University of New Hampshire - Human Resources - Benefits - Paid Leave

All members of the fiscal year faculty and exempt staff who are employed in a status position of at least 50% time are eligible for vacation/personal time. Vacation/personal time is earned from the first day of employment and may be used after it is earned. Vacation/personal time is taken at a time mutually agreeable to the faculty or staff member and the supervisor.

The accrual rate for eligible Exempt Staff is two (2) days per month. Staff members with flex-year status appointments of at least 50% time earn vacation on a prorated basis.

The maximum accumulation is 35 days per year but the days accumulated over 30 days will have no cash value. The maximum number of vacation days for payout at termination will be 30 days.

Supervisors are required to grant, at times mutually agreeable, a minimum of 12 days of annual leave per year, per staff member (pro rated for percent time positions).

Minimum usage is calculated on a fiscal year basis, July 1 through June 30. If the minimum usage requirement has not been met by the end of the fiscal year, remaining minimum usage days will be subtracted from the staff member's vacation/personal leave balance prior to its being carried forward into the new fiscal year.

New staff members hired prior to January 1 will be required to satisfy the minimum usage requirement by June 30 of the end of their first partial year of employment. The minimum usage amount is calculated by counting one day of minimum usage for each month of employment prior to June 30. For the purpose of calculating minimum usage, a month is counted as a full month of employment if the staff member's date of hire is on or before the 15th of the month, or if the staff member terminates on or after the 16th of the month. If the minimum usage requirement has not been met by June 30, remaining minimum usage days will be subtracted from the staff member's vacation/personal leave balance prior to its being carried forward into the new fiscal year.

For example, a new staff member hired October 2 would need to use a minimum of 9 days by the following June 30. An employee hired July 5 would need to use a minimum of 12 days of vacation/personal leave. If the minimum usage requirement has not been met by June 30, remaining minimum usage days will be subtracted from the staff member's vacation/personal leave balance prior to its being carried forward into the new fiscal year. If the staff member hired October 2 used 7 days as of June 30, two days would be subtracted from the carry-forward leave balance into the next fiscal year.

Note: Employees with six months or less of service are exempt from minimum usage requirements for the fiscal year in which they were hired.

For the purpose of calculating the amount of vacation pay-off at termination, minimum usage will be prorated through the date of termination, and any remaining minimum usage days will be subtracted from the staff member’s vacation/personal leave balance.

Exempt staff members are encouraged to use vacation leave in increments of one-half day or more.

Eligible employees record accrual and usage on the exempt leave record available at www.unh.edu/hr/xls/pat-leave-record.xls. Records are to be completed by the employee and reviewed by the supervisor on a monthly basis. The records are submitted to Human Resources at the end of the fiscal year and upon termination or retirement. The exempt leave record is retained in the employee's department.