If you accumulate more than the annual limit, you’ll usually have to use those excess hours before the end of the leave year or you’ll lose them. Image: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com
Leave in its many forms is one of the greatest benefits provided to federal employees. In part one of this series, I want to talk about annual leave and answer some of the most frequently asked questions about it.
Accruing annual leave
The amount of leave you accrue as a federal employee is based on your years of service. Employees with less than 3 years of service earn 4 hours per pay period (13 days per year). Those with more than three years but fewer than 15 earn 6 hours per pay period (20 days per year). And those with 15 or more years of service earn 8 hours per pay period (26 days per year).
Accrual of annual leave is prorated for part-time employees. Those with fewer than 3 years of service earn 1 hour of annual leave for every 20 hours they are in a pay status. Those with 3 but fewer than 15 earn 1 hour for every 13 hours. And those with 15 or more earn 1 hour for every 10 hours.
Note: There are special accrual rules for those with military service, which vary between those who are retired military and those who aren’t. Also, years of non-federal employment may be credited in limited situations. See https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/annual-leave.
Using annual leave
The taking of annual leave usually must be approved by your supervisor in advance. However, there are situations when that may not be possible—for example, when you are dealing with a personal or family emergency. Or during inclement weather when your agency may be open but will allow non-essential personnel to take unscheduled leave. In either case, it’s important that you let your supervisor know about your situation as soon as possible.
Annual leave accumulation
While most employees may only accumulate 240 hours in a year, there are exceptions. For example, overseas employees may accumulate 360 hours (45 days). And those in the Senior Executive Service even more. I’ll come back to that in a later article.
If you accumulate more than the annual limit, you’ll usually have to use those excess hours before the end of the leave year or you’ll lose them. However, if you had to forgo using annual leave that was scheduled in writing well in advance, either because of illness or agency needs, that leave can be restored. Just be aware that as a rule, restored leave must be used within two years.
While these next paragraphs will only apply to a few people, it’s essential that I get them on the record. When the Senior Executive Service was established, it included a provision that SES members could accumulate an unlimited amount of annual leave. That changed in 1994 with the enactment of the Government Management Reform Act, which set a 720-hour limit on the amount of annual leave current and future SES members could carry over from one year to the next. However, that law allowed current SES members who had accumulated more than 90 days of leave to keep that higher balance as their “personal” leave ceiling. In other words, it set a maximum amount of annual leave that could be carried from one leave year to the next.
Next week, I’ll spell out the rules covering lump sum payments for unused annual leave if you either leave government or retire.
Former head of retirement and insurance policy at the Office of Personnel Management, and longtime FEDweek contributor, Reg Jones is known throughout the federal workforce community as an authority on pay and benefits.
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