Time off requests

Time off requests let providers ask for time away and let an approver decide before anything changes on the schedule. Open Time off requests in the Schedule panel of the main menu.

Turn on approval#

By default, every provider adds their own time off (see Provider availability and time off). To review it first, open Setup > Scheduling settings and turn on Approve time off requests under Time off, then click Save Changes.

With approval on, a provider can no longer add, change or delete their own time off directly; they send a request instead. Their Availability tab shows Request Time Off in place of New Time Off. Staff who manage schedules or providers still add time off for anyone, straight away.

Ask for time off#

1. Click Request Time Off.
2. Choose the From and To dates and a Reason. Leave Whole days on, or turn it off to ask for part of a day from Starts at to Ends at.
3. Add any Notes the approver should read, then click Send Request.

The request shows as Pending until someone decides. While it is pending, choose Withdraw from its row menu to take it back. Staff who manage schedules can also file a request for another provider by picking them under Provider.

Who approves#

• Staff who manage schedule settings or providers decide every provider's requests.
• Clinical supervisors decide the requests of the providers they currently supervise (their direct reports in Supervision). Your clinic can give the Approve time off permission to other roles too.

Nobody decides their own request.

When a request comes in, everyone who can decide it gets a notification in NeatPractice and an email. The notice names the provider and the dates; open it to reach Time off requests. The reason and notes stay in NeatPractice.

Approve, change or deny#

The list opens on Pending requests, soonest first. Use Show to see approved, denied, withdrawn or all requests.

• Approve opens the request with its dates, times and reason. Change anything that needs it, for example approving three days of a five-day request, add a note for the provider and click Approve. NeatPractice books the time off exactly as if it had been added on the provider's Availability tab: it blocks booking at every location and shows on the calendar.
• Deny asks for an optional note and closes the request.

The Decision column shows who decided, when, and the note. With the payroll add-on, the Balance column shows the provider's balance today on the time off policy that covers the request's reason (see Time off balances).

If booked appointments fall in the approved time off, NeatPractice lists them so you can reschedule, cancel or leave each one, as described in Appointments already booked in the time off.