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.
| Topic | EHRA employees hired before 01/01/2025 who stay at the same institution and do not opt into the new personal leave program | EHRA employees hired on or after 01/01/2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Leave Program | Annual (Vacation) Leave | Personal Leave |
| Accruals |
|
|
| Carryforward / Rollover |
|
|
| Transfer/Payout if moving to a Covered Position within Institution |
|
|
| Transfer/Payout if moving to a Covered Position at other Institution |
|
|
| Transfer/Payout if moving to a Non-Covered Position within State Employment (University or Agency) |
|
|
| Separating from State Employment |
|
|
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.
- For general guidance on how to manage your annual and personal leave choices, including information on leave transfers and frequently asked questions about the Personal Leave Program, please check the Personal Leave Guidance Documents from the UNC System Office.
- For the full policy, see the Leave Programs for Faculty and Staff Exempt from the North Carolina Human Resources Act, UNC Policy Manual, 300.2.22.