An out-of-office reply has two jobs: say when you will be back and tell the sender who can help before then. A joke can fit between those facts.
Choose a template, fill in your return date and backup contact, then copy the finished reply. These examples assume you will not check email while away. Change that line if your actual arrangement is different.
Make your out-of-office reply
Your entries stay in this page’s tool; they are not submitted by the tool. Copy the result into your email settings. Nothing is sent or activated here.
The builder needs JavaScript. You can still copy a complete template below and replace the bracketed details yourself.
The result updates as you type. You can edit the wording after pasting it into your email service.
Choose the right amount of funny
The suitcase, deck-chair and ice-cream replies keep the joke on your own break. The cat and lifeguard lines are better for coworkers who already know your sense of humor. For a complaint, a support mailbox or a serious client issue, use the plain version in the tool.
Before turning the reply on, replace every bracketed detail, check that your backup agreed to cover, and make the email settings match your actual away dates. This tool creates text; it does not turn on an automatic reply.
Light vacation replies
Short lines about your own time away, with the practical information left intact.
- 1.A light vacation reply
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.My suitcase made the trip. My laptop did not make the guest list.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 2.A seaside reply
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.I have traded my desk chair for a deck chair.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 3.An ice cream break
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.The only tab I am running up is at the ice cream shop.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
The deck-chair version is the shortest joke here. It leaves the rest of the email free to do its job.
Funny replies for familiar coworkers
These give your auto-reply, your phone or your holiday budget a job of its own.
- 4.The automatic employee
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.My auto-reply is doing my job this week. Do not tell it what I earn.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 5.The quiet phone
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.My phone is on silent. I am taking lessons.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 6.The holiday budget
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.I am spending this week on vacation, turning savings into photos.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 7.The beach emergency desk
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.I am at the beach with a plan for urgent requests. Ask a lifeguard.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
The lifeguard line is deliberately absurd. Keep it for an internal audience that will understand the joke, and retain the real backup contact.
Staycation, dog and cat replies
Use these when the break is close to home. A backup contact still matters even when you are nearby.
- 8.The stay-at-home hotel
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.I am on vacation at home. Check-in was easy; housekeeping is terrible.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 9.The dog knows
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.For questions about my work, contact my backup below. For questions about where I am, ask my dog.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
- 10.The lap meeting
Thanks for your email. I am out of the office and will return on [return date]. I will not be checking email while I am away.I am staying home for a few days. My cat booked my lap.
For help before I return, please contact [backup name] at [backup email]. Otherwise, I will respond after I return.
More humor for work
Before you go
Read the completed reply once as the person who needs an answer. The joke can be optional; your availability should be clear.
Questions people ask
What should a funny out-of-office message include?
State your return date, whether you will read email, and a contact for help while you are away. Put one short joke between those details. Avoid promising a reply time you cannot meet.
Can I use a funny out-of-office reply for clients?
Use your judgment about the relationship and the mailbox. A light line about your own holiday may fit a familiar client; the plain version is a better choice for a complaint, urgent support or a sensitive situation.
Does the tool set up my automatic reply?
No. It only prepares text to copy into your email service. You still need to choose the start and end dates and turn on the automatic reply there.
What if I do not have a backup contact?
Uncheck the backup-contact option in the tool. The reply will say you will respond after returning. Do not invent coverage that does not exist.
