Leave request approval with Google Forms
Employees fill in a Google Form; each request goes straight to their manager. The manager approves or asks for changes from a link in the email, without a Google account, and the employee gets the answer by email. Everything is recorded in your spreadsheet.
Why a form alone is not enough
Google Forms collects requests but has no approval step. Teams end up forwarding responses, chasing managers in chat, and losing track of who said yes. Approval add-ons usually ask for broad access to your Drive or Gmail and charge per month or cap the free tier.
What it looks like
The manager gets a personal, expiring link as soon as the form is submitted.
The approval page shows every answer. No account or sign-in needed.
Full version: the employee is told the outcome.
Set it up
- Make your copy of the template. Open the copy link, sign in to Google and click Make a copy. The approval script comes with it and runs in your own account.
- Link your leave form. In your form: Responses, Link to Sheets, Select existing spreadsheet, and choose your copy. Google adds a tab called Form responses 1.
- Deploy the approval page. In the spreadsheet: Extensions, Apps Script, Deploy, New deployment, Web app, Execute as Me, Who has access Anyone. Paste the web app URL into Settings.
- Fill in Settings. Enter the responses tab name, the question that names the request (for example "Dates requested"), HR as fixed approver, and in the full version "Manager email" as the approver question.
- Connect the form. Choose Approvals, Connect a Google Form. From now on every new response is sent for approval automatically.
Free or full?
Free edition (make your copy, setup guide): every response goes to the approvers you list in Settings, with links that work without a Google account, approvals tied to the exact version, and a log. No cap on responses.
Full version (£29 Personal, £79 Business, one-off): adds the approver taken from a form answer, an email to the requester with the outcome and comments, and automatic reminders.
Questions
Can managers approve without a Google account?
Yes. Each manager gets a personal link that expires after the number of days you choose. They do not need a Google account or access to your spreadsheet.
Can each request go to the employee's own manager?
Yes, in the full version. Add a "Manager email" question to the form and enter that question in Settings; each response goes to the address in that answer. The free edition sends every response to the same fixed approvers, for example HR.
Does the employee find out the decision?
In the full version, yes: one email when it is approved, or when changes are needed, with the manager's comments. Add a question for the employee's email, or turn on email collection in the form.
What if HR and the manager both need to approve?
Put HR in the fixed approvers, use the manager question for the manager, and set the rule to All. The request is approved only when both have approved.
Is there a monthly fee or a response limit?
No. The free edition has no response cap, and the full version is a one-off payment. Only Google's own daily email limits apply.
Honest limits
- Google's email limits apply: about 100 emails a day on free Gmail, 1,500 on Google Workspace.
- During setup Google shows an "unverified app" screen, because the script runs in your own copy rather than as a published add-on. The guide shows the two clicks to continue.
- Workspace admins can block public web pages; then people outside your organisation cannot open approval links.
- It is a sign-off record, not a legal electronic signature.
More: Form Approvals for Google Forms · Leave requests · Expense approval · Client sign-off