Earning: Eligible employees earn vacation leave each pay period. The number of hours earned varies by salary plan and the number of hours the employee is paid. The hours are credited on the last day of that pay period. There is no waiting period for using vacation leave. Employees may use only the credited vacation leave in their balance.
Use: Vacation leave is most commonly used for vacations, but it can also be used for personal business. In unusual or unavoidable situations, supervisors may require employees to take a portion of their vacation leave at a specified time.
Requests: All vacation leave requests should be submitted by employees to their supervisor as early as possible. This leave can be taken only after receiving approval from the supervisor.
Limitations: Vacation leave may only be used to bring employees to their regular FTE, not exceeding the 40-hour workweek. If used for less than a full hour, employees will be charged to the closest quarter of an hour.
Vacation-accruing employees may request up to 160 hours (4 weeks) of vacation leave upon notice of termination from UF. This is in addition to the leave cash-out (up to the maximum for the individual salary plan) the employee may receive upon separation. Work with your department in advance when requesting this leave.
Full-time employees accrue vacation leave at a rate of 6.769 hours biweekly, approximately 22 days per year, or the number of hours that is directly proportionate to the number of hours the employee is paid.
Part-time employees accrue leave proportionate to their FTE or the number of hours that is directly proportionate to the number of hours the employee is paid.
Employees on academic appointments (39 weeks) or P.K. Yonge employees normally will not accrue vacation leave.
Vacation leave accumulates throughout the year for all eligible employees. Any vacation hours exceeding 480 hours for faculty members within the collective bargaining unit agreement, if unused by the calendar year’s end, will be converted to sick leave. Hours converted will also include accruals for that pay period.
Upon separation from UF or transferring to an OPS position, TEAMS employees and vacation leave-accruing faculty will be paid up to a lifetime maximum of 200 hours of any unused vacation leave, (352 for faculty members covered by the collective bargaining unit agreement). If an employee transfers to a vacation leave-accruing position within the University of Florida, the vacation leave balance will be transferred with the employee.
Leave Entitlement & Cashout Chart
ONLY TEAMS employees may elect to cash-out up to 16 hours (per FTE) of vacation leave during the month of December so long as the employee will have a remaining balance of at least 40 hours (per FTE) of vacation leave. Vacation leave cashed out as part of the TEAMS year end vacation leave cash-out does not apply toward the lifetime maximum vacation cash-out.
Part-time employees accrue leave proportionate to their FTE or the number of hours that is directly proportionate to the number of hours the employee is paid.
Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service.
USPS employees who leave UF employment will be paid for any unused vacation leave up to a lifetime maximum of 200 hours. If you transfer to a leave-accruing position within the University of Florida, your vacation leave balance will be transferred. Should you be recalled by the university within 365 days after a formal layoff, you will have all unpaid vacation leave restored and any vacation leave paid at the time of layoff shall be restored upon repayment.
Employees who join the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) have the option to cash out vacation leave within 30 days of joining DROP up to the pay plan’s maximum allowable hours—200 hours for TEAMS, USPS, and Executive Service employees. Upon retirement from DROP, the employee is only eligible to cash out the remaining of the maximum allowable hours less the number of hours that were cashed out when the employee enrolled into DROP. The maximum allowable hours is based on the pay plan in which the employee was in when enrolled into DROP.
The Special Pay Plan is a mandatory retirement plan available to leave accruing employees for vacation and some sick leave payments at the time of the cash-out.