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Human Resources
University of Mississippi

Personal (vacation & 1 day sick) Leave

The University of Mississippi recognizes that it is important and necessary for faculty and staff members to have time away from work. Leave benefits, including personal leave, are a valuable asset to our employees by providing both financial compensation and accommodating family, professional and personal needs.

University staff and twelve-month faculty members employed in benefit eligible positions will earn personal leave (vacation) each month. Leave may be used when the employee is absent from work for personal reasons. Personal leave may also be used when an employee is unable to work due to injury or illness or to care for a family member with an injury or illness if they have no accrued major medical leave.

To accrue leave, an employee must be active in SAP on the last calendar day of the month.  Leave will be available for use the first day of the following month and will be noted on the first pay stub or online payroll slip of each month.

Example:  An employee is actively employed on January 31st.  Leave will update in SAP and become available for use on February 1st; however, accrued hours will not be noted on the pay stub until February 15th.

A newly hired 12-month faculty or staff member must be employed on or before the 15th of the month to be eligible for leave accrual for the month of hire. If hired on the 16th or after, leave accrual begins the following month.

Part-time employees will accrue leave on a prorated basis.

Monthly Accrual Rates for Full-time Employees

Continuous Service Monthly Accrual Rate
1 month to 3 years 12 hours
37 months to 8 years 14 hours
97 months to 15 years 16 hours
Over 15 years 18 hours

To learn more about the accrual rate of personal leave (vacation & 1 day sick) time and guidelines concerning approval of leave time, when personal leave should be taken, payment for terminated and retiring employees, and payment in the event of an employee’s death, refer to the  Personal Leave for Twelve-Month Employee policy, (HRO.BE.600.020).

For assistance, contact a member of the Benefits team, Department of Human Resources, 662-915-7431.

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Will I receive payment for personal leave upon separation of employment?

Yes, upon separation of employment, employees will receive payment for a maximum of 240 hours of personal leave (pro-rated for part-time employees). This is referred to as terminal leave pay. Terminal Leave pay will be processed the pay period after the last payroll in which compensation is paid. The payment will be received via them same method as your regular paycheck (direct deposit or check).  This payment is subject to tax withholding and state retirement contributions.

  • What happens to my accrued personal leave when I leave employment.

Public Employees’ Retirement System of MS (PERS) participants:  After processing the Terminal Leave payment limited to 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees), the remaining balance of your personal and major medical leave will be submitted to PERS and be applied to your retirement account as additional months of service credit.

Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) participants:  After payment of terminal leave pay limited to 240 hours (pro-rated for part-time employees), the remaining balance of personal leave and major medical will be forfeited.

  • Will the University of Mississippi accept the transfer of leave from another Mississippi state agency?

Yes, The University of Mississippi will accept transfer of leave from Institutions of Higher Learning and state agencies if there is no break in employment. Human Resources will determine if a transfer is permitted.

To transfer hours, the former employer must submit a memo to University payroll staff that includes the employee name, date of hire, date of separation, accrual rate, and hours transferred.

  • If leave is transferred from another Mississippi state agency, at what rate will I accrue leave?

When leave is transferred from another state agency, the employee will accrue leave based upon their date of hire with the previous agency.

Examples: 

  • An employee is hired into a staff position on January 1, 2018.  Their monthly accrual rate for personal leave is 12 hours per month.
  • An employee transferred from another state agency on January 1, 2018.  However, the start date with the former employer was January 1, 2012.  They will begin accruing leave with the University of Mississippi at 14 hours of personal leave per month.

  • Will accrued, unused leave transfer to another state agency?

State agencies are permitted to accept the transfer of leave from another Mississippi state agency.  The acceptance of such transfers is at the discretion of the new employer.

  • How do I use leave?

A timesheet must be processed each pay period to reflect the use of leave.  Faculty and staff will process timesheets via myOleMiss, under HR Tools.

  • What happens if I have no personal leave to use?

When personal leave is exhausted, time away from work will be unpaid.

When an exempt (salaried) employee is off work for an entire workday, they must have sufficient accrued leave to cover for all hours not worked.  It is critical  for a department to immediately process a Form 3 to place an exempt (salaried) employee on “Leave of Absence Without Pay” status if the employee has exhausted personal leave to prevent the employee from being overpaid. The Form 3 must be received by Human Resources before the last day of the pay period in which the unpaid day occurs.

  • Can I use major medical hours?

Major medical leave cannot be used for personal absences.

  •  Can I use personal leave for an injury or illness?

Personal (vacation) leave, compensatory leave, or leave without pay must be used as eight (8) hours first day illness (prorated for a part-time employee) before major medical may be used.  When you exhaust all major medical hours, your personal hours will be used for the remainder of your absence.

  • What are my responsibilities as the employee?

Any time the you are away from work, communicate your absence with your supervisor and/or department head/chair.

I is everyone’s responsibility to follow departmental procedure and protocol for requesting leave.

Record your time away from the office by completing a timesheet reflecting the use of leave

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