---
title: "Developer Guide to Get Employee Leave Data from Zoho People API"
description: "Learn how to get employee leave data from the Zoho People API with clear steps, endpoints, and best practices. Includes pitfalls and FAQs for seamless integration."
source_url: "https://www.getknit.dev/blog/developer-guide-to-get-employee-leave-data-from-zoho-people-api"
page_type: "blog"
---

_This is an educational blog post from Knit's blog: “Developer Guide to Get Employee Leave Data from Zoho People API”._

# Developer Guide to Get Employee Leave Data from Zoho People API

## Introduction

This article is part of a broader series covering the [Zoho People](https://developers.getknit.dev/docs/getting-started-with-zoho-people-api) API in depth. It focuses on a high-frequency use case: retrieving employee leave data efficiently and reliably.

If you’re building HR integrations or automating workforce workflows, this is not optional plumbing, it’s core infrastructure.

For a complete breakdown of [Zoho People](https://md.getknit.dev/mcp-servers/zoho-people-mcp-server) API capabilities, including authentication and rate limits, refer to the full guide [here](https://www.getknit.dev/blog/zoho-people-api-guide).

### Pre-requisites

*   [Zoho People](https://md.getknit.dev/mcp-servers/zoho-people-mcp-server) account with API access
*   OAuth token for authentication
*   Employee ID, email ID, or record ID

### API Endpoints

*   Get Leave Types:  
    `https://people.zoho.com/people/api/leave/getLeaveTypeDetails?userId=<userId>`
*   Get Holidays:  
    `https://people.zoho.com/people/api/leave/getHolidays?userId=<userId>`
*   Fetch Single Record:  
    `https://people.zoho.com/people/api/forms/leave/getDataByID?recordId=<recordId>`

### 1\. Get Leave Types

```
import requests

def get_leave_types(user_id, auth_token):
    url = f"https://people.zoho.com/people/api/leave/getLeaveTypeDetails?userId={user_id}"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Zoho-oauthtoken {auth_token}"}
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

# Example usage
leave_types = get_leave_types("user@example.com", "your_auth_token")
print(leave_types)
```

### 2\. Get Holidays

```
def get_holidays(user_id, auth_token):
    url = f"https://people.zoho.com/people/api/leave/getHolidays?userId={user_id}"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Zoho-oauthtoken {auth_token}"}
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

# Example usage
holidays = get_holidays("user@example.com", "your_auth_token")
print(holidays)
```

### 3\. Fetch Single Record

```
def fetch_single_record(record_id, auth_token):
    url = f"https://people.zoho.com/people/api/forms/leave/getDataByID?recordId={record_id}"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Zoho-oauthtoken {auth_token}"}
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    return response.json()

# Example usage
record = fetch_single_record("413124000068132003", "your_auth_token")
print(record)
```

## Common Pitfalls

*   **Rate limits will break your flow**  
    Zoho enforces strict limits. No throttling strategy = failed pipelines.
*   **Token handling is often sloppy**  
    Expired or mis-scoped OAuth tokens are the #1 failure point.
*   **Identifier inconsistency creates silent errors**  
    Mixing user ID, email, and record ID without validation leads to bad data pulls.
*   **Error handling is usually an afterthought**  
    If you’re not actively parsing response codes, you’re flying blind.
*   **JSON parsing assumptions don’t hold**  
    Field structures can vary, hardcoding schemas is a mistake.
*   **No retry logic = fragile integrations**  
    Temporary failures will cascade without retries and backoff.
*   **Ignoring API changes will cost you later**  
    Zoho updates APIs. If you’re not monitoring, your integration will degrade.

## Top FAQs

**Q: How do I obtain an OAuth token?**  
A: Generate it from the Zoho Developer Console.

**Q: What is the rate limit for API calls?**  
A: 30 requests per minute with a 5-minute lock period.

**Q: Can I use email ID instead of user ID?**  
A: Yes, both are supported.

**Q: What data format is returned?**  
A: JSON format.

**Q: How do I handle API errors?**  
A: Check the status code and error message in the response.

**Q: Is there a sandbox environment?**  
A: Yes, Zoho provides a sandbox for testing.

**Q: Can I fetch data for all employees?**  
A: Yes, but you need to iterate over each employee ID.

## Knit for Zoho People API Integration

For quick and scalable access to the Zoho People API, [Knit](https://www.getknit.dev/integration/zoho-people) provides a cleaner path. One integration replaces multiple point solutions.

Authentication, authorization, and ongoing maintenance are handled upfront, reducing engineering overhead and operational risk. The result: faster deployment, fewer breakpoints, and a more reliable integration stack.


## Related pages

- [How Knit works](https://md.getknit.dev/how-knit-works)
- [Unified API product](https://md.getknit.dev/products/unified-api)