Absence planning that takes work off your hands.
Leave requests, sickness and every other absence in one place. Approve quickly, spot clashes and see who's off at any time.
- UK GDPR compliant
- EU data centres
- Holiday entitlement tracked
- One click
- approved and booked
- 100% mobile
- easy to use for every employee
- 5.6 weeks
- statutory minimum, tracked correctly
In short: requested, approved, booked.
- Employees request leave in the app and instantly see how many days come off their balance.
- Days taken and remaining leave are calculated automatically — from the entitlement you set per person.
- The team calendar shows overlaps before approval, not once the week has already arrived.
- When someone calls in sick, the gap is spotted and suitable cover is suggested — assigning stays with you.
- From £4 per employee/month, at no extra charge for the module · UK GDPR, EU data centres.
Who's actually in next week?
Leave gets requested by WhatsApp, noted in a spreadsheet and eventually forgotten. And then someone calls in sick at 5pm.
Requests by WhatsApp
Agreed in the chat, recorded nowhere.
Leave in a spreadsheet
Remaining leave kept by hand — and rarely up to date.
Double-booked
Two people approved for the same week off.
Ring-round when someone calls in sick
Four calls, three knock-backs, and you're home late.
How does a digital leave planner work?
Leave planner software replaces two things at once: the list where leave gets noted down, and the constant question of how many days are left. Requests go through the app, approval takes one click, and the leave balance keeps count — including the remaining leave from the entitlement you set.
The team absence calendar shows leave, sickness and open requests in a single view. You see overlaps before approval, not once the week has already arrived — and because every request is documented, there's no arguing later about who agreed to what.
For the unplanned part, absence management works hand in hand with the rota: when someone calls in sick, the resulting gap is spotted and suitable cover is suggested — assigning or asking stays a single click for you. Because time tracking knows about the absence too, there's no double entry. Setup takes about half an hour — once.
5 days off the balance · no clash with minimum staffing
Leave in a few clicks — submit and approve
From request to remaining leave, everything runs in one place — visible to everyone it affects.
Three connected building blocks: request, balance and calendar.
Request via app
Employees pick the dates in the app and instantly see how many days come off their balance. The request lands straight with the manager.
Leave balance & remaining leave
Approved days come off the balance automatically. Entitlement and remaining days are always in sync — for the manager and for the team.
Team absence calendar
Leave, sickness and open requests in a single view. You see who's away and when before approval — not after.
No more 5pm ring-round
Someone calling in sick isn't a planning failure, it's everyday life. PlanState takes the time-consuming part off your hands: finding cover. Suggesting and assigning stays with you — nothing is decided over your head.
Someone calls in sick
The employee calls in sick in the app, and the manager is notified.
Gap is spotted
PlanState sees which shift is left uncovered and flags it.
Cover is suggested
Available colleagues with the right qualifications, sorted by best match.
One click: assign or ask
Add them directly or ask first — the decision stays with you.
Marek off sick · gap Wed, late shift
Sorted by availability, qualifications and weekly hours. No ring-round, no begging in the group chat.
Gap open · Wed late shift needs someone
Everything for planned and unplanned absences
Leave request & approval
Request in the app, approve or decline with one click — all documented.
Automatic leave balance
Days taken and remaining leave are calculated automatically — from the entitlement you set per person.
Team absence calendar
Who's away and when — leave, sickness and open requests in a single view.
Sickness absence with suggested cover
The resulting gap is spotted and suitable cover is suggested.
Notifications
Push notifications for requests, approvals and absences — no one has to chase.
Full audit trail
Request, approval and changes stay logged and traceable.
No double entry
Absences flow straight into the rota and time tracking — entered once, known everywhere. Approved leave means the person is no longer put on the rota.
Leave entitlements tracked correctly
The statutory minimum sits in the Working Time Regulations 1998: 5.6 weeks' paid leave a year — 28 days for someone on a five-day week, capped at 28 days, however many days a week they work. Bank holidays can count towards it. Contractual leave above the minimum comes on top. PlanState tracks entitlement, days taken and carry-over — and you set your own carry-over rules on top of the statutory ones.
Source: Working Time Regulations 1998, regs 13, 13A and 16B — 5.6 weeks' paid annual leave, capped at 28 days, and a six-year duty to keep annual leave records since 6 April 2026. Carry-over rules and contractual leave above the statutory minimum are configurable per company.
Statutory holiday built in
Statutory leave, contractual leave and carry-over tracked separately.
Full audit trail
Requests, approvals and changes stay traceable — annual leave records now have to be kept for six years.
UK GDPR compliant
Sickness absences logged without a diagnosis, data processing agreement on request.
EU data centres
Your data is hosted in EU data centres.
A week off means more in some businesses than others
In some businesses a week off is a side note — in others it decides whether the shift is covered.
Care
Every shift has to be safely staffed. Before you approve, the calendar shows whether the week is still covered.
Leave planner for care →
Restaurants
In peak season, the same weeks come up again and again. Requests sit side by side so you can compare them before you say yes.
Leave planner for hospitality →
Beauty & Wellness
If a stylist is off, their appointments go with them. The calendar shows leave early, so bookings can be moved.
Leave planner for beauty & wellness →
Hotels
Set seasonal peaks and blackout dates per department, and the system checks requests against them automatically.
Leave planner for hotels →
Retail & Fashion
Part-time staff have different entitlements. The balance calculates each one individually, with no spreadsheet in the background.
Leave planner for fashion & retail →
Construction & Trades
If someone's missing from the crew, the job stops. Absences show up on the rota before the deadline starts to slip.
Leave planner for construction & trades →What our customers say
Transparent from £4 per employee
Leave and absences are part of the full package — no extra charge, no add-on module.
Example pricing
All prices exclude VAT and are based on annual payment.
PlanState vs. “The way it's always been done”
- Request and approval documentedIn the chat
- Leave balance calculated automaticallyNo
- Overlaps visible before you say yesRarely
- Cover when someone calls in sickRing-round
- The rota knows about the absenceRetyping
- CostNo licence fee — but hours of your time.
- Request and approval documentedYes
- Leave balance calculated automaticallyYes
- Overlaps visible before you say yesYes
- Cover when someone calls in sickSuggested
- The rota knows about the absenceYes
- Costfrom £4 / employee
What you want to know
Common questions about leave planning software, and our answers.
Employees request leave in the app and instantly see how many days come off their balance. The manager approves or declines with one click, the team calendar updates, and the remaining balance is recalculated automatically.
It comes from the Working Time Regulations 1998: 5.6 weeks' paid leave a year, which is 28 days for a five-day week and capped at 28 days in total. Part-time staff get a pro-rata share, bank holidays can count towards it, and contractual leave above the minimum comes on top. PlanState tracks entitlement, days taken and remaining leave separately and keeps the running total up to date.
When someone calls in sick, PlanState spots the resulting gap in the rota and suggests available, suitably qualified colleagues as cover. Assigning or asking stays a single click for you — nothing is decided automatically.
Yes. The team absence calendar shows leave, sickness and open requests in a single view. Overlaps are visible before you approve a request.
Yes, within the statutory rules. The extra 1.6 weeks can carry into the following leave year by agreement, and leave untaken because of sickness or family leave carries over under the Working Time Regulations. On top of that, you set your own carry-over rules and deadlines per company, and carried-over leave is tracked separately from the new entitlement, so it's clear what expires and when.
Leave and absences are included in the full package — from £4 per employee per month, billed annually, minimum 5 users, with no extra charge and no setup fee.