Employee Benefits

Paid Leave Benefits

The University grants paid leave benefits to eligible employee groups. Employees may earn vacation, sick leave and personal holidays in addition to nine legal holidays. Teaching staff may make use of the Colleague Coverage provision to cover hours in the classroom and student consultation in lieu of sick leave. Employees on an academic year pay-basis do not earn vacation or personal holidays.

Paid leave is authorized by s. 230.35(4)(a) of the Wisconsin Statutes, ch. ER 18 and UWS 19 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code, the University of Wisconsin System Unclassified Personnel Guidelines (UPG #9 and #10.)

In most cases you must report leave usage on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Your staff benefits office can provide details.

State and university offices are closed on the following LEGAL HOLIDAYS:

  • January 1
  • Third Monday of January (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday)
  • Last Monday in May (Memorial Day)
  • July 4
  • First Monday in September (Labor Day)
  • Fourth Thursday in November (Thanksgiving Day)
  • December 24
  • December 25
  • December 31

Select one of the following employment categories to learn more about your paid leave benefits:

CLASSIFIED

Represented and non-represented classified employees earn paid vacation, legal holidays, personal holidays and sick leave. If you are employed on a part-time basis, your leave is pro-rated based on your percentage of employment.

CAUTION: Generally, vacation, sick leave and holiday allotments for represented and non-represented classified employees are similar but you should refer to your collective bargaining agreement for paid leave information if you are a represented employee.

CAUTION: Limited Term Employees (LTEs) are not eligible to accrue sick leave or earn vacation, holidays or other leave.

Vacation (Annual Leave)

  • You receive vacation prorated according to anticipated hours in pay status during the calendar year.
  • You may begin using your annual vacation entitlement after you complete six months in an original appointment or in a new period of continuous service after a break in service.
  • Employees with previous state service who enter a classified position with less than a five-year break from state service may use vacation immediately and they resume the vacation accrual rate earned in their former position (three-year break, for terminations prior to July 5, 1998).
  • Vacation is allocated on a calendar-year basis. You should check with your staff benefits office concerning unused vacation carryover provisions, as institution guidelines may vary.
  • In the event you terminate employment, the University will recover the value of vacation used but not yet earned.
  • Classified Career Executives (as well as all non-represented exempt employees and some represented employees who have Exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act) accrue annual leave and sabbatical banking on an accelerated schedule.
  • Except for Craft Workers, during the first 5 years non-exempt employees earn at least 104 hours of leave per year. Employees in the WEAC and UPQHC bargaining units earn 120 hours.

    Refer to the Annual Leave Schedules for Classified Employees (from University of Wisconsin Service Center website -- this will open in a new window).

Banking Sabbatical Leave

  • Eligible employees may defer vacation in a sabbatical account to use at a future date for such purposes as vacation, education, illness, extension of termination, etc.
  • With your supervisor's approval, sabbatical leave can be taken like regular vacation (continues your regular earnings and is paid on a biweekly basis).
  • Value of unused sabbatical is paid to you at termination of employment.
  • Unused sabbatical accumulates from year to year without limit.
  • Eligibility to bank vacation begins when you are earning 160 hours per year of vacation or have saved 520 hours of accumulated sick leave, whichever comes first.
    • If your anniversary falls in the middle of the year, you are allowed the banking privilege in that calendar year.
  • Annual banking limit for those who have earned 160 hours of annual leave or haved saved 520 hours of sick leave: 40 hours.

Additional Banking and Payout Options

  • When you reach higher vacation-earning rates you may be eligible to bank more hours or receive a cash payment for some of the hours.
    • See the Sabbatical Schedule for details (University of Wisconsin Service website -- this will open in a new window.)
  • If your anniversary falls in the middle of the year, you are allowed the banking privilege in that calendar year.
  • Option to bank vacation or request cash payment is offered to eligible employees in late fall.

