Vacation Pay-Out | Office of Human Resources

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last year, our faculty and staff have worked through especially trying times in order to support the University’s mission to provide the very best education for our students, care for our patients, and service to our community.

Last year, University leadership announced changes to the Vacation Policy (#345) so that employees could roll over one and a quarter (1.25) year’s annual vacation accrual for 2021, recognizing that the pandemic made it difficult for many to take time off. During 2021, we are finding that vacation balances continue to build, with staff using fewer vacation days than in a typical year.

To ensure that staff benefit from unused vacation time in what has been a unique year, the University will implement a one-time Vacation Pay-Out Program at the end of 2021. All eligible staff through Pay Grade 98 will automatically receive a pay-out of up to 60 hours of unused vacation time above 1.25 of the employee’s annual vacation accrual.

Program Details:

Unused vacation time up to 60 hours over the maximum rollover amount will be eligible for pay-out. Any vacation time over the 60 hours will not be eligible for pay-out or rollover.
Staff vacation banks will be reviewed for eligibility in December 2021 and payments will be made in January 2022. Employees do not need to take any action at this time.
An option will be available for staff to direct the pay-out into the University’s 403(b) Retirement Program (up to the IRS maximum limit). Eligible employees will be notified about this opportunity and how to choose this option in December.

The following are examples of how this program will work based on different staff vacation balances at the end of the 2021 calendar year:

	Rate of pay per hour	1.25 of annual entitlement	Vacation Bank as of December 31, 2021	Vacation hours available for pay-out	Pay-out Amount	Lost hours
Employee 1	$22	175	167	0	$0	0
Employee 2	$18	250	448.67	60	$1,080	138.67
Employee 3	$25	250	423.23	60	$1,500	113.23
Employee 4	$16	250	422.67	60	$960	112.67
Employee 5	$27	103.5	135.01	31.51	$850.77	0

We are thankful for the incredible commitment you have shown to the University and those we serve. We encourage staff to work with their managers to plan and use vacation time when possible as time away creates important balance. Please contact your manager or ASK URHR with any questions.

Thank you for all your contributions to our University community.

Sincerely,

Kathleen Gallucci
Chief Human Resources Officer

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I have to do to receive the pay-out?

The vacation payout will happen automatically for eligible employees. There is no action required for managers or employees.

What if I would rather carry-over the vacation time than receive a pay-out?

This pay-out is not optional because per University Vacation Policy 345, all unused vacation time, at the end of Calendar year 2021 above 1.25 of the employee’s annual vacation accrual cannot be carried over and would be otherwise lost.

Are there other options for the pay-out?

An option will be available for staff to direct the pay-out into the University’s 403(b) Retirement Program (up to the IRS maximum limit). Eligible employees will be notified about this opportunity and how to choose this option in December and do not need to take any action right now.

How will the vacation pay-out be taxed?

The pay-out will be taxed at the supplemental tax rate in compliance with IRS regulations.

As a manager, how do I know what my staff’s vacation balance is?

Managers can see vacation banks, future accruals, and projected vacation over-the-cap in HRMS by selecting UR Reports and Interfaces from the Main Menu and following the path: HR -> Vacation Analysis.

How do I know what my pay grade is?

Ask your manager. Managers can find the salary grades of their direct reports in HRMS.

How do I determine the pay grades of the staff that report to me?

Managers can find the salary grades of their direct reports in HRMS by selecting UR Reports and Interfaces from the Main Menu and following the path: HR -> HR Queries and selecting the query “Employee Roster Query: UHR0010”.

If I am paid a salary, how do I determine my vacation pay-out?

A salaried employee can divide their annual salary by 2,080 hours to determine their hourly rate. Then multiply the hourly rate by the vacation hours over 1.25 of the annual entitlement up to 60 to determine the vacation payout.