15 Out of office email templates for small business owners

Stepping away from your small business feels nothing like booking annual leave from your job. When you run your own business, especially in the early days, there often isn’t a backup plan unless you build one yourself.

A good out of office email won’t run things for you, but it will buy you the breathing room to actually switch off. Taking a break from your desk every so often isn’t just good for your wellbeing; it can make you a better business leader, too. Research from Harvard Business Review found that time off can improve problem-solving and spark innovation. It also signals to clients, suppliers, and leads that you run a professional operation, even when you’re not at your desk.

This guide brings together ready-to-use out-of-office email templates for small business owners that you can copy, paste, and adapt, and actually enjoy your time off.

What every out of office message needs

Before we get to the templates, it helps to know what makes an out of office email actually useful rather than just a formality. The best ones share a few common ingredients:

• Clear dates – when you’re away and, just as important, when you’re back.
• A reason, briefly stated (if appropriate) – you don’t need to overshare, but “on annual leave” or “at a conference” sets expectations.
• What happens to their message – will it sit unread until you return? Or is someone checking on your behalf?
• An alternative contact, where relevant – a colleague, co-founder, or general enquiries inbox for anything urgent.
• A realistic response time – tell people when to expect a reply, whether from you or someone else.
• A professional but human tone – especially if you’re client-facing, since your out of office message is still a brand touchpoint.

A quick word on humour: the funny out of office message is a well-worn trope, and it can work well in some workplace cultures. But if your inbox includes contacts who don’t know you personally, it’s worth defaulting to warm-but-professional rather than comedic. You can always add a touch of personality without turning the message into a punchline.

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Common mistakes to avoid

A few things worth steering clear of when writing your own out of office email as a small business owner:

• Being too vague about your return date – this invites a follow-up asking, “so… when are you back?”
• Sharing too much personal detail – your holiday destination, the nature of a medical appointment, and so on.
• Giving an unrealistic response time – if you can’t stick to it, don’t promise it.
• Forgetting to update or switch off the message – do this as soon as you’re ready to get back to people.
• Leaving no alternative contact at all – especially if you’re away for more than a few days.

Out of office message examples for common scenarios

Below are 15 examples of out of office emails for small business owners, covering the situations founders most commonly need to plan for. Each one is written to be copied, pasted, and edited with your own details.

Annual leave (standard)

Use this for planned holiday time, where you’ll have little to no access to email. The standard “I’m away, here’s who to contact” message.

Subject: Out of Office – Annual leave until [date] Thank you for your email.

I’m currently on annual leave until [return date] with limited email access.

I’ll respond as soon as I can. If your enquiry is urgent, please contact [name] at [email/phone], who can help in my absence.

Short break or long weekend

For shorter absences, like a long weekend or a few days off, a lighter touch works better than a formal, full-length OOO.

Subject: OOO – Returning [date]

Thanks for reaching out. I’m currently out of the office and will be back at my desk on [return date].

I’ll reply to all unanswered messages shortly after I’m back.

For anything time-sensitive in the meantime, please reach [name] at [email].

Sick leave

For unplanned absences due to illness, where you can’t predict exactly when you’ll be back and don’t want to overshare details.

Subject: Out of Office – Away from email

Thank you for your message. I’m currently away from email due to illness. I’ll aim to respond once I’m back.

If your query is urgent, please contact [name/team] at [email/phone] in the meantime. Thanks for understanding.

Conference or industry event

Useful when you’re away representing the business rather than on personal time, so contacts know you’re still “working,” just not reachable as usual.

Subject: Out of Office – Attending [event name]

Thanks for your email. I’m currently attending [event name] and will have limited access to email until [return date].

I’ll get back to you as soon as I’m able to. For any urgent enquiries, please contact [name] at [email].

Parental leave

For maternity, paternity, or shared parental leave following the arrival of a child, where you want a clear handover point and to reassure contacts that things are still being looked after in your absence.

Subject: Out of Office – Parental leave until [date]

Thank you for getting in touch. I’m currently on parental leave until [return date].

Emails will be monitored, but [name] is handling urgent enquiries. You can reach them at [email/phone]. I’ll pick up any outstanding items once I’m back.

Sabbatical or extended leave

For longer absences unrelated to parental leave, a career break, a personal project, or just extended time off, where you’re stepping back for weeks or months at a time.

Subject: Out of Office – Extended leave until [date]

Thanks for your email. I’m currently taking an extended break from the business and won’t be checking emails until [return date].

