Paid Time Off (PTO) is compensated time when the employee is absent from work.
- Paid sick time is time off during periods of personal illness to obtain medical services or to care for immediate family members who are ill.
- Vacation time refers to paid time off when an employee takes a break from work.
Paid Sick Time
Eligibility: Paid Sick Time
Full-benefits-eligible employees who work at least 20 hours a week and have a job that lasts six months or more can get sick time. This means they can take paid time off if they are sick, need to see a doctor, or need to take care of a close family member or someone they live with who is sick or needs medical help.
Sick Time Accrual
Eligible employees earn sick time at a rate of 0.046125 hours for every hour they work. This means an employee working full-time (1.0 FTE) will earn 8 hours of sick time each month. If an employee works less than full-time (part-time), they will earn less sick time, based on their work hours.
Employees do not earn sick time for unpaid hours or for overtime hours worked.
How to Request and Use Sick Time Hours
Sick-time procedures vary by campus and department. Consult your supervisor for details. When possible, get sick time approved in advance. Report sudden needs for an absence to your supervisor immediately.
Sick Time Carry Over
Accumulated paid sick time will not be paid out upon separation from the university. However, employees retiring from the university with 500+ accrued sick hours may receive a payout through the Retiree Accumulated Sick Leave (RASL) program.
Vacation Time
Eligibility: Vacation Time
Full-benefits-eligible employees, like University Staff, Classified Staff, Postdoctoral Scholars, and Appointed Personnel who work at least 20 hours per week (or .50 FTE) in a job that lasts six months or more, can earn vacation hours.
Employees with limited benefits do not earn vacation hours.
How to Request and Use Vacation Hours
Employees need supervisor approval before taking vacation, and supervisors are responsible for accommodating these requests as workload permits.
Vacation Accrual and Carry Forward by Job Type
Accrual
University Staff employees on fiscal-year schedules earn 6.77 hours per pay period (22 vacation days per year), prorated by FTE.
University Staff employees on academic-year schedules earn 6.77 hours of vacation time per pay period during their working months, prorated by FTE.
Carry Forward
Employees may carry forward 320 vacation hours (prorated by FTE) from one calendar year to the next. Accruals over this amount are forfeited at the end of the pay period, which includes January 1.
An employee's FTE during the pay period that includes January 1 will determine the number of vacation hours that may be carried over.
Accrual
Appointed Personnel on fiscal-year appointments earn 6.77 hours per pay period (22 vacation days per year), prorated by FTE.
Faculty on academic-year appointments do not earn paid vacation hours. If you move from a fiscal year to an academic-year appointment, you can use accrued vacation before the end of the fiscal appointment. Remaining hours are forfeited at the start of the academic year contract.
Non-faculty Academic Professionals on an academic-year schedule earn 6.77 hours of vacation per pay period (prorated by FTE), but only during the months they work.
Carry Forward
Appointed Personnel who accrue vacation may carry forward 320 vacation hours (prorated by FTE) from one calendar year to the next. Accruals over this amount are forfeited at the end of the pay period, which includes January 1.
An employee's FTE during the pay period that includes January 1 will determine the number of vacation hours that may be carried over.
Accrual
Postdoctoral scholars on a fiscal-year schedule earn 3.08 hours/pay period (10 days) in their first year of appointment and 4.62 hours/pay period (15 days) in each subsequent year, prorated by FTE. Postdoctoral scholars employed on an academic-year schedule earn vacation time only during their working months.
Carry Forward
Postdoctoral scholars may carry forward 1½ times the maximum number of vacation hours earned in a given year from one calendar year to the next.
| Length of Service | Maximum Vacation Hours Carried Forward | |
| 1.0 FTE* | Other FTE* | |
| Year 1 | 120 | 120 x FTE |
| Years 2+ of continuous service | 180 | 180 x FTE |
* Fiscal year employment
What Happens to Vacation Hours Above the Carry Forward Limit?
All hours removed from employees’ balances during the vacation forfeiture process in January are automatically made available for compassionate leave transfer unless an employee requests otherwise. If you do not wish your forfeited hours to be used for compassionate transfer of leave, complete the Request to Forfeit Vacation Hours form and submit it to Human Resources.
Other Supervisor-Approved Time Off
The following are available to employees per university policy. Please coordinate with your supervisor to take this time off. Please visit the Requesting a Leave of Absence page for all extended leaves, including FML and parental leave.
Bereavement
Three paid days for a death in the family. Two additional paid days may be granted for out-of-state funeral services.
Jury Duty
Paid absence is available to eligible employees called for jury duty or as a material witness.
Volunteer Services
Up to 8 hours of paid time off each calendar year to volunteer at a qualifying nonprofit or government agency.