Personal Holidays

  • You receive four and one half days (36 hours) of personal holiday leave per year as soon as you begin work and you have until the end of the calendar year to use them.
  • Part-time appointees receive a proportionate share consistent with percentage of appointment.
  • Should you leave university employment prior to completing six months of probationary service, the University will recover the value of the personal holiday used.

Legal Holidays

Full-time employees earn eight hours of leave for each legal holiday. Part-time employees earn a pro-rated amount. To be eligible to be paid for a legal holiday you must be in employment status on the holiday and do at least one of the following:

  • Work on the holiday; or
  • Be in pay status on the last scheduled work day immediately before the holiday; or
  • Be in pay status on the first scheduled work day immediately following the holiday.

Sick Leave

  • Sick leave is accrued at the rate of .0625 hour for each hour in pay status.
  • If you are a full-time employee, you accumulate five hours of sick leave for each 80 hours of pay (every two weeks) or 16.25 days per year.
  • If you are in pay status for less than 76 hours per biweekly period, you will accrue a pro-rated amount.
  • Unused sick leave accumulates from year to year without limit.
  • Sick leave may be taken only after it has been earned.
  • Under rules of the State Office of Employment Relations (ch. ER 18, Wis. Admin.Code), employees may use sick leave for personal illnesses, bodily injuries, maternity or exposure to contagious disease; for immediate family or personal medical or dental appointments which cannot be scheduled at times other than during work hours; for temporary emergency medical care of ill or injured members of the immediate family (up to five days), or for a death in your immediate family. Represented employees should check their union contract for other provisions.
  • The federal or the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act may allow use of sick leave for additional purposes.
  • Your unused sick leave balance is lost if you are laid off or terminate employment before retirement unless you have at least 20 years of WRS creditable service. However, it is restored if you return to a permanent position within five years (three years, for terminations prior to July 5, 1998).
  • If you are laid off, you may use your sick leave credits to pay for State Group Health Insurance for up to five years.
  • At retirement the value of accumulated sick leave credits may be converted to pay for the cost of your State Group Health Insurance. For more information see "SICK LEAVE, A Valuable Retirement Benefit for Classified Employees", a slide presentation on the web.

Career Executives

Representing a pool of highly qualified candidates for State of Wisconsin executive and competitive-level positions, career executive appointees are regulated by ch. ER-MRS 30, Wis. Admin. Code.

Career Executives, FLSA-exempt employees other than Crafts workers and those represented by WSEU, and all non-represented exempt employees accrue annual leave and sabbatical banking according to the following accelerated schedule:

CLASSIFIED CAREER EXECUTIVE VACATION
Based on Full Time Appointment
Years of Service
Vacation Hours/Year
During First 5
120
5+ to 10
160
10+ to 15
176
15+ to 20
200
20 and Over
216

The WSEU schedule for Exempt employees is detailed on the Annual Leave Schedules for Classified Employees (from University of Wisconsin Service Center website -- this will open in a new window).

Classified Career Executive Sabbatical Leave:

  • Eligible employees may defer vacation in a sabbatical account to use at a future date for purposes such as vacation, education, illness, extension of termination, etc.
  • With your supervisor's approval, sabbatical leave can be taken like regular vacation (continues your regular earnings and is paid on a biweekly basis).
  • Value of unused sabbatical is paid to you at termination of employment.
  • Unused sabbatical accumulates from year to year without limit.
  • Eligibility to bank vacation begins when you earn 160 hours of vacation per year or have saved 520 hours of accumulated sick leave, whichever comes first.
    • If your anniversary falls in the middle of the year, you are allowed the banking privilege in that calendar year.
  • Annual banking limit: 40 hours.

Additional Banking and Payout Options

When you reach the 200-hour vacation-earning rate you are eligible to:
    • Bank 80 or more hours in sabbatical per year, or
    • Receive up to 40 hours of annual leave as cash payment and bank 40 or more hours to sabbatical.
    • See the Sabbatical Schedule for details (University of Wisconsin Service website -- this will open in a new window.)
  • If your anniversary falls in the middle of the year, you are allowed the banking privilege in that calendar year.
  • Option to bank vacation or request cash payment is offered to eligible employees in late fall.