Please contact [name] at [email] in my absence. Otherwise, I’ll follow up on your message when I’m back.

Bereavement leave

For unexpected leave following a bereavement, where you want a brief, dignified message without needing to explain the circumstances.

Subject: Out of Office – Away from email

Thank you for your message. I’m currently away from the office [optional: due to a family bereavement] and will have limited access to email.

For anything urgent, please contact [name] at [email/phone]. I’ll respond to your message when I’m able to.

Fully unplugged (no email checking at all)

For when you’re setting a hard boundary and want contacts to know not to expect any response, urgent or otherwise, until you’re back.

Subject: Out of Office – Emails not monitored

Thank you for your message. I’m currently out of office until [return date] and emails won’t be monitored during this time.

For any enquiries, please contact [name] at [email/phone].

Checking occasionally (emergencies only)

A middle-ground option for founders who want some downtime away from their inbox but still need to stay reachable for genuine emergencies or urgent enquiries.

Subject: Out of Office – Limited email access

Thanks for reaching out. I’m currently out of office until [return date] with limited access to email, so responses may be slower than usual.

For anything urgent, please mark your subject line “URGENT” or contact me at [phone number] and I’ll do my best to respond quickly.

Client-facing tone (formal)

A more polished, formal version for client communications where tone and professionalism matter more than usual.

Subject: Out of Office – Returning [date]

Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office until [return date] with limited access to email.

Your enquiry is important to me, and I will respond as soon as possible upon return. For urgent matters, please contact [name] at [email/phone].

I appreciate your patience and look forward to connecting with you soon.

Supplier or vendor facing

Tailored for supplier and vendor queries like orders and invoices, so operational contacts know what to expect and who to escalate to.

Subject: Out of Office – Returning [date]

Thanks for your message. I’m out of the office until [return date]. Orders, invoices, and general queries will be reviewed as soon as I’m back.

If something needs action before then, please contact [name] at [email], who can assist with anything time-sensitive.

Solo founder, urgent contact needed

Written for founders without a team, being upfront that support is limited while still giving contacts a way to reach you or an informal colleague if something can’t wait.

Subject: Out of Office – Returning [date]

Thank you for contacting [business name]. I’m currently out of office until [return date].

As a small, founder-run business, we don’t have a large team handling things in my absence, but your enquiry still matters to us. For anything urgent, please email [urgent contact email] or reach me directly at [phone] and I’ll do my best to respond within [timeframe].

For everything else, I’ll follow up as soon as I’m back.

Networking or investor-facing

For contacts you’re building or maintaining a relationship with, where you want to keep the door open for follow-ups while you’re away from your inbox, rather than just redirecting them elsewhere.

Subject: Out of Office – Limited availability until [date]

Thank you for your email. I’m currently out of the office until [return date], with limited availability during this time.

I’d love to continue our conversation once I’m back. Feel free to send a follow-up after [return date], or reach out to [name] in the meantime if there’s something time-sensitive.

Business closed for a public holiday

For when the whole business is out of action for a planned holiday, such as bank holidays or seasonal closures, usually for only a matter of days.

Subject: Out of Office – [Holiday Name] Break until [date]

Thank you for your message. Our team is currently out of office for [holiday name] and will get back to enquiries on [return date].

Wishing you a great [holiday/break] in the meantime.

Leaving the company / handover

For founders stepping back from the business permanently or long-term, directing contacts to whoever is taking over.

Subject: [Business name] – New point of contact

Thank you for your email. I’ve stepped away from [business name], and [new contact name] is now your point of contact going forward.

You can reach them at [email/phone].

Setting up your out of office reply in Gmail vs Outlook

Once you’ve picked your template, you’ll need to set it up as an auto-reply. The steps differ slightly depending on your email platform.

You can find the official steps for Gmail and Outlook directly at Google and Microsoft, or follow our quick summary below.

Ready for time off and what’s next

Taking time away from your small business can feel surprisingly difficult, especially if you don’t have dedicated admin or HR support. A well-written out of office email won’t do the work for you while you’re away, but it can help you actually switch off, knowing your clients and suppliers know what to expect.

If part of what’s making it hard to step away is the admin still sitting on your plate, Rapid Formations’ mail forwarding and registered office address service can take some of that off your hands, so there’s less to worry about while you’re gone.

For more guidance on building a business that can run without you glued to your inbox, visit the Rapid Formations homepage or explore our blog for more founder-focused resources.