Leave refused, reclassified or unpaid?
Separate the reason for absence, permission to be away, pay, and any job protection. These can follow different rules.
Prepared 3 October 2026 · General preparation, with location-specific official links below.
First, find your location
Your work location, employment status and issue determine the applicable route. Open the relevant country and confirm its coverage.
United States
Check where the work took place and the federal, state or local rule. Wage claims and discrimination charges use different services.
- DOL · Wage and Hour complaints ↗
- DOL · State labour offices ↗
- EEOC · Employment discrimination charges ↗
- DOL · Family and Medical Leave Act ↗
California wage issue? Use the DLSE route for that state.
United Kingdom
Acas covers Great Britain. Northern Ireland has a separate Labour Relations Agency. Check the relevant route and claim deadline.
Canada
First check whether your employer is federally regulated. Otherwise use the relevant province or territory, not Ontario by default. ROE and EI are separate federal services.
- Canada · Federal labour complaint coverage ↗
- Canada · Provincial / territorial labour offices ↗
- Canada · Federal leave types ↗
Ontario provincial employment or British Columbia? These provincial routes are separate from federal employment standards.
Australia
Fair Work Ombudsman deals with national-system pay and minimum entitlements. The Fair Work Commission handles separate dismissal and other applications; verify your coverage and the correct service.
China · Mainland
Use the actual work location and relevant local service. Labour inspection, employment dispute arbitration and social-insurance issues may use different routes; ask 12333 or the local department to confirm.
Gather these facts
- The requested dates, type of leave, application date and the written response.
- Your employment status, leave policy and balance, and any evidence the employer requested.
- A dated timeline of notice, certificates, return-to-work requests and missing payments.
Name the question precisely
Being ill, attending an appointment, caring for someone and being unable to travel are different facts. Write down which fact applies and what you are asking for. Paid leave, unpaid protected leave and a workplace adjustment are separate possibilities, not interchangeable labels.
Ask for the policy and evidence requirements
Ask why the request was refused or recorded as another type of leave, which policy or rule was used, and how to correct a missing document. Share medical information only through the appropriate recipient and procedure; this website does not need your diagnosis or medical documents.
Keep the payment and return-to-work timeline
If pay stops or a return-to-work assessment is delayed, record the relevant dates and ask who owns the next step. Check the official rules for your location and status rather than assuming a certificate settles every eligibility question. If employment changes after a leave request, also preserve that sequence and seek timely advice.
A worked example
Example: an employer records a medical absence as annual leave. Request the recorded category, relevant policy, evidence requirement and correction process in writing. Another person’s experience does not establish what applies to your circumstances.
Tools for this problem
Check the current official process
Scope, eligibility, required evidence and filing deadlines differ. Use the official pages above and get appropriate advice about a dispute. These are our practical preparation guides, not official translations or a finding of wrongdoing.
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