Here is where you can find your best excuses to miss work, and with our document creation tool, you can select the most suitable excuses for your case and create this document in just a minute. Furthermore, there may be times when unexpected circumstances occur that require you to miss work on short notice. While it is always best to give your employer as much notice as possible, there may be situations where you need to provide a last-minute excuse for your absence.
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Table of Contents
Best Excuses To Miss Work On Short Notice (w/samples)
We conducted legitimate excuses why an employee may need to leave work early, on short notice, or miss work that you can use with our templates and be accepted. Below are some examples of the most reasonable reasons to take time off without prior planning:
Family and medical emergency
If it is a family emergency, crisis, or natural disaster, such as a death in the family that requires your immediate absence from work. Also, a sudden medical emergency happens to a family member and requires your immediate attention. For example,
- “I just received news that my grandfather has been hospitalized, and I need to leave work to be with him.”
- “My spouse has come down with a sudden illness and needs my attention. I will need to miss work to take care of them.”
- “A close family member has passed away, and I need to take time off to attend the funeral.”
- “My partner has gone into labor, and I need to be with them at the hospital.”
Childcare issues
If you have a child who is sick or needs to be picked up early from school or daycare due to some unexpected matters, you may need to leave on short notice to attend to their needs. For example,
- “My child has a high fever and needs to stay home from school today. I will need to stay home to take care of them.”
- “My child has fallen ill and requires my immediate attention.”
- “My child’s nanny canceled last minute and unfortunately, I am unable to find a substitute. I will need to stay home with my child and miss work today.”
- “My child’s school is closed due to stormy weather and I can not find any other solution but to stay home to take care of them.”
- “My child has been suspended from school due to a fight/bullying and needs to be at home. I will need to take time off work to take care of them”
Personal or mental health concerns
In case you are experiencing a personal or mental health issue that requires your attention to leave work early, such as a panic attack, depression, or anxiety.
- “I had a painful migraine this morning that I could not go to work.”
- “I woke up this morning feeling extremely anxious and could not control my feeling. I am afraid I will make my colleagues worry if I go to the office. I need to take time off today to prioritize my mental health and calm down.”
- “I have been experiencing severe anxiety symptoms and need to take a mental health day to focus on my well-being.”
Car trouble or transportation issues
If you experience car trouble, such as unexpected technical problems or public transportation issues that prevent you from arriving to work on time. Remember that it can be a good excuse to be late but not for missing work. The only chance you can use this excuse is unless you live far away from work.
- “Unfortunately, my car won’t start this morning, and I am unable to get it fixed until later today. I will be late to work as a result.”
- “My train has stopped in the middle of nowhere due to technician issues, and I have to go back home.”
Illness
If you wake up feeling unwell and are unable to come to work, or the sickness may be contagious to your coworkers, you can send a work excuse letter. For example,
- “I woke up feeling very nauseous and had been vomiting all morning. I don’t want to risk spreading anything to my coworkers, so I will need to stay home today.“
- “I had diarrhea”
- “I woke up feeling very ill this morning and am unable to come into work.”
- “I have been feeling very dizzy and lightheaded today. I need to stay home to rest.”
- “I have come down with a bad stomach and am unable to come into work today.”
- “I have been experiencing severe allergy symptoms and need to see the doctor today to get the medicine prescription”
- “I have been experiencing chest pain and need to see a doctor immediately. I will need to miss work today.”
- “I have been experiencing severe back pain and need to see a chiropractor urgently. I will need to miss work today.”
- “I have been experiencing severe menstrual cramps and am unable to come into work today.”
Jury duty
You may miss work If you are called for jury duty, and it is your civic duty to attend. Your employer must allow you the necessary time off to fulfill your obligation. For example,
- “I have been summoned for jury duty and will need to take time off work to fulfill my obligation.”
Military service
If you are in the military reserves or National Guard and are called to active duty, you must fulfill your obligation. Your employer must allow you the necessary time off. In this case, you may need a military leave of absence request letter instead.
