Vacation Leave

Requests/Authorization
Fiscal year staff and fiscal year faculty appointed to regular positions are eligible for paid vacation leave for personal use when granted by a supervisor.

Employees must request vacation leave from their supervisors or in accordance with departmental policy as soon as possible. Vacations are granted for dates and duration requested by employees, provided that the department is not adversely affected and when there is a sufficient vacation balance available at the time the vacation is taken. Before authorizing vacation leave, supervisors have the authority to determine if the timing or the length of a vacation has an adverse effect on departmental operations. In order to authorize vacation leave, supervisors have the right to know the reason for the leave.

Accrual Rates

Vacation leave accrues at the end of a pay period, and its use cannot be granted until after it has been accrued. The vacation leave accrual rates for eligible employees are determined on the basis of:

• salaried (exempt) or hourly (non-exempt) position status and;
• FTE (percent of appointment) or hours in pay status in each pay period.

Part-time salaried eligible employees accrue vacation leave on a prorated basis based on their FTE.

An example illustrating how vacation accrues and instructions for viewing vacation balances in the HR/Pay system are described on the Vacation Leave webpage.

Accrual Maximums 
 Each fiscal year, fiscal year faculty and staff accrue vacation leave until a 176 hour maximum has been reached. and may maintain a maximum vacation balance of 304 hours each pay period. Additional vacation leave hours will not accrue beyond the 304-hour limit.

Vacation Leave Balances Upon Termination
Unused vacation leave is paid out at the maximum allowable limit (176 hours) when employment is voluntarily or involuntarily terminated.  If retirement eligible, the maximum allowable payout upon separation from service is 240 hours.

If employment changes from fiscal year academic faculty/staff status to academic year faculty/academic staff status, a maximum of 176 vacation hours will be paid.

If the employee has accepted another position at a State of Kansas agency, including a Kansas Board of Regents state university, and that position is eligible for vacation, the employee’s vacation balance will not be paid out but hours will be transferred, up to the maximum allowed by the new agency.