Earned Time

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Earned Time is an alternative approach to the traditional manner of covering absence from work. Earned Time hours are used for vacation/personal leave, sick leave, interim disability, funeral leave, and military leave. Unused time may be paid in cash at the time of termination or retirement. Paid holidays are in addition to Earned Time.

Accrual Rate

The exact number of Earned Time hours available to an employee each year will depend on base budgeted hours worked and years of service to the University (see Earned Time Accrual Calculation Sheet). Earned Time does not accrue on overtime hours worked.

Usage

Earned Time hours may be used any time after being earned, including during the employee's introductory period. Earned Time hours will be used to cover any absence from the job for which an employee wishes to be paid with the exception of University holidays. All planned absences must be mutually agreed upon by the employee and supervisor. A physician's statement may be required at any time to substantiate an absence due to illness.

Maximum Accrual/ Minimum Usage

There is no maximum accrual of Earned Time and all unused Earned Time may be payable at termination or retirement. However, employees are required to use a minimum number of Earned Time hours, based on years of service, prior to June 30 of each year (see Earned Time Minimum Usage Calculation Sheet).

Computation of minimum usage will occur as of June 30 of each year. Minimum usage is calculated on a fiscal year basis, July 1 through June 30. If the minimum usage requirement has not been met by June 30, remaining minimum usage hours will be subtracted from the staff member's Earned Time balance prior to its being carried forward into the new fiscal year (and is not eligible for cashout). Employees with less than six months of service are exempt from minimum usage requirements.

New employees 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 required hours 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 hours will be subtracted from the staff member's Earned Time balance prior to its being carried forward into the new fiscal year.

For example, a new staff member works a 40-hour week and is hired on October 2. He or she would need to use a minimum of 72 hours (9 days) by the following June 30. An employee hired July 5 would need to use a minimum of 96 hours (12 days) of Earned time. If the minimum usage requirement has not been met by June 30, remaining minimum usage hours will be subtracted from the staff member's Earned Time balance prior to it being carried forward into the new fiscal year. If the staff member hired on October 2 used 56 hours as of June 30, 16 hours would be subtracted from the carry-forward leave balance into the next fiscal year.

Sick Pool

Sick Pool is an optional portion of the Earned Time plan. For detailed information about this plan, please visit: http://usnholpm.unh.edu/USY/V.Pers/A.11.htm