Ready-to-use automatic replies for vacation, sick leave, parental leave, public holidays, business travel and handovers. Copy one, swap the bracketed placeholders for your details, and paste it into Outlook, Gmail or whichever tool you use. No email address required.
The everyday case. Give the return date, name a backup, and resist the urge to promise you'll check email — you won't, and saying so sets a worse expectation than silence.
Safe for internal and external senders.
Subject: Out of office — back on [DATE] Hello, Thank you for your email. I'm out of the office on annual leave until [DATE] and won't be checking messages while I'm away. For anything urgent, please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL], who is covering for me. Otherwise I'll reply once I'm back. Best regards, [YOUR NAME]
When you'd rather not explain anything.
Hi, I'm away from the office until [DATE] with limited access to email. For urgent matters, please reach [NAME] at [EMAIL]. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]
Good for close colleagues and long-standing clients.
Hi there, Thanks for reaching out. I'm taking some time off and will be back at my desk on [DATE]. I'm switching off properly, so I won't be picking up email until then. [NAME] ([EMAIL]) is looking after things while I'm away and can help with anything that can't wait. Talk soon, [YOUR NAME]
For solo roles where there's genuinely no backup.
Hello, I'm out of the office until [DATE] and won't have access to email during that time. There's no cover for my role while I'm away, so I'll work through messages in order when I return. If your request is time-critical, please resend it on [RETURN DATE] so it reaches the top of my inbox. Thank you for your patience, [YOUR NAME]
For regulated or conservative industries.
Dear Sender, Thank you for your message. I am currently out of the office and will return on [DATE]. During this period I will not be monitoring this mailbox. For immediate assistance, please contact [NAME], [TITLE], at [EMAIL] or [PHONE]. I will respond to your message promptly upon my return. Kind regards, [YOUR NAME] [TITLE] | [COMPANY]
For a few hours rather than a whole day.
Hi, I'm away from my desk for the rest of today and back tomorrow morning. If it's urgent, please call me on [PHONE] or contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]
Keep these vague. You are not obliged to describe your condition, and in the US disclosing it can pull the exchange into ADA territory you don't want to be in. "Unwell" is enough.
Set this from your phone in ten seconds.
Hello, I'm out of the office unwell today and not checking email. For anything urgent, please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. Thank you, [YOUR NAME]
When you'll be away more than a couple of days.
Hello, Thank you for your email. I'm currently on sick leave and not able to respond. I expect to be back on [DATE], though that may change. Please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL] for anything that needs attention in the meantime — they have full context on my active work. Best regards, [YOUR NAME]
Avoids committing to a date you may miss.
Hello, I'm away from work on medical leave and won't be reading this mailbox. I don't have a confirmed return date yet. All of my work is being handled by [NAME] ([EMAIL]) — please direct anything, urgent or not, to them. Thank you for understanding, [YOUR NAME]
A few hours out, no detail needed.
Hello, I'm out of the office at an appointment this [MORNING/AFTERNOON] and will pick up email when I'm back. For anything urgent before then, please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]
Brief and private — no explanation owed.
Hello, I'm away from work on bereavement leave and won't be reading email. I expect to be back on [DATE]. [NAME] ([EMAIL]) is covering my work and can help with anything in the meantime. Thank you for your understanding, [YOUR NAME]
Longer absences need a real handover, not a holding message. Name the person taking over permanently for the period and make clear the mailbox isn't being watched at all.
Covers maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
Hello, Thank you for your email. I'm on parental leave until approximately [DATE] and won't be checking this mailbox at all during that time. [NAME] ([EMAIL]) has taken over my responsibilities and is the best person to help — please forward anything you'd have sent me to them directly. I'll pick things up when I'm back. Best wishes, [YOUR NAME]
Neutral wording for FMLA-type absences.
Hello, I'm currently on approved family leave and away from work until [DATE]. I won't be reading email while I'm away. For anything relating to [PROJECT/ACCOUNT], please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. For anything else, [MANAGER NAME] at [EMAIL] can point you in the right direction. Thank you, [YOUR NAME]
Long absence with a full handover.
Hello, Thank you for your email. I'm on maternity leave from [START DATE] and expect to return around [RETURN DATE]. I won't be checking this mailbox while I'm away. In my absence, please contact: • [NAME] at [EMAIL] — for [AREA OF WORK] • [NAME] at [EMAIL] — for anything else I'll be back in touch when I return. Best wishes, [YOUR NAME]
Shorter absence, single point of cover.
