If you are a federal employee, one of the perks of your job is paid vacation time. But how much vacation time can you carry over from one year to the next? Let’s take a closer look at the rules and regulations surrounding vacation time for federal employees.
What is Carryover?
Carryover is the act of moving unused vacation days from one year to the next. In most cases, carryover is limited to a certain number of days, after which any unused vacation time is forfeited. The rules for carryover vary depending on your employer and your employment status.
Carryover Rules for Federal Employees
As a federal employee, you are entitled to paid vacation time based on your length of service. The amount of vacation time you accrue each year increases as you gain more years of service. The maximum amount of vacation time that you can accrue in a single year is 30 days.
If you have accrued more than 240 hours (equivalent to 30 days) of annual leave at the end of a leave year, any excess annual leave above that limit will be forfeited unless it falls under one or more exceptions described below:
- Exigency of public business: If an employee’s annual leave cannot be scheduled due to an exigency of the public business, it may be carried over into the next leave year.
- Illness: If an employee becomes seriously ill and cannot use their annual leave before it expires, they may be allowed to carry over up to 240 hours (30 days) into the next leave year.
- Emergency: If an employee has been prevented from using their annual leave due to an emergency situation beyond their control, they may be allowed to carry over up to 240 hours into the next leave year.
Conclusion
In summary, federal employees can carry over up to 30 days of vacation time from one year to the next. However, any excess annual leave above that limit will be forfeited unless it falls under one of the exceptions listed above. It’s important to plan your vacation time carefully and use it before it expires to avoid losing any of your hard-earned benefits.