# How to decline a leave request

**For:** Manager | Admin
**You'll need:** A leave request with status **'Pending'**.

You'll reject a request — moving it from **'Pending'** to **'Declined'** without touching anyone's balance.

## Open the request

1. In the left sidebar, go to **Company → Leave requests**.
2. Click the row of the **'Pending'** request you want to decline.

## Decline

1. In the **'Admin notes'** textarea, add a reason. The worker can ask why later, and notes are how you remember.
2. Click **'Decline'**.
3. In the **'Decline leave request?'** dialog, click **'Decline leave request'** to confirm.

## What happens

- Status flips to **'Declined'**.
- No leave-balance transaction is written — no hours move.
- Any orphan calendar event tied to the request is removed.
- **'Reviewed by'** and **'Reviewed at'** are stamped with you and the current time.

## Verify it worked

The request reloads with a **'Declined'** badge. The action buttons disappear because **'Declined'** is a terminal state. The {doc}`/manage-leave/leave-transactions/view-the-leave-ledger` shows no new row.

```{tip}
Declined requests stay in the list for audit. If the worker resubmits with different dates, that's a fresh request — not an edit of this one.
```

## Related

- {doc}`review-a-leave-request`
- {doc}`approve-a-leave-request`
- {doc}`delete-a-leave-request`