Some requests need paperwork behind them. A sick note for a long absence, a letter for compassionate leave, a booking confirmation for a trip already paid for. The Attachments area at the foot of the request panel is where those go.
The limits
Five files per request, 10 MB each. Allowed formats are JPEG, PNG, WebP and PDF — the four things a phone camera or a scanner actually produces.
Anything else is refused as you pick it, with a message saying why, rather than failing partway through the upload. The dropzone counts down as you go — attach or drag files (5 left) — so you always know where you stand.
Attaching
Click the dashed area to open a file picker, or drag files onto it. Both work while you’re filing the request and afterwards, from the request page, as long as the request is still Pending.
If you’ve already submitted and then realise the sick note is missing, you don’t need to withdraw and resubmit — open the request and add it.
Removing
Each attached file has an ✕ beside it while you’re still editing. Removing one frees up a slot in the five.
Once a request has been approved or rejected, the attachments are frozen along with everything else about it. Reverting to Pending is the only way to change them, and that’s an Admin action.
Downloading
On the request page, attachments appear in their own panel and each is a download link. Clicking one opens it in a new tab — images and PDFs display straight away rather than downloading to your machine, which is usually what you want when you’re checking a sick note against the dates.
The links are generated fresh each time and expire shortly after. That means copying one out of the address bar and pasting it into a chat won’t give someone lasting access; send them the request code instead.
Who can see them
Anyone who can see the request can see its attachments. In practice that is the requester, their approver, and anyone with permission to view requests across the company.
It’s worth telling employees this plainly, because it changes what they attach. A medical certificate goes to their manager, not into a void. If something is too sensitive for that, the right home for it is a company document on their record with restricted access — or, if it concerns someone’s conduct, a grievance rather than a request.
When there’s nothing attached
The panel says No attachments and that’s a perfectly normal state — the overwhelming majority of leave requests never need a file. Nothing about the approval flow changes either way, and BeeHR will not require a document for any request type.
If your policy says sick leave over three days needs a certificate, that’s a rule you enforce when reviewing, not one the product enforces for you.