• Benefits, Employee Wellness and Work Life
  • Leave and Holidays
  • Personal Leave Policy (EHRA Only)

Personal Leave Policy (EHRA Only)

The UNC System Office recently established a new Personal Leave Program for vacation leave accrual for EHRA leave-earning employees. Effective Jan. 1, 2025, all EHRA employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025, will be subject to the new Personal Leave Program.

 

Personal & Annual Leave Comparison Chart
See the table below a comparison between Personal Leave and Annual Leave.

TopicEHRA employees hired before 01/01/2025 who stay at the same institution and do not opt into the new personal leave programEHRA employees hired on or after 01/01/2025
Leave ProgramAnnual (Vacation) LeavePersonal Leave
Accruals
  • 26 days per year for SAAO
  • 24 days per year for EPS
  • 26 days per year for all leave-earning EHRA
Carryforward / Rollover
  • Max carryforward 30 days (240 hrs)
  • Excess rolls over to sick leave on Dec. 31
  • Max carryforward 20 days (160 hrs)
  • Excess is forfeited (no rollover to sick leave)
Transfer/Payout if moving to a Covered Position within Institution
  • All ANNUAL LEAVE transfers to new appointment
  • All PERSONAL LEAVE transfers to new appointment
Transfer/Payout if moving to a Covered Position at other Institution
  • ANNUAL LEAVE is paid out (max 30 days; excess is forfeited; 12-month faculty are ineligible for payout)
  • As a new hire at a new institution, continuing employees would be subject to the PERSONAL LEAVE policy at the new institution
  • PERSONAL LEAVE: Transfers (maximum 20 days) to new institution
  • Excess leave is forfeited
Transfer/Payout if moving to a Non-Covered Position within State Employment (University or Agency)
  • ANNUAL LEAVE is paid out (max 30 days; excess is forfeited; 12-month faculty are ineligible for payout)
  • PERSONAL LEAVE: Transfers (maximum 20 days) to new institution Excess leave is forfeited
Separating from State Employment
  • ANNUAL LEAVE is paid out (max 30 days; excess is forfeited; 12-month faculty are ineligible for payout)
  • All PERSONAL LEAVE is forfeited

EHRA employees hired before Jan. 1, 2025, will have a one-time opportunity to opt in to the new Personal Leave Program in April 2025; the decision to opt in will be irrevocable. Current EHRA employees who do not opt in will continue to accrue Annual Leave as vacation leave.

The establishment of the Personal Leave Program means that the vacation leave an EHRA employee earns is determined by the employee’s date of hire and/or whether the employee chose to opt in to the Personal Leave Program:

  • Annual Leave is the vacation leave for EHRA employees who were hired before Jan. 1, 2025, and who did NOT opt in to the Personal Leave Program.
  • Personal Leave is the vacation leave for:
    • All EHRA employees hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025.
    • EHRA employees hired before Jan. 1, 2025, who chose to opt in to the Personal Leave Program.

The new Personal Leave Program only affects vacation leave for new EHRA employees and current EHRA employees who choose to opt in; the Personal Leave Program does not affect any other leave programs. Employees under the Personal Leave Program accrue and are entitled to other leave allotments (Sick Leave, Civil Leave, Personal Observance, etc.) per the policies already established for those leaves and in the same way as employees in the Annual Leave Program.