Official Text of the Civil Service Rules
Every employee has unique needs and circumstances. We’ve created this site to provide you with general guidance about University policies. The Civil Service Employment Rules supersede all information contained on this page.
For full details about vacation leave, read Rule 11 of the Civil Service Employment Rules and consult with your supervisor or your department’s HR team about how the Civil Service Employment Rules apply to your situation.
Eligibility for Vacation Leave
You are eligible to earn vacation time if you meet the following criteria:
- You are a full- or part-time Civil Service employee.
- You have a continuing or temporary appointment in one administrative unit.
- You have a prearranged and assigned schedule.
- You have an appointment of at least 50 % time.
Availability of Vacation Leave
Your vacation leave becomes available during the pay period in which it is earned. View your most recent pay statement in MyU.
Vacation Accrual Rates
You earn vacation for straight-time, paid work hours. Overtime and other additional work hours do not accrue vacation leave.
Full-time, V-class Civil Service employees earn an extra 1.385 minutes of vacation leave for each straight-time, paid work hour. Read the Civil Service Employment Rules for more information about V-class vacation.
In certain situations, sick leave may be transferred to vacation. View the Civil Service Employment Rules for more information.
| Years of University Service | Minutes of vacation leave earned per straight-time paid work hour | *Accrual rate | *Vacation leave earned per pay period if you work 40 hours/week | *Days of vacation earned per year based upon 26 pay periods of full-time employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-5 | 3.000 minutes | .05 | 4.0 hours | 13 days |
| 5+ to 8 | 3.750 minutes | .0625 | 5.0 hours | 16.25 days |
| 8+ to 12 | 5.250 minutes | .0875 | 7.0 hours | 22.75 days |
| 12+ to 20 | 5.650 minutes | .094167 | 7.53 hours | 24.483 days |
| 20+ to 25 | 6.000 minutes | .10 | 8.0 hours | 26 days |
| 25+ to 30 | 6.375 minutes | .10625 | 8.5 hours | 27.625 days |
| 30+ or more | 6.750 minutes | .1125 | 9.0 hours | 29.25 days |
*Accrual rate does not include V-classification and/or sick leave accumulation credit
Unpaid Leaves
Depending on the policies of your unit, your supervisor may have the discretion to grant you unpaid time off. Contact your HR team or supervisor for more information.
Exchanging Vacation for Pay
If you’re about to reach the maximum amount of vacation leave you’re allowed to accrue, you have two options that will help you prevent the loss of vacation leave. If you’ve made a vacation request in accordance with your unit’s leave policy but the request was denied:
Option 1
You’re entitled to take up to one week of vacation to avoid exceeding your maximum. You must give notice to your supervisor of your plans to use this vacation time at least seven calendar days in advance.
Option 2
You may cash out up to one week of vacation leave. The amount of vacation time you cash out cannot exceed a level equal to the percentage of time of your appointment. For example, if you have a 75% appointment, you cannot cash out more than 30 hours of vacation time.
In addition, at your unit’s discretion, you may cash out up to one week of vacation leave every fiscal year. The amount of vacation time you cash out cannot exceed a level equal to the percentage of time of your appointment.
Changing Jobs or Leaving the University
If you transfer to another Civil Service or labor represented job within the University without a break in service, your unused vacation leave will transfer with you to your new position.
If you transfer to a P&A job that is vacation eligible, 120 hours of your unused vacation time is transferred as an academic vacation balance. (Balances less than 120 hours will be transferred in full.) You will be paid out at your Civil Service pay rate for any remaining hours over 120.
If you leave University employment, your unused vacation time will be paid out with the following exception: If you have 10 or more years of service at the University and 200 or more hours of unused vacation, the money from the payout of your vacation will be put into a Health Care Savings Plan.
Returning to the University
If you are a former University employee and are returning to work at the University, you may have your former vacation leave accumulation rate and eligibility reinstated under the following conditions:
- The University must have a record of your former employment here.
- You must have worked on a prearranged and assigned schedule at 50% time or higher.
- You did not negotiate a settlement agreement with the University when you left your former job here.
You may also have other types of benefits reinstated when you return to the University. Read the Civil Service Employment Rules for more information.
Donating Vacation Leave
The University offers a vacation donation program that allows Civil Service and Labor Represented employees to donate their vacation leave to University employees in need.