Annual Leave Accrual Rates
Full-time SAAO Tier I employees are eligible for 26 days per year (accrued on a monthly basis). The amount of annual leave is adjusted proportionately for part-time employees in covered positions who work half-time (50% FTE) or more.
Full-time SAAO Tier II and Instructional/Research/Information Technology (IRIT, formerly IRPS) employees are eligible for 24 days per year (accrued on a monthly basis). The amount of annual leave is adjusted proportionately for part-time employees in covered positions who work half-time (50% FTE) or more.
Annual leave is accrued by eligible employees who are working, on paid leave, or on Workers’ Compensation leave.
Using Annual Leave
Annual leave may be used for a variety of circumstances, including:
- Vacation
- Other periods of absence for personal reasons
- Absences due to adverse weather conditions
- Personal illness (in lieu of sick leave)
- Illness in the immediate family
- Donations to an employee who is an approved voluntary shared leave recipient
Employees should submit a request for annual leave to their supervisor; employee preference should be considered and schedules worked out bearing in mind individual departmental needs. Employees whose positions are designated as exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) record leave in either half- or full-day increments.
Although approval of the use of annual leave is discretionary, requests by an employee to use annual leave for cultural and/or ethnic-related events should be granted if the employee has accrued annual leave and the granting of the leave will not result in undue hardship on the department or its employees.
Carrying Over Annual Leave
On December 31 of each year, accumulated annual leave time over 30 days (pro-rated for part-time employees) is converted to sick leave so that only 30 days are carried forward to January 1 of
the next calendar year.
Annual Leave Payouts
If the employee separates from service, accumulated annual leave that is not transferred will be paid in a lump sum. However, payment for accumulated leave cannot exceed 30 days (pro-rated for part-time employees). Also, there are special annual leave payout provisions for employees with less than 2 years of service.
If an employee separates and is overdrawn on leave, it will be necessary to make deductions from the final salary check.
Note: For more details on annual leave, including the payout provisions, see UNC Policy 300.1.1 (Section III.F.2) for SAAO Tier II, and UNC Policy (Section VII.B) for Instructional/Research. Only employment in an SHRA or EHRA permanent position counts towards the 24 month leave payout rule for EHRA employees.