---
title: "Request time off"
description: "How to send a leave request from the mobile app, what happens next, and how to cancel one. The iPhone and Android flows differ, so both are covered."
type: guide
updated: 2026-09-15
canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/teachers/timesheets/request-leave
roles: ["teacher", "center_admin", "super_admin"]
platforms: [ios, android]
---
Leave lives on the **Dashboard** tab, at the bottom, in the **Manage** section. There are two rows there: **Request Leave** and **Leave Requests**.

<Callout kind="warning" title="The two apps behave differently here">
On iPhone, **Request Leave** opens the form straight away. On Android, both rows open the same list screen and you tap a **+** button to reach the form. The form itself also differs — most importantly, Android makes you type dates by hand. Follow the section for your phone.
</Callout>

## On iPhone

### Sending a request

1. **Dashboard** tab → scroll to **Manage** → tap **Request Leave**.
2. Pick a **Type**: Personal, Sick, Parental, Bereavement, Jury duty, Vacation, or Holiday.
3. Set **Start Date** and **End Date** by tapping each date and using the picker.
4. If your start and end dates are the same day, a **Duration** control appears so you can ask for **Full day**, **Morning**, or **Afternoon**. It is hidden for multi-day requests, which are always full days.
5. Check the **Total Days** figure — a half day counts as 0.5.
6. Add a **Reason** if you want to. It is optional.
7. Tap **Submit** in the top right.

You will see **Leave Request Submitted**, confirming it has gone for review. **Submit** stays greyed out until the request adds up to at least half a day.

### Seeing your requests

**Dashboard** → **Manage** → **Leave Requests**. The row shows an amber badge with the number of requests still waiting for an answer.

<ScreenshotWithPointers
  src="/screenshots/teachers/time/leave-requests.png"
  alt="The Leave Requests screen on iPhone showing the empty state"
  pointers={[
    { x: 81.8, y: 5.6, caption: "Plus — opens the same request form, without going back to the Dashboard" },
    { x: 1, y: 11.8, caption: "Leave Requests — every request you have sent, with its current status" },
    { x: 11.7, y: 40.6, caption: "The empty state before you have sent anything" },
  ]}
/>

Each request shows its status: **Pending**, **Approved**, **Denied**, or **Cancelled**. If whoever reviewed it left a note, it appears in italics beneath, starting with **Note:**.

### Cancelling

**Swipe left** on a request and tap **Cancel**. You can do this while it is still Pending, and also after it has been Approved — useful when plans change.

## On Android

### Sending a request

1. **Dashboard** tab → scroll to **Manage** → tap either **Request Leave** or **Leave Requests**. Both open the same screen, titled **Leave**.
2. Tap the round **+** button in the bottom-right corner. The form is titled **New Leave Request**.
3. Choose a **Leave Type** from the dropdown.
4. **Type the dates by hand**, in the format the fields ask for: **Start Date (YYYY-MM-DD)** and **End Date (YYYY-MM-DD)**. So 4 September 2026 is typed `2026-09-04`. There is no calendar picker on Android.
5. For a single day, choose **Full day**, **Morning**, or **Afternoon**.
6. Add a **Reason** if you want to.
7. Tap **Submit Request** at the bottom of the form.

Android does not show a running **Total Days** figure, so double-check your two dates before submitting.

### Seeing your requests

The **Leave** screen splits your requests into **Pending Requests** and **Past Requests**.

Android also shows something iPhone does not: a **Leave Balances** card at the top, listing how many days you have used out of your allowance for each type of leave.

### Cancelling

Open the request and tap the red **Cancel Request** button inside the card. There is no swipe gesture on Android.

## What happens after you submit

Your request goes to your center's owners and admins, who see it on the web dashboard and either approve or deny it. Approved leave then shows up on the schedule — your own **My Schedule** screen marks the day **On Leave**, and a request that has not been answered yet is marked **Pending** there too.

Nobody is notified instantly by the app, so if your request is urgent, tell your manager directly as well as sending it here.

## Troubleshooting

**Submit does nothing on iPhone.** If your staff profile is missing a center, the button silently fails with no error. Ask an owner to check that your profile has a center assigned.

**You cannot find Request Leave.** Both rows are at the very bottom of the Dashboard tab, under **Manage** — below the children, the schedule, and the room sections. Keep scrolling.

**Your leave balance looks wrong on Android.** Balances count approved leave only. A pending request is not deducted until somebody approves it.

**A day you were approved for still shows as a normal shift.** The schedule reflects approved leave, so if it has not updated, the request may still be pending. Check its status on the leave screen.

Related: [See your work schedule](/teachers/timesheets/see-your-schedule), [Leave requests](/owners/staff/leave-requests), [Staff scheduling](/owners/staff/staff-scheduling).