University Staff end-of-calendar-year Personal Holiday and Vacation Usage
University Staff who are eligible for Annual Leave Conversion will be receiving an email within the next two weeks with instructions on how to convert their leave. This is an opportunity to make a choice to bank unused vacation carryover/current year vacation in a banked leave account, receive cash, or a combination of both.
University Staff Vacation Usage and Carryover Information based on HR Vacation Policy
Personal Holiday balances will be lost if not used by December 31, 2019.
Vacation Carryover Balances will be lost if not used by December 31, 2019, unless you are eligible to bank hours. Please note you must have at least 10 years of WRS service to bank hours. If you do, you will receive a separate email notification regarding converting your leave balance.
Vacation balances (not carryover vacation) will carry over to the next fiscal year and must be used by December 31, 2020.
University Staff Banking Unused Vacation and Vacation Cash Payouts—the option to bank vacation hours and/or receive a vacation cash payout is offered in November/December each year. If an employee’s anniversary date falls in the middle of the year, the employee is eligible to either bank and/or receive a cash payout, prorated for the calendar year. If an employee reaches a new vacation accrual rate during the calendar year, he or she can bank a prorated amount of leave. If the eligibility to bank leave is based on the accumulation of 520 hours of sick leave, there is no proration.
Employees must make a decision to bank vacation and/or receive a vacation cash payout before the end of the calendar year. If employees fail to meet this deadline, they cannot bank vacation or receive a cash payout. Employees may not elect to bank leave or receive a cash payout after the deadline to make the election.
If employees choose the cash payout option, the amount is included in the last paycheck of the calendar year (December 23, 2019) or the first paycheck of the subsequent calendar year (January 16, 2020).
Eligibility to bank unused vacation in a University Staff sabbatical account is based on years of continuous service, appointment percentage (defined as hours in pay status), and status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Change to FTE or unpaid Leave of Absence (LOA) will impact the amount of vacation an employee can bank. FLSA-nonexempt supervisors, as defined in this policy, may bank vacation at the same rate as FLSA-exempt University Staff.
Full-time employees are eligible to bank unused vacation earned in the current calendar year or carried over from the previous calendar year into a paid leave bank according to the following schedule.
Years of Service
Full-Time University Staff–Nonexempt
Full-Time University Staff—Supervisors (Exempt and Nonexempt)
0 to 5 Years
0 hours
0 hours
5+ to 10 Years
0 hours
40 hours
10+ to 15 Years
40 hours
40 hours
15+ to 20 Years
40 hours
80 hours
20+ to 25 Years
80 hours
120 hours
25+ Years
120 hours
120 hours
Earn < 160 hours of vacation and have accrued at least 520 hours of sick leave
40 hours
40 hours
If employees work less than full time during the calendar year, reach a new eligibility level mid-year, or are on unpaid LOA, the amount of leave that can be banked is prorated. If the eligibility to bank leave is based on the accumulation of 520 hours of sick leave, there is no proration.
If employees reach a new vacation accrual rate during the calendar year, the amount of leave that can be banked is prorated. If the eligibility to bank leave is based on the accumulation of 520 hours of sick leave, there is no proration.
Vacation Cash-Out—Once employees begin earning vacation at the 200-hour rate (or a prorated amount of 200 hours if part-time), they can receive up to 40 hours of bank-eligible leave as a cash payout. For example, if an employee is eligible to bank 80 hours of vacation, the employee can receive 40 hours as a cash payout and put 40 hours into a University Staff sabbatical account.
If an employee’s anniversary date falls in the middle of the year or the employee is part-time, the number of hours that can be cashed out is prorated.