Vacation Planner – free & workplace-ready

A leave planner is a team-level overview of who is off work and when—not a single employee’s request form. Unlike a vacation request template, which one person submits for approval, the planner helps managers and HR see balances, overlaps, and coverage gaps across the roster.

A leave planner Excel template combines an employee list, requests, balance tracking, and a calendar in one file. You record entitlements, approved dates, and remaining days at a glance.

United States

There is no federal minimum paid vacation like UK statutory leave. Many employers offer paid time off (PTO) or separate vacation and sick buckets in policy handbooks. Track accrual, carry-over caps, and blackout dates in your planner—state and city paid-sick laws may also apply.

United Kingdom

Most workers have statutory annual leave (5.6 weeks including public holidays for full-time staff, pro-rated for part-time). Employers may grant more in contract. The planner should reflect working days, not just calendar days, when you deduct leave.

Operating in Germany? German annual leave rules and employer forms differ from US/UK PTO—add local minimums and request formats with your adviser if you employ staff in Germany.

The Ordio leave planner is available in Excel and Google Sheets with tabs for employees, requests, balances, and a calendar. Ordio Absences digitises requests, approvals, and live balances.

How to use the leave planner Excel template for your team:

1. List staff: On the Employees sheet, enter name, annual entitlement (per your US policy or UK contract), days already taken, and status. A Remaining column can calculate automatically.
2. Log requests: On the Requests sheet, enter employee, from/to dates, and type (PTO, vacation, sick, unpaid). Use NETWORKDAYS or your policy’s day-count rules to exclude weekends where appropriate.
3. Track status: Mark rows as pending, approved, or declined. Conditional formatting highlights conflicts (e.g. two supervisors off the same week).
4. Review balances: The Balances sheet rolls up entitlement, used, and remaining days (and percentage used if helpful).
5. Use the calendar: The annual calendar shows approved leave by month—useful for peak-season planning (summer, holidays).

For pro-rated or new hires, calculate entitlement outside the sheet or add a note column—UK statutory leave and US accrual policies differ. The template is free in Excel and Google Sheets.

A leave planner template helps you run fair, visible time-off planning:

• Overview: See who is away, who is available, and how many days remain—fewer double bookings.
• Policy alignment: Document US PTO accrual or UK statutory/contractual leave in one place.
• Time savings: Formulas for working days, remaining balance, and utilisation reduce manual maths.
• Free: Ordio’s template costs nothing—Excel and Google Sheets, no sign-up.
• Scalable: Add rows as headcount grows; switch to software when approvals multiply.

Larger teams benefit from Ordio Absences—digital requests, one-click approval, and integration with scheduling and time tracking. For up to roughly fifteen people, Excel is often enough.

Leave planner and leave request serve different roles:

Typical flow: an employee submits a request; once approved, you record it in the planner. Both Ordio templates are free. Ordio Absences combines request and planner in one app. For sickness documentation, see the absence note template.

Use these tips to get more from your leave planner Excel template:

• Plan early: Ask for summer and year-end preferences well ahead—especially in retail and hospitality.
• Check balances before approving: Confirm remaining PTO or UK leave days on the Balances sheet.
• Keep status current: Pending vs. approved vs. declined avoids scheduling on top of leave.
• Back up files: Save monthly snapshots; Google Sheets version history helps.
• Respect blackouts: Note busy weeks in a policy tab so approvers apply consistent rules.
• Upgrade when needed: When email chains replace the sheet, try Ordio Absences for approvals and live rota integration.

Download the Ordio leave planner for 2026 as Excel or Google Sheets—introduce your team list and start coordinating time off without hidden fees.