- “I have been called to active duty with the National Guard and need to take time off work to fulfill my obligation.”
Home Emergency
If you experience a home issue, such as a broken pipe that floods water, a fire, a gas leak, a home invasion, a damaged entrance door, broken window glass, etc., that may harm house safety and security, it may be necessary to take time off work.
- My basement flooded overnight due to a burst pipe, and I need to take care of the situation. I will need to miss work today.
- A thief attempted to enter our house and broke our maintenance.
Unforeseen Circumstances
Sometimes, unforeseen circumstances may arise that prevent you from being able to attend work, such as a power outage, internet connection issue, typhoon/storm, etc. In these cases, it’s important to communicate with your employer as soon as possible and make the necessary arrangements.
- “There is a major power outage in my area, and I am unable to work from home due to internet connection issues. I will need to miss work today.”
Pet Emergency
If your pet is sick or needs urgent medical attention, you may need to take time off work to take care of them. For example,
- “My dog ate something toxic and needed immediate medical attention. I will need to take time off work to take care of him.”.
- “My pet ran away, and I need to go search for him.”
💡 Important Note
It’s important to maintain professionalism and communicate with your employer about your absence. While a quick message to your boss might suffice, submitting a formal letter is highly recommended. This shows your commitment and transparency to your job, which helps maintain a positive work relationship with your employer.
Work Excuse Letter Templates To Customize
Standard Excuse letter for work
Excuse Letter For Being Absent In Work
Excuse Letter For Work Due To Sickness
Excuse Letter For Work Due To Family Matter
Excuse Letter For Work Due To Car Issue
excuse letter for being absent in work due to important matter
Excuse Letter for Being Absent Due to Typhoon
Excuse Letter For Arriving Late To Work
If you are planning to request time off for some reasons with prior notice, you can create a🔗 leave of absence letter instead. We also have 🔗vacation request letter customizable templates you may need.
Hilarious excuses To Miss Work Or Arrive late
Missing work or arriving late due to unexpected issues can be sensitive. However, you might find yourself in a humorous situation that may not be the best excuse to miss work. And some employers are skeptical that they may not accept these excuses. Then, make sure you keep or request any evidence to deliver to your boss later. Here are some funny situations that happen somehow in life:
- “I can’t come in today because my cat is giving birth to kittens.”
- “I accidentally locked myself in the bathroom and can’t get out. I do not have my phone with me.
- “I accidentally set my clock back instead of forward and missed my alarm.”
- “I fell asleep on the train and woke up in a different city.“
- “I accidentally shaved my head and need to buy a wig.”
- “My cat stole my car keys, and I can’t find them anywhere.”
- “I got stuck in a tree trying to rescue a neighbor’s cat.”
- “I accidentally put my phone in the washing machine, and now it won’t turn on.”
- “I accidentally glued my hand to my desk and needed to go to the hospital to get it removed.”
Furthermore, we found this article 🔗 129 funny excuses at work from boredpanda.com that can actually make you laugh harder.
Bad Excuses You should avoid
On the contrary, there are also some bad excuses you should avoid when informing your boss about a necessary absence from work. While some excuses may be true, they may not be appropriate to share with your boss. Then, you could consider giving other excuses to be accepted by your employer. Some examples of the worst excuses to avoid include:
- “I have to stay home and wait for the cable guy to show up… between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.”
- “I forgot to wear shoes today, and it’s against the dress code.”
- “I can’t come in today because I’m dealing with a midlife crisis.”
- “I need a mental health day to recharge my batteries.”
- “My dog ate my work uniform.”
- “I had a few drinks last night and was hangover”
- “I feel tired to go to work today”
Remember that honesty is always the best approach when communicating with your employer, and providing a legitimate reason for absence is important to maintain professionalism and respect in the workplace. With our article, you can easily and quickly create a sincere excuse letter to 🔗apologize to your boss.