UNCLASSIFIED

Faculty, academic staff and limited appointees who are paid on an annual pay-basis, and are expected to work at least one-third of what is considered full time employment (440 hours per year) for at least one year, earn vacation, legal holidays, personal holidays and sick leave. The leave year is on a fiscal basis, July 1 through June 30. Nine-month academic school year appointees earn sick leave and legal holidays that fall during the academic year, but not vacation or personal holidays.

Full-time staff receive the following paid leave allotments. If you are employed on a part-time basis, your leave time is pro-rated consistent with your percentage of employment.

Vacation (Annual Leave) (12-month pay basis personnel only)

  • Regent policy is set out in UPG #9.
  • Full-time, twelve-month pay basis employeees earn 22 days (176 hours) per year.
  • You should check with your staff benefits office concerning unused vacation carryover provisions, as institution guidelines may vary.

Annual Leave Reserve Account (ALRA)

Faculty, Academic Staff or Limited appointees who have completed ten years of qualifying service have the option to bank unused vacation.

  • Eligible employees may defer vacation in an ALRA account to use at a future date for such purposes as vacation, education, illness, extension of termination date, etc.
  • With supervisor's approval, ALRA leave can be taken like regular vacation (continues your regular earnings and is paid on a monthly basis).
  • Value of unused ALRA will be paid to you at termination.
  • Eligibility begins in the fiscal year after ten years of qualifying service is reached.
  • If eligible, you are offered the banking option in the spring of each year.
  • Annual banking limit: 40 hours.
  • Unused ALRA accumulates from year to year without limit.

Cash Pay Option for Unused Annual Leave

Note: Effective with the 2003-2005 unclassified pay plan, the cash pay option described below for unused annual leave for unclassified employees with 25 years of service has been suspended until such time as funding is made available in the state budget. Employees who would have been eligible for the cash pay option may instead bank an additional five days' vacation in their ALRA account.

  • Prior to the 2003-2004 fiscal year, employees with 25 years of qualifying service could opt to receive up to 40 hours of annual leave as cash payment as well as bank up to 40 hours to ALRA.
  • Payout option was offered in the spring of the fiscal year following the 25th year of service.
  • If elected, the cash payment was made on July 1.

Personal Holiday (12-month pay basis personnel only)

  • 36 hours per year of personal holiday leave are granted and you have until the end of the fiscal year to use them.
  • Part-time appointees receive a proportionate share consistent with percentage of appointment.

Legal Holidays

Faculty, academic staff and limited appointees on a twelve-month pay basis earn nine legal holidays. Academic year employees earn legal holidays that fall during the academic year.

Sick Leave

  • Regent policy is set out in UPG #10
  • Eligibility is contingent upon the following conditions:
    • You are expected to work at least one-third of what is considered full time employment (440 hours per year) and
    • Your expected duration of employment is at least one year.
  • New full-time employees with an appointment of nine months or more are initially granted 22 working days of sick leave entitlement.
  • After 18 months of service, sick leave is earned at the rate of one day per month or six days per semester.
  • Except for the initial entitlement, sick leave may be taken only after it has been earned.
  • Under s. UWS 19.01, Wisconsin Administrative Code, sick leave may be used for absences due to personal illness, injury, disability or pregnancy as well as attendance on a member of the immediate family of the employee whose condition or death requires the employee's direct care.
  • The federal or Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act may allow use of sick leave for additional purposes.
  • Teaching staff may utilize Colleague Coverage in lieu of sick leave when conditions apply.
  • Unused sick leave accumulates from year to year without limit.
  • Your unused sick leave balance is lost if you are laid off or terminate employment before retirement unless you have at least 20 years of WRS creditable service. However, it is restored if you return to a position that earns sick leave within three years.
  • If you are laid off, you may use your sick leave credits to pay for State Group Health Insurance for up to five years.
  • You may accumulate sick leave credits and at retirement convert their value to pay for the cost of your State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance. For more information see "SICK LEAVE A Valuable Retirement Benefit for Faculty and Academic Staff", a slide presentation on the web.

