Vacation Time
Vacation time is available to staff members for personal business, family sickness, and religious observance. It may also be used as an extension of bereavement time or personal floating holiday time. Some vacation time rolls over into the new fiscal year. The fiscal year runs from September 1 through August 31.
Non-exempt positions
Vacation is calculated by multiplying the vacation factor per accrual base hour by the staff member's accrual base hour. The vacation factor per hour is based on qualified service.
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Qualified Service
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Vacation Factor Per Accrual Base Hour
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Approximate Vacation Earned
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Approximate Accrual Maximum
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Under 6 months
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.0385 per hour
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1 week
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n/a
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6 - 12 months
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.0770 per hour
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2 weeks
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22.5 Days
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After 1 completed year
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.0575 per hour
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3 weeks per year
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22.5 Days
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After 9 completed years
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.0767 per hour
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4 weeks per year
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30 Days
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After 19 completed years
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.0958 per hour
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5 weeks per year
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37.5
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Accrual base hours are regular, scheduled work hours. These scheduled work hours may be paid as:
- A personal floating holiday
- Approved, paid Extended Sick Time
- Approved, paid Incidental Sick Time
- Jury duty
- Paid bereavement absence
- Paid military leave
- Paid vacation
For each of these hours, the staff member receives vacation time based on the fraction of an hour indicated by the vacation factor per accrual base hour. Vacation is not accrued on hours of unpaid absence.
Exempt positions
Vacation is earned at the vacation factor per month. Staff members in exempt positions earn vacation time on the 16th of each month at the monthly rate listed in the following table. A part-time exempt staff member accrues vacation time proportionate to the percentage of full-time that the staff member is scheduled to work.
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Qualified Service
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Vacation Factor Per Month
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Approximate Vacation Earned
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Approximate Accrual Maximum
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Under 6 months
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0.83
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1 week
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n/a
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6 - 12 months
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1.67
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2 weeks
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22.5 Days
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After 1 completed year
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1.25
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3 weeks per year
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22.5 Days
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After 9 completed years
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1.67
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4 weeks per year
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30 Days
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After 19 completed years
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2.08
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5 weeks per year
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37.5 Days
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A separate table applies to vacation accrual for staff members in exempt positions with pay grade Exempt 14 or higher and ITS 85 or higher:
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Qualified Service
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Vacation Factor Per Month
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Approximate Vacation Earned
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0 months through 19 completed years
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1.67
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4 weeks per year
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After 19 completed years
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2.08
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5 weeks per year
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Variances to these vacation accruals must be approved in advance by the Associate Vice President for Human Resources in the Office of Human Resources or designee.
Nine, 10, or 11-month staff members
Staff members working nine, 10, or 11 months per year accrue vacation at the rates shown in the corresponding non-exempt or exempt accrual charts above during the time paid in the nine, 10, and 11 months of the work schedule. Vacation time does not accrue during the months when a staff member is not paid. Consequently, the annual amount of vacation accrues in proportion to the number of months worked during the year. In addition, the University service indicated by the “Qualified Service” in the preceding tables accrues during the time worked in the nine-, 10-, or 11-month schedule, but does not accrue in the months not paid. During the months not paid, staff members on these schedules are on leave of absence and may continue to be enrolled in certain benefits.
Qualified service
The qualified service period is the service since the hire date and excludes unpaid leave time off.
Approximate vacation earned
For all staff members, a full-time work schedule without unpaid leaves results in accrual of the approximate vacation earned indicated in the table. For questions about your current vacation bank, accrual rates, or vacation time payout for terminated employees, contact askHR at 847-491-4700 or askHR@northwestern.edu.
Accrual maximum
Accrued vacation time cannot exceed one and one-half times the annual accrual. Staff members in non-exempt positions cannot exceed one and one-half times the annual accrual in a pay period; staff members in exempt positions cannot exceed one and one-half times the annual accrual at the end of the fiscal year. If the vacation balance of an exempt staff member exceeds the maximum accrual at the end of the fiscal year, any accrual balances above the 1.5 times the annual accrual time is forfeited. Staff members and their departments/units must ensure that vacation time is scheduled to avoid losing it.
Vacation payouts
Upon termination, staff members will be paid out their accrued and unused vacation time and unused personal floating holidays. Reference the Approximate Accrual Maximum column from the tables above to know the maximum amount that can be paid out based on years of service. Employees and supervisors must approve time cards in the time entry system per normal on or before the staff member's last day of work. The vacation payout check is typically paid to the staff member on the following pay date that reflects their time as no longer being a University employee. Departments must submit paperwork to terminate the job record in a timely manner to avoid delays in payment.
For additional questions about your vacation time payout for terminated employees contact askHR at 847-491-4700 or askHR@northwestern.edu.
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For more information about the Vacation Time policy, refer to Page 6.4 in the Staff Handbook.
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