SOURCE:    Vacation Tracker
TITLE:     How To Set Up A Leave Request Notice Period?
URL:       https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-to-set-up-a-leave-request-notice-period/
LANG:      en
PUBLISHED: 2025-08-15
UPDATED:   2026-07-01
READING:   2 min
SUMMARY:   How To Set Up A Leave Request Notice Period?

# How To Set Up A Leave Request Notice Period?

# How To Set Up A Leave Request Notice Period?

The Leave Request Notice Period automation lets you require employees to give advance notice for longer leaves — so you have time to plan around their absence. Set it once and the rule enforces itself on every future request.

Included with all paid plans

This automation is free for all users, regardless of which plan you're on. Whether you're on Core, Complete, or even just on the 14-day free trial for the first time, you have access to this automation at no additional charge.

## What It Does

Implements and automates a policy where employees are required to provide advanced notice for longer amounts of leave. Vacation Tracker checks the duration of each request against your rule, and if a User isn't giving enough notice, the request is blocked.

Example: An employee wants to take one month of vacation. You require 3 months of advanced notice. The automation enforces this — meaning the employee can't submit the request less than 3 months before the leave start date. That way, you can plan around their absence.

### Watch the tutorial

Vacation Tracker has a YouTube tutorial walking through this automation:

## Steps

- Log in to your Vacation Tracker account at app.vacationtracker.io/signin (https://app.vacationtracker.io/signin).

- On the left-hand side, click Workspace Settings → Add-ons.

- Click View on the Leave Request Notice Period card under My Add-ons. If you haven't subscribed yet, switch to the Discover More Add-ons tab and select Leave Request Notice Period there. (If your subscription has lapsed, you'll see a "Re-subscribe Add-on" banner instead.)

- Click Create policy in the top-right corner.

- Configure the rule — set how much notice is required for which leave duration, and which Locations / Departments / Leave Types it applies to.

- Save the automation. From that moment, leave requests that fall short of the notice period will be blocked at submission.

![Leave Request Notice Period add-on policy form with the notice-duration rule fields and the Locations / Departments / Leave Types selectors visible](https://cms.vacationtracker.io/uploads/helpdesk_artikal_how_to_set_up_a_leave_request_notice_period_first_image_place_f75283b8e1.png)

## Where the Rule Applies

Notice Period rules can be scoped:

- To specific Leave Types — typically Vacation or longer types where planning matters.

- To specific Locations — useful if your offices have different rules.

- To specific Departments — when only certain teams need to plan further ahead.

You can run multiple Notice Period automations side by side — one for short leaves, one for long ones, etc.

Admins only

Only Admins can create and configure Automations. Approvers can view the Automation tab but can't modify automations.

Need to remove an automation?

To unsubscribe from an automation later, see How Do I Unsubscribe From an Automation? (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-unsubscribe-from-an-automation/)

### What's Next?

Limit Users' Leave Duration (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-limit-users-leave-duration/)
Set a Probation Period (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-do-i-set-a-probation-period-automation/)
Set a Blackout Period (https://vacationtracker.io/knowledge-base/how-to-set-a-blackout-period-block-time/)

Need help?

Contact our Support team via email (mailto:hello@vacationtracker.io) or chat (#), Monday to Friday, 9 AM – 5 PM EST.