Vacation

Eligible employees are entitled to paid vacation leave each year. The amount of vacation leave each employee receives is determined by length of state service.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Eligible employees may begin to use vacation accruals after six months of continuous state employment; additionally:
    • Previous faculty, staff, student, and wage employment with the state will count toward this requirement;
    • State employees are required to satisfy the continuous six month requirement only once in his/her employment career with the state;
    • Employees may begin to use vacation leave on their true continuous six month anniversary. Example: an employee who begins state employment on January 15 may begin to use his/her available vacation leave on July 15.
  • Students holding positions for which student status is a requirement for employment are not eligible for vacation leave.

General Information

  • A supervisor may deny a request to use vacation leave if granting that leave will place an unreasonable burden on the department or work area.
  • Previous employment with independent school districts and junior colleges will not count for purposes of leave accrual rate or vacation leave transfer.
  • Employees who are on leave on the first workday of a month may not take vacation leave accrued for that month until the employee returns to duty.
  • Accrued vacation leave is earned based on years of total state employment; you may review vacation accrual rates here.
  • Special accrual rates for return-to-work retirees will apply; you may review accrual rates for returning retirees here.

Paid Leave Received From Or Transferred To Another State Agency

New System Office employees with prior state employment or departing System Office employees who transfer to another state agency may have their sick and/or vacation leave transferred to their new positions where appropriate.

Vacation Leave