Hello, I'm on paternity leave until [DATE] and away from email. [NAME] ([EMAIL]) is covering for me and has everything they need to help. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]
Shared across the whole team, so write these once and reuse them. Naming the actual holiday helps international senders understand why nobody is answering.
One-day closure.
Hello, Thank you for your message. Our office is closed on [DATE] for [HOLIDAY NAME] and reopens on [DATE]. We'll respond to your email as soon as we're back. Best regards, [COMPANY] Team
For a multi-day company closure.
Hello, Thank you for getting in touch. [COMPANY] is closed for the holiday period from [START DATE] until [END DATE]. Our team is away and email is not being monitored. For genuine emergencies during the shutdown, please contact [EMERGENCY CONTACT] at [EMAIL/PHONE]. We'll reply to everything else in order when we reopen on [END DATE]. Season's greetings, [COMPANY] Team
When only one office is closed.
Hello, Our [COUNTRY/OFFICE] team is out today for [HOLIDAY NAME] and will be back on [DATE]. Colleagues in our other offices are working as normal — if your request is urgent, [NAME] at [EMAIL] can help. Thanks for your patience, [YOUR NAME]
You're out of office but still working, so these should promise a slower reply rather than no reply. This is the classic OOO-but-not-PTO case.
Slow replies, not silence.
Hello, I'm at [EVENT NAME] until [DATE], so my replies will be slower than usual — expect around 24 hours rather than same day. If it's urgent, [NAME] at [EMAIL] can help immediately. If you're also at [EVENT NAME], reply here and let's find time to meet. Best, [YOUR NAME]
Working, just not at your desk.
Hi, I'm on site with a client until [DATE] and checking email only in the mornings and evenings. For anything that can't wait, please call me on [PHONE] or contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]
Sets expectations without claiming to be off.
Hello, I'm working from [LOCATION] until [DATE], which puts me [X] hours ahead of/behind my usual hours. I'm still fully reachable — our overlap is roughly [TIME RANGE] [TIMEZONE]. If you need something outside those hours, [NAME] at [EMAIL] is covering. Best regards, [YOUR NAME]
In sessions all day, checking email in gaps.
Hi, I'm in [TRAINING/OFFSITE] until [DATE] and only checking email between sessions, so replies will be slow. For anything that can't wait until [DATE], please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. Thanks, [YOUR NAME]
The one people get wrong most often. Never leave a departed employee's auto-reply pointing at a mailbox nobody reads — set the redirect on the day they leave and keep it running for at least 90 days.
Permanent redirect to the right person.
Hello, Thank you for your email. I've left [COMPANY] as of [DATE] and this address is no longer monitored. For anything relating to [AREA OF WORK], please contact [NAME] at [EMAIL]. For general enquiries, [TEAM EMAIL] will reach the right person. Thank you for working with me — it's been a pleasure. Best wishes, [YOUR NAME]
Same company, different responsibilities.
Hello, Thanks for reaching out. As of [DATE] I've moved to a new role at [COMPANY] as [NEW TITLE], and I'm no longer handling [PREVIOUS AREA]. [NAME] ([EMAIL]) has taken over — please send this and anything similar to them. You can still reach me at this address for anything relating to [NEW AREA]. Best, [YOUR NAME]
Gives senders a deadline to update their records.
Hello, I've left [COMPANY] and this mailbox will be closed on [DATE]. After that, mail sent here will not be delivered. Please update your records to [NAME] at [EMAIL] for anything relating to [AREA OF WORK]. Thank you, [YOUR NAME]
Setting an out-of-office message tells people you're away. It does not record the absence anywhere, does not deduct anything from your leave balance, and does not tell your manager. Those are separate steps, and forgetting the second one is the single most common reason leave balances drift out of sync with reality by year end.
If you're unclear on which is which, the difference between OOO and PTO is worth two minutes — or read up on what PTO actually means and how accrual works.
Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly attendance grids with auto totals.
Log leave as date ranges — entitlement, taken and remaining calculate themselves.
Occasions, days lost, absence rate and Bradford Factor per employee.
Track vacation, sick and personal leave balances per employee.
Weekly, biweekly, monthly and project timesheets for payroll.
Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and shift schedules for your team.
Printable sign-in log for recording start and finish times.
A simple leave request form your team can fill in and submit.
Work out statutory leave entitlement, pro-rata and part-year.