Earlier this summer, University leadership announced a one-time Vacation Payout Program at the end of 2021. This was implemented to ensure that staff benefit from unused vacation time accrued over a challenging and unusual year, when many employees used fewer vacation days than in a typical year. Under the program, all eligible staff through pay grade 98 will automatically receive a one-time payout of up to 60 hours of unused vacation time above 1.25 of the employee’s annual vacation accrual. Because they would otherwise lose the time, staff may not opt-out of the payout. Following are program details. Please note that employees will receive their payouts in early 2022.
The payout will occur on the following pay dates:
- Bi-weekly hourly: Friday, January 21, 2022
- Semi-monthly: Friday, January 14, 2022
- Monthly: Monday, January 31, 2022
Following the payout, vacation will be capped for 2022 for any remaining vacation above the rollover amount. Because they would otherwise lose the time, staff may not opt-out of the payout. However, they can choose to direct the payout amount into the University’s 403(b) Retirement Program up to the IRS maximum limit by electing this option in HRMS by December 31, 2021. If employees do not elect this option, they will receive a cash payout.
Employees can update their preference in HRMS by navigating from the Main Menu to the Vacation Payout Election page. From this page, they can also view their personal vacation balance along with the current predicted payout and hours not eligible for payout or rollover.
We encourage staff to work with their managers to plan and use vacation time when possible as time away supports an important work/life balance. Frequently asked questions are available below. Please contact your manager or Ask-URHR with any further questions.