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III-23 Holidays and Vacations

(1/01; amended 10/04; 8/05; 12/05; 10/1/10; 10/14; 7/1/17)

Effective July 1, 2017, this policy has been revised. For the most current version without redlining, return to III-23.

23.1 Holidays

(Amended 9/93; Regents amended 6/14/95, effective 1/1/95; amended 8/05; 7/1/17)

  1. General. Staff members with permanent and continuous appointments, on a full- or part-time basis, are entitled to holiday pay in proportion to their fraction of service. Staff members hired on a temporary, on call, provisional, project, or emergency basis, as well as students hired through the Office of Student Financial Aid and students hired in positions reserved specifically for student employees, are not entitled to holiday pay.

    Staff covered by collective bargaining agreements may have benefits different from those described in this section. Reference should be made to the current agreement for those staff members for precise details.
  2. Paid Holidays.
    (Board of Regents 7/28/77; amended 7/1/17)
    1. Members of the University staff are eligible for 11 paid holidays a year -- two personal holidays that accrue and are taken as vacation, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday following Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and an additional day near Christmas designated in the official University calendar.
    2. Once personal holidays are added to the staff member's accrued vacation, they are taken in accordance with the policies governing vacation.
    3. When New Year's Day, Independence Day, or Christmas Day fall on Saturday, the Friday preceding is declared the holiday. When any of the three holidays falls on Sunday, the Monday following is declared the holiday.
    4. Holiday pay is granted to all permanent and continuous staff members provided they work their last regularly scheduled workday prior to, and also their first regularly scheduled workday following a holiday, unless failure to work on either or both days is excused because of: 1) scheduled vacation days, or 2) scheduled compensatory time off, or 3) personal illness or injury, or 4) other extraordinary circumstances beyond the control of the staff members which cannot be corrected in time for them to meet their employment obligations.
    5. When a holiday falls during the period of a leave of absence without pay, the staff member is not entitled to equivalent time off nor pay for the holiday.
    6. If a University holiday falls on a staff member's regular day off, where the individual is covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, he or she will be given another day off within the next pay period if at all possible or will be paid for the holiday if the compensatory time cannot be scheduled. Whenever possible and feasible, department heads and supervisors should decide whether a staff member will be paid for a holiday or given time off at a later date in accordance with the wishes of the staff member.
    7. A Merit System staff member required to work on a holiday will be compensated at the rate of time and one half for all hours actually worked as well as receive compensatory time for hours worked up to a maximum of eight hours.
  3. Reporting. Reports on personal holidays are a part of the Employees Sick Leave and Vacation Report or departmental form conveying the information.

(See also IAC [681]3.142(19A).)

23.2 Vacations

(Iowa Code, Chapter 70A.1; President 7/1/79; 9/93; Regents amended 6/14/94, effective 1/1/95; amended 10/04; 10/10; 10/14; 7/1/17)

Vacation is granted at the discretion of the department heads; however, every reasonable effort should be made to schedule sufficient vacation so as to prevent any loss of accrued vacation. Vacation may be accrued to an amount not to exceed twice the staff member's annual entitlement. No staff member may be granted vacation in excess of the amount accrued.

  1. General.
    (Amended 8/1/99; amended 3/01; 3/02; 10/04; 10/10; 7/1/17)
    (Staff members covered by collective bargaining agreements may have benefits different from those described here; refer to the appropriate current agreement for specific information.) Staff members and eligible faculty on permanent continuous appointments, as well as Merit System staff hired on project appointments of more than four months' duration, are entitled to vacation with pay. Those on appointments which are less than full time are entitled to vacation with pay in proportion to their percent of time. Staff members hired on a temporary, on-call, or emergency basis are not entitled to vacation pay while on these types of appointments. Students hired through the Office of Student Financial Aid and students hired in positions reserved specifically for students are not eligible for vacation pay. Faculty on academic-year appointments are not eligible for vacation pay.
    1. Accrual. Vacation and personal holiday accruals are computed for all service in pay status and are based on a monthly period of service. Accruals for periods of less than a full month in pay status, e.g., cases in which an eligible faculty or staff member is hired during the month, are based on the number of full days in pay status (see paragraphs b and c below for fractional computations). Vacation and personal holiday entitlements may accrue to an amount not to exceed twice the eligible faculty or staff member's annual entitlement. This amount may only be exceeded by the amount of vacation converted from sick leave (see III-22.3) and is limited to the number of hours which can be converted in a two-year period.
    2. Usage. Vacation and personal holidays are used at the rate of one hour for each hour of paid absence. When a paid University holiday occurs within a period of vacation, no charge is made against accruals for that day. Vacations make a recognized contribution to faculty and staff effectiveness and departments are to schedule vacations on a regular basis consistent with operational needs of the department.
    3. Compensation. A faculty or staff member may not continue to work during a period of paid vacation and thereby be entitled to additional compensation for work performed. For staff and faculty with an accrued vacation balance at termination, the accrued vacation balance will be paid as a lump sum at the current hourly rate of pay and is not to be used to extend the last day of service.
    4. Requests. A request for approval of specific vacation dates is prepared on an online Absence Request form or a specified departmental form. Application procedures such as how far in advance requests must be made, length of vacation which may be requested, etc., are as designated by appropriate departmental policies and procedures.
    5. Reports. Vacation usage is reported to the University vacation and sick leave accounting system using the various forms provided by University Payroll. A cumulative report of usage and accruals (Vacation/Sick Leave Report) is available online for departmental use. The report is available at University of Iowa Employee Self Service under the Personal tab and Time Reporting heading.
    6. Banked Vacation. Excess vacation hours are transferred to a "banked status" when a change in status, e.g., transfer from a full-time position to a part-time position, causes an eligible faculty or staff member to have more accrued vacation than would be allowed by their new status.
  2. Faculty and Professional and Scientific Staff.
    (President 8/22/74; Regents 6/14/94 changes effective 1/1/95; amended 7/1/17)

