The UVA Academic Leave Year begins with the first day of the pay period which includes January 1 (known as Pay Period 1) and ends on the last day of the pay period preceding Pay Period 1 of the following year.
Time off Tracking
Non-exempt University staff track time off in 15 minute increments.
For Exempt University staff, time off of less than four hours is considered discretionary and not reported; however, if an employee is taking ongoing time off on a regular basis related to a leave of absence, they may be required by their department to track their time off. Exempt University staff should record time off if they are absent for over four hours in a day.
While University Staff may take time off in advance of accruing their time off, up to the amount they will be able to accrue in a Leave Year, some departments have guidelines regarding advance time off if it is not yet accrued. In addition if an employee separates prior to accruing the time used, they will owe that time back to the university.
Time off is granted at the supervisor's discretion, whenever possible, while accounting for staffing needs and according to departmental guidelines.
View your Time Off balance in Workday. You can go to your Workday Home Screen, the Absence Icon, and "View My Balance" to input a future date to determine what your balance will be based on estimated future accruals as well as any time off approved in Workday up until that date.
It is prudent to check your time off balance periodically in case of unexpected absences or in preparation for use or lose time at the end of the Leave Year.
Accrual
To determine your bi-weekly accrual, take the total maximum based on your years of service from the policy and divide by the leave periods in the year. Typically there are 26 leave periods in a year matching the biweekly pay periods.
Accrual rates are found in the Paid Leave for University Staff Policy
Accrual while on leave
University staff will continue to accrue University Staff Time Off while on an approved leave of absence status.
Prior Service
Employees with prior benefited service at another Virginia State Agency, the University Medical Center, or the UVA Academic Division, please reach out to leave@virginia.edu within six months of hire or rehire for review to determine if that time may count towards your current PTO accrual rate.
Employees are responsible for reaching out to the UVA HR Leave team within six months of their hire or rehire date to ensure that their PTO accruals will be effective the date of their most recent hire. Updates to an employee’s prior service after six months of their most recent hire date will be effective moving forward from the date of the requested change and retroactive accruals are not guaranteed.
Carry Forward and Cash Out
If you have unused University Staff Leave at the end of the current leave year which exceeds the maximum carry-forward amount (use or lose), cashing out of unused time will automatically occur in accordance with the policy, provided you have used 80 hours of paid time off by the end of the Leave Year.
Payout of the unused time will occur on the paycheck following the last period of the Leave Year.
Payout upon transfer to a non-University Staff position or upon separation occurs according to the policy maximum. If the transfer or termination process has been entered into Workday in a timely manner, any payout is distributed automatically in the next pay bi-weekly pay cycle following your last regular paycheck. The payout determination is based on the term or transfer date entered into Workday, not by the last day you worked.
Use or Lose Job Aid
To calculate use or lose and forfeiture for this year, see the My Time Off Balance Details with Use or Lose job aid.
Leave Donations
Employees in the Virginia Sickness and Disability Plan (VSDP) that have disability benefits managed by Alight are only eligible for donations of Annual Leave when they are approved for FMLA to care for an ill family member.
Employees in the Traditional (Personal) Sick Plan, may also receive Annual Leave donations for leave related to their own illness.
Donations would only be applied when an employee has exhausted all of their own paid time off options.
To apply, complete the leave sharing recipient application. Once received the leave team will confirm approval of the leave. Once the leave is approved, the team sends instructions about the donation process to the employee and their manager.
Classified employees may donate Annual Leave to eligible University Staff employees or vice versa by completing the Leave Sharing Donor form. If an employee is eligible to receive donations, we will apply it. You may indicate on the form that it can go to anyone in need.
Forms
Please see the Leave section for HR Forms & Policies site, including donation related forms.