Texas A&M AgriLife
Administrative Services – Human Resources
Non-faculty
An employee listed in the position identification database in a budgeted position for 50 percent or more time for a period of at least four and one-half months, excluding an employee in a position for which student status is a requirement for employment, is entitled to vacation with pay.
Faculty
A faculty member with a less than 12-month appointment is not eligible to accrue vacation, but may take time off during university holidays and student recesses. Faculty members at academic institutions are typically appointed on a less than 12-month basis. A faculty member may also be employed for additional months during the summer to teach or do research, but is still considered to have a less than 12-month appointment unless official action is taken to change the appointment to a 12-month basis.
A faculty member with a 12-month appointment is eligible to accrue vacation. Some faculty members are appointed on a 12-month basis, such as those holding administrative positions. The term of appointment is for the entire fiscal year and the faculty member accrues and uses vacation in the same manner as a non-faculty employee. A faculty member whose appointment is changed to a 12-month appointment must
receive written notice f the change and instructions for documentation of any absence from the
workplac .
An employee’s vacation accrual amount is determined by their confirmed total months of state service. This includes employment with the system and any other state agency or institution of the state of Texas, including employment as a student worker. However, employment with independent school districts and/or junior or community colleges are not considered state employment.
A full-time (100% effort) employee accrues vacation leave and may carry it forward from one fiscal year to the next in accordance with the following schedule:
Employees With Total State Employment of | Hours Accrued per Month for Full-Time Employment | Maximum Hours Carried Forward From One Fiscal Year to the Next for a Full-time Employee |
less than 2 years | 8 | 180 |
at least 2 but less than 5 years | 9 | 244 |
at least 5 but less than 10 years | 10 | 268 |
at least 10 but less than 15 years | 11 | 292 |
at least 15 but less than 20 years | 13 | 340 |
at least 20 but less than 25 years | 15 | 388 |
at least 25 but less than 30 years | 17 | 436 |
at least 30 but less than 35 years | 19 | 484 |
35 years or more | 21 | 532 |
All hours of unused vacation leave that exceed the maximum number of hours allowed by the schedule (proportionate for part-time employees), will be credited to the employee’s sick leave balance on the first day of the next fiscal year.
Special accrual rates for return-to-work retirees will apply.
An employee may begin to use vacation accruals after six months of continuous state service.
All leave documents must be submitted by employee in LeaveTraq through Single Sign-On.
An employee must be in a vacation accruing position to take vacation leave.
Employees must submit leave documents in advance for planned vacation leave. They must ensure their leave has been approved prior to the date of their expected leave date.
Employees who are on leave on the first workday of a month may not take vacation leave accrued for that month until he or she returns to duty.
A supervisor may deny a request to use vacation leave if granting that leave will place an unreasonable burden on the department or work area.
Supervisors may require employees to use their accrued FLSA (but not state) compensatory time if any, before using vacation. System Policy 31.03.01.
An employee who has completed six months of continuous state employment is entitled to be paid a lump sum for his or her accrued vacation balance.
Employees who transfers directly from one state agency to another (without a break in service) may have their unused vacation leave balance transferred to their new positions, where appropriate.
Employees who are in a non-leave-accruing position and are leaving or retiring from the System with a balance of previously earned vacation hours in a leave-eligible position will be compensated for those hours at the rate of pay in the last position held that the accrued vacation hours were earned (Texas Government Code 661.063[b]).
Employees may request that they remain on the payroll to exhaust any eligible remaining vacation leave after their last day at work; however, the final decision rests with the department regarding the use of additional vacation days to remain on the payroll or the processing of a lump-sum payment.