Vacation Policy

Source: Office of the Chancellor

Full-time annual (12 month) basis appointments include a provision for 176 hours of vacation with pay to be taken at the convenience of the employing unit. Academic year basis appointments are made without vacation allowance. Rehired annuitants may be eligible for vacation provided the duration of the employment is at least one year and the employment is at least 21%. The following operating guideline is to assist departments in interpreting the vacation policy for annual basis appointments. Vacation accrual and use records are kept on a fiscal year basis (July 1 through June 30). Vacation may be anticipated for the fiscal year. Any termination/resignation will require an adjustment in the final paycheck if vacation taken exceeds the vacation earned. Short-term annual basis appointments may carry the same vacation accrual privileges as full year appointments. Part-time annual basis appointments carry proportional paid leave allowance (e.g., a half-time annual basis appointee will earn 88 hours of vacation for each full year of half-time service.) Annual basis appointees may carry-over a maximum of one year's vacation time (176 hours). Unused carry-over vacation remaining at the end of the next fiscal year is lost. Employees who have completed ten or more years of service under the Wisconsin Retirement System at the University, or in another position within the State in which vacation was earned, are eligible for the Annual Leave Reserve Account (ALRA). The employee may reserve up to 40 hours of vacation each fiscal year after the ten years is reached. The election to bank this leave will be made at the end of each fiscal year. Vacation accumulated in the ALRA may be used at any time (subject to the rules regarding vacation scheduling). Unclassified staff who have completed 25 years of service with the University or State may exchange up to 40 hours of paid annual leave for a cash payment. This cash payment option is in addition to the ALRA banking option. Annual basis appointees who terminate their employment within the System may be paid for unused vacation. Employees should consult their supervisor if there is a remaining vacation balance at the time of termination. Employees may be required to use their vacation prior to their termination date or may request a lump sum payment; approval of this payment is at the discretion of the supervisor. The letter of resignation should state the terms for any remaining vacation. (Lump sum payments do not qualify as earnings covered by the Wisconsin Retirement System.) If you take a position at a University within the University System or another state agency, you may negotiate with your new employer to accept responsibility for unused vacation credits. In non-University cases, if your new employer chooses not to accept the vacation, and you cannot use the vacation prior to termination, the vacation credits will be paid in a lump sum by your current department. Unclassified employees are required to turn in monthly leave statements (whether or not any leave has been used). Leave statements are included with earnings statements in the campus mail each pay day. The leave statement is a two-part form. The top portion of the statement gives current balances and should be retained for the employee's records. The bottom portion of the statement must be submitted to the supervisor to report any usage. Vacation usage is recorded in hours. Full-time annual basis staff will receive 28 hours of non-cumulative personal holidays each fiscal year.

Full-time employees receive 9 paid holidays per year:

• January 1 (New Year's Day)* 8 hours
• Third Monday in January (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) 8 hours
• Last Monday in May (Memorial Day) 8 hours
• July 4 (Independence Day)* 8 hours
• First Monday in September (Labor Day) 8 hours
• Fourth Thursday in November (Thanksgiving Day) 8 hours
• December 24 (Christmas Eve Day)* 8 hours
• December 25 (Christmas Day)* 8 hours
• December 31 (New Year's Eve Day)* 8 hours

*If January 1, July 4 or December 25 fall on a Sunday, the following Monday will be considered a holiday. If December 24 or December 31 fall on Sunday, or if any of the holidays marked with an asterisk fall on a Saturday, the employee will receive a "floating" holiday that must be used during the fiscal year.

As Amended: July 2002; reviewed August 2014