    In general, this policy applies to faculty and staff members who are exempt from overtime premium pay, excluding staff nurses and allied health professionals whose terms of employment are established in the UI Health Care Employee Manual (available through The Point or from a local Human Resource Representative). Faculty and covered professional and scientific staff members on a twelve-month appointment accrue vacation and personal holidays at the following rates:
      Annual Rates Monthly Rates
    Vacation 22 days or 176 hours 14.67 hours
    Personal Holidays 2 days or 16 hours 1.33 hours
    Total 24 days or 192 hours 16 hours

    One day of service rates are calculated by taking the appropriate monthly accrual rate and dividing it by the number of working days in the month.

    Note: All rates shown are for full-time faculty and staff. Part-time faculty and staff accrue in proportion to their percent of time. Faculty and staff on academic-year appointments are not eligible for vacation or personal holiday pay.

    Where less than a full month in pay status is involved, e.g., cases in which an eligible faculty or staff member is hired during the month, accruals for that month are computed using the one-day-of-service rate multiplied by the days in pay status. Vacation credits do not accrue for less than one day in pay status.
  3. Merit System Staff.
    (Amended 10/10; 7/1/17)

    (Staff members covered by collective bargaining agreements may have benefits different from those described here; refer to the appropriate current agreement for specific information.)
    1. Length of Service. In determining length of service for the various rates of accrual, credit will be given for all service with the University, as well as service with other state agencies provided all periods of service are considered continuous. To be considered continuous there cannot be more than thirty calendar days between the last day worked in one position and the first day worked in the next position. The only exception to this requirement is for those staff hired on or before November 22, 1977, and who were granted credit for prior periods of service at time of hire. These staff will maintain such credit as long as all service subsequent to November 22, 1977, remains continuous. It is the responsibility of the staff member to furnish Human Resources and the employing department with an official statement of service from the prior state agency.
    2. Vacation and Personal Holiday Accrual (IC 70A.1). Merit System staff members shall accrue 10 days vacation per year during the first through fourth year of employment, 15 days per year during the fifth through eleventh year, 20 days per year during the twelfth through nineteenth year, 22 days per year during the twentieth through twenty-fourth year and 25 days per year for the twenty-fifth and all subsequent years. Personal holidays accrue at the rate of two per year regardless of years of service.
       
      Years of Service Annual Rates Monthly Rates
      1 - 4 10 days or 80 hours 6.67 hours
      5 - 11 15 days or 120 hours 10.00 hours
      12 - 19 20 days or 160 hours 13.33 hours
      20 - 24 22 days or 176 hours 14.67 hours
      25+ 25 days or 200 hours 16.67 hours

      One-day-of-service rates are calculated by taking the appropriate monthly accrual rate and dividing it by the number of working days in the month.

      Personal holidays are added to the above vacation schedule as follows:
       
      Annual Rate Monthly Rate One-Day-of-Service Rate
      2 days or 16 hours 1.33 hour .062 hour

      One-day-of-service rates are calculated by taking the appropriate monthly accrual rate and dividing it by the number of working days in the month.

      Note: Vacation and personal holiday rates shown above are for full-time Merit System staff. Part-time staff accrue in proportion to their percent of time.

      Where less than a full month in pay status is involved, e.g., cases in which a staff member is hired during the month, accruals for that month are computed using the one-day-of-service rate multiplied by the days in pay status. Vacation credits do not accrue for less than one day in pay status.

(See also IAC [681]3.85(8A) and [681]3.141(19A).)