Employees, with the help of their supervisors, are responsible for reporting and managing their paid time off and leave. Take the time to review and understand GW’s paid time off and leave policies, including the concept of accrual rates and the effect of unpaid leave on accruals.
Prorated Accrual of Annual Time
Normally, annual time, or paid time off, is accrued on the basis of a full calendar month of employment and credited on the last working day of the month.
There are a few reasons why the accrual of annual time for a month may be prorated, such as:
- If a new employee begins work following the first workday of the month
- During a period of unpaid absence, such as leave taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or personal leave
The chart below details the proration of annual time during a month in which unpaid leave is taken:
Prorated Accrual of Sick Time
Sick time begins to accrue following an employee’s first working day of the month and is credited at the end of each month. Similar to annual time, sick time may be prorated based on employment start date or due to periods of unpaid absence.
The chart below details the proration of sick time during a month in which unpaid leave is taken:
Paid Status
Employees who remain in paid status while taking leave accrue annual and sick time at their normal rates. Pay types that fall into this category include those paid through GW payroll, such as GW Paid Short-Term Disability, Staff Paid Parental Leave, annual time, sick time, jury duty, bereavement time, voting time and holiday pay. The following categories are paid by outside vendors and are not considered paid status for accrual purposes: worker’s compensation, Voluntary Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability.
Borrowing Annual or Sick Time
If you borrow annual time before you have accrued it, and end your employment with the university, an amount equal to the borrowed time will be deducted from your final paycheck. Sick time cannot be used prior to its actual accrual.
Important: If you or your employees need to take unpaid leave, you should notify GW Benefits ahead of the date you or the employee will transition to unpaid status. Failure to do so may negatively affect your or your employee’s benefits and/or pay.
For questions regarding paid time off or leave, please contact GW Benefits at (571) 553-8382 or benefits@gwu.edu.
