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How to Use PTO in Workday

This guide walks you through how to use PTO in Workday to request leave or time off as an employee. You'll learn how to check your time off balance, submit a leave request, and verify the approval status of your submission once it has been reviewed.

Workday 18 steps 9 screenshots 865 words Source video 4:29 Generated cost $1.75

Video: How to Request Leave or Time Off in Workday | Step-by-Step Employee Guide by CSPHR. All credit for the demonstration goes to the creator; watch the original on YouTube. The written guide below was generated from this video by Docsie. Creator? Request a change or removal.

This guide walks you through how to use PTO in Workday to request leave or time off as an employee. You'll learn how to check your time off balance, submit a leave request, and verify the approval status of your submission once it has been reviewed.

Prerequisites

  • An active Workday employee account with access to the employee portal.
  • Any supporting documents you may need to attach (for example, a medical report for health-related leave).

Checking your time off balance

1

Log in to your Workday employee portal

Log in and make sure you land on the main dashboard.

Workday portal introduction screen with the CSPHR logo and the title "How to request leave of absence or time off as an employee in Workday!"
Workday portal introduction screen with the CSPHR logo and the title "How to request leave of absence or time off as an employee in Workday!"
2

Navigate to your profile section

Your profile information appears on the left side of the dashboard, including your name, job title, and contact options.

Click More in the left navigation menu to expand additional options related to your employment.

3

Select Time Off from the expanded menu

This opens the time off management section.

4

Review your time off balance

The Time Off Balance tab displays your available leave balances. You can see details such as Absence Plan, Unit of Time, Beginning Year Balance, Accrued Year To Date, Absence Paid Year To Date, Beginning Period Balance, and Accrued in Period.

5

(Optional) Sell unused time off

If you want to sell your leave (for example, 4 PL) to another employee in exchange for money, click Sell Time Off. This option is available under the Time Off Balance tab.

Time Off Balance screen with the "Sell Time Off" button highlighted and "4 PL" noted as the amount available to sell
Time Off Balance screen with the "Sell Time Off" button highlighted and "4 PL" noted as the amount available to sell

Submitting a time off and leave request

6

Open the Time Off and Leave Requests tab

Click on the appropriate option to start a new leave request.

7

Select your leave dates

In the leave request dialog, use the calendar to select your start and end dates. For example, to request leave starting April 14, 2024, for 7 days, click April 14 in the calendar.

Request Absence dialog with the calendar open, showing April 2024 and April 14 selected as the leave start date
Request Absence dialog with the calendar open, showing April 2024 and April 14 selected as the leave start date
8

Click Continue

Click Continue to proceed to the next step.

9

Select your type of leave

In the Request Absence dialog, review the Type of Absence dropdown. Available options include Bereavement Leave, California Volunteer Firefighter / EMC Leave, Education, Emergency Leave, Extended Bereavement Leave, Extended Jury Duty / Court Subpoena, Health Condition / Third Party Sick Pay, and more. For example, select Emergency Leave if you are applying for emergency leave.

Request Absence dialog with the "Type of Absence" dropdown open, showing options including Education and Emergency Leave
Request Absence dialog with the "Type of Absence" dropdown open, showing options including Education and Emergency Leave
10

Click Continue after selecting your leave type

Make sure you've chosen the leave type that matches your situation before proceeding.

11

Enter your leave details

Fill in the following fields:

  • Type of Absence: Confirm your selected leave type (for example, Planned Leave).
  • Last Day of Work: Enter the last day you'll be working before your leave (for example, 05/14/2024).
  • First Day of Absence: Enter the first day you'll be absent (for example, 05/15/2024).
  • Estimated Last Day of Absence: Enter the last day you expect to be absent (for example, 05/21/2024).
  • Request Amount: The system automatically calculates the total number of days (for example, 7 Days).

You can also add a comment to the approver to provide additional context.

Request Absence form showing fields for Type of Absence, Last Day of Work, First Day of Absence, Estimated Last Day of Absence, and Request Amount
Request Absence form showing fields for Type of Absence, Last Day of Work, First Day of Absence, Estimated Last Day of Absence, and Request Amount
12

(Optional) Attach supporting documents

If your leave type requires documentation (for example, medical or emergency leave), upload the relevant files. Click Select files under the Attachments section and choose the file(s) to upload.

13

Submit your leave request

Review all entered information for accuracy, then click Submit to finalize your leave request.

Submit button highlighted on the Request Absence form
Submit button highlighted on the Request Absence form
14

Review your submitted leave details

After submitting, go to the Time Off and Leave Requests tab. Under Leave of Absence Requests, confirm your entry is listed correctly. For example:

  • Leave of Absence: Planned Leave
  • Last Day of Work: 05/14/2024
  • First Day of Leave: 05/15/2024
  • Estimated Last Day of Leave: 05/21/2024
Leave of Absence Requests table showing Planned Leave, Last Day of Work (05/14/2024), First Day of Leave (05/15/2024), and Estimated Last Day of Leave (05/21/2024)
Leave of Absence Requests table showing Planned Leave, Last Day of Work (05/14/2024), First Day of Leave (05/15/2024), and Estimated Last Day of Leave (05/21/2024)

Checking your leave approval status

15

Access your job profile

To check whether your leave has been approved after a few days, log in to your Workday portal and go to your profile by clicking your profile icon or name. Then select the Job section from the left-hand menu.

16

Open your worker history

In the Job Details area, click the More dropdown menu and select Worker History from the list.

Job Details screen with the "More" dropdown open and "Worker History" highlighted
Job Details screen with the "More" dropdown open and "Worker History" highlighted
17

Review your leave approval status

In the Worker History section, locate your absence request entry and review the following columns:

  • Business Process: Absence Request (with your name)
  • Effective Date: (for example, 05/15/2024)
  • Initiated On: (for example, 04/03/2024 10:20:17 PM)
  • Due Date: (for example, 04/10/2024)
  • Completed On: (for example, 04/03/2024 10:20:17 PM)
  • Status: Successfully Completed (indicates your manager has approved your leave)
  • Assigned To: List of approvers or involved parties

If the Status shows Successfully Completed, your leave has been approved.

Worker History table showing the Absence Request entry with Effective Date, Initiated On, Due Date, Completed On, Status (Successfully Completed), and Assigned To columns
Worker History table showing the Absence Request entry with Effective Date, Initiated On, Due Date, Completed On, Status (Successfully Completed), and Assigned To columns
18

(Optional) View additional details

Click the Absence Request link for more information about your leave process, if needed.

Summary

By following these steps, you now know how to use PTO in Workday to:

  • Check your time off balance and, if needed, sell unused leave.
  • Submit a complete leave or time off request with supporting details and documents.
  • Verify your submitted leave details and check the approval status through your worker history.
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Generated by Docsie Video-to-Docs on 2026-10-12 from a 4-minute video. Screenshots are frames from the source video and belong to their creator, CSPHR, whose original is embedded above. If you own this video and want the guide removed or credited differently, contact us and we will act within one business day.

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