How to request time off

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Applies to: Employees in the US and Canada. If you work outside the US or Canada, time off follows your in-country process — ask your in-country HR contact. Independent contractors don't accrue PTO or sick leave.

Summary: Submit a time-off request from your worker portal, track its approval status, and view any PTO or sick-leave balance you've accrued.

Before you start

Time off is submitted through your Ascen portal, but the specifics depend on your situation:

Availability varies. Whether paid time off (PTO) or sick leave is offered — and how much you accrue — depends on your assignment and your work state or city. Some assignments don't include paid time off at all.
You need an active assignment. You can only submit a request while you have a current, live assignment.
Sick leave is location-based. In some states and cities paid sick leave is required and will be available to you; in others it may not be offered. If sick leave isn't available in your location, the portal tells you when you try to request it.

If you're unsure what applies to you, submit a request and the portal will show your available balance, or email support@ascen.com.

How to submit a time-off request

Log in and open Time Off from the menu — the page is titled Time Off Requests.
Select Create a Time Off Request.
Choose a Time Off Reason (for example PTO or sick), then a Time Off Subreason. The subreasons available depend on the reason you picked.
Enter a short Description.
Add one or more days: pick the Date, enter the number of Hours for that day, and select Add Entry. Repeat to add more days.
Submit the request.

Each date can only be added once, there's a maximum number of hours allowed per day, and you can't request time off on a date you already have approved.

If supporting documents are needed

Some requests require supporting documents before they can be approved. If yours does, its status shows Missing supporting documents and you can use the document button on the request to upload files. A request stays in this state until the required documents are attached.

How approval works

After you submit, your request goes to Ascen for review — Ascen is your employer of record, so time off is approved by us rather than by your staffing partner or the client site. You don't need to do anything further while it's pending.

A new request starts as Pending (or Missing supporting documents if files are still needed).
It is then approved or rejected.
You'll receive a notification when a decision is made. If a request is rejected, the notification includes the reason.

While a request is still Pending or Missing supporting documents you can add more day entries or edit it. Once it's been approved or rejected it can no longer be changed.

Approval covers whether the time is paid. Let your staffing partner and your on-site supervisor know separately about days you won't be working, so your schedule and coverage are handled.

Where to see your balance and accruals

Open the Time Off Requests page. If you've accrued any time you'll see summary cards near the top — PTO Information and Sick Leave Information. Each shows:

Total Hours Accrued — how much you've earned.
Total Hours Used — how much has already been taken.
Total Hours Remaining — your current balance.
Total Available to use this Year — the hours you can still request this year, based on your yearly usage limit and any requests still pending.
State — the work state the balance is tied to.

If you don't see these cards, it usually means nothing has accrued for you yet, or paid time off isn't offered on your assignment.

Troubleshooting

"You do not have enough PTO time remaining." Your request is for more hours than your available balance. Check your remaining hours on the Time Off Requests page and reduce the request.
"Sick time is not available in your location at this time." Paid sick leave isn't offered for your current work location.
"Contractor has not worked enough yet to use PTO time." In some cases you need to work a certain amount before you can start using accrued time.
You can't find the request form. Confirm you have a current, active assignment. If you do and still can't submit, email support@ascen.com.

Who to contact

Ascen (support@ascen.com) — your balance, accrual, whether time off applies to you, and anything about a submitted request.
Your staffing partner and on-site supervisor — scheduling and coverage for the days you'll be away.

How do I enter sick time?
How do I add time sheets?
How PTO accrual and balances work

Paid leave entitlements vary by your work location. This isn't legal advice — for the rules where you work, check your state or provincial labor agency.