first two deliveries only.
This leave is admissible for six weeks before and six weeks after delivery including intervening holidays & weekly offs.
Maternity Leave may also be granted, in case of miscarriage on production of a medical certificate for a period not exceeding six weeks immediately
following the day of her miscarriage.
Read more on leave application for maternity
Paternity Leave is applicable for male employees for birth or adoption of a child for maximum of 5 days.
This leave can be availed within 3 months of birth, surrogating or adoption of a child. This leave is not available for accumulation or encashment.
Read more on leave application for paternity
Bereavement Leave is applicable in an unfortunate event of bereavement in the immediate family, an employee would be eligible for this leave.
The immediate family is defined as spouse, children, parents & parents-in-law, own brothers/ sisters (not cousins or other relatives, etc.) only. This leave is not available for accumulation or encashment.
Leave Without Pay (LWP) would be granted to an employee in exceptional circumstances when no other kind of leave is admissible. An employee would need to apply for this leave.
Appropriate Addressing and Formality
For school/college, address teachers/professors formally ("Respected Sir/Madam"). In offices, use proper designations ("Dear Mr. Sharma"). Maintain formal tone throughout, stating leave purpose clearly. School applications may require parent signatures, while office/college ones need your signature. Always follow institutional formats if specified.
Precise Duration and Supporting Documents
Specify exact start/end dates with total leave days. For medical leave, attach doctor's note (school/office) or medical certificate (college). Office leaves often require prior approval forms. School leaves may need parent consent letters. Mention if it's paid/unpaid leave where applicable in professional settings.
Work/Academic Responsibility Management
For schools/colleges, mention how you'll cover missed lessons. In offices, propose work handover plans. College applications should reference attendance requirements. Office leaves often require out-of-office notifications. Include your commitment to complete pending tasks/academic work post-leave to demonstrate responsibility.