Colleague Coverage

  • Teaching staff may use Colleague Coverage when absent from teaching duties due to personal or family illness or injury as defined in ch. UWS 19, Wis. Admin. Code and s. 10.05 of UPG #10.
  • Colleague coverage is intended to benefit students and to provide continuity of studies.
  • Available solely to cover hours in the classroom and student consultations, when another colleague stands in without extra compensation.
  • Administrative responsibilities, research, etc. do not qualify for Colleague Coverage.
  • Colleague coverage is not available in semesters following the first semester in which the illness occurred.
SENIOR EXECUTIVES

1997 Wisconsin Act 237 amended the compensation plan for University of Wisconsin System senior executives. Following the Act, senior executive leave benefit entitlements became regulated by the rules of the Board of Regents in the same manner as provided for faculty and academic staff under Unclassified Personnel Guidelines #9 and #10 and ch. UWS 19, Wisconsin Administrative Code

Full-time appointees receive the following leave allotments. If you are employed on a part-time basis, you will receive a proportionate share consistent with your percentage of employment.

Vacation (Annual Leave)

  • 22 days (176 hours) are granted per fiscal year
  • Accrual is on a fiscal year basis

Annual Leave Reserve Account (ALRA)

Appointees who have completed ten years of qualifying service have the option to bank unused vacation.

  • Eligible employees may defer vacation in an ALRA account to use at a future date for such purposes as vacation, education, illness, extension of termination date, etc.
  • With supervisor's approval, ALRA leave can be taken like regular vacation (continues your regular earnings and is paid on a monthly basis).
  • Eligibility begins the fiscal year after ten years of qualifying service is reached.
  • Annual banking limit: 40 hours.
  • Unused ALRA accumulates from year to year without limit.
  • Value of unused ALRA is paid to you at termination of employment.
  • If eligible, you are offered the banking option in the spring of each year following ten years of qualifying service.

Cash Pay Option for Unused Annual Leave

Note: Effective with the 2003-2005 unclassified pay plan, the cash pay option described below for unused annual leave for unclassified employees with 25 years of service has been suspended until such time as funding is made available in the state budget. Employees who would have been eligible for the cash pay option may instead bank an additional five days' vacation in their ALRA account.

  • Prior to the 2003-2004 fiscal year, employees with 25 years of qualifying service could opt to receive up to 40 hours of annual leave as cash payment as well as bank up to 40 hours to ALRA.
  • Payout option was offered in the spring of the fiscal year following the 25th year of service.
  • If elected, the cash payment was made on July 1.

Personal Holiday

Four and one-half days (36 hours) of Personal Holiday are granted per fiscal year

Sick Leave

  • New senior executives are initially granted 22 working days of sick leave entitlement (unless they previously received an initial entitlement as a member of the faculty or academic staff).
  • After 18 months of service you will earn eight hours of sick leave per month, not to exceed twelve days per year.
  • Except for the initial entitlement, sick leave may be taken only after it has been earned.
  • Under s. UWS 19.01, Wisconsin Administrative Code, sick leave may be used for absences due to personal illness, injury, disability or pregnancy as well as attendance on a member of the immediate family of the employee whose condition or death requires the employee's direct care.
  • The Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act may allow use of sick leave for additional purposes.
  • Unused sick leave accumulates from year to year without limit.
  • Your unused sick leave balance is lost if you are laid off or terminate employment before retirement. However, it is restored if you are appointed to any UW position that earns sick leave within three years.
  • If you are laid off, you may use your sick leave credits to pay for State Group Health Insurance for up to five years.
  • At retirement the value of accumulated sick leave credits may be converted to pay for the cost of your State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance. For more information see "SICK LEAVE, A Valuable Retirement Benefit Faculty and Academic Staff", a slide presentation on the web.

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This document was last revised on June 8, 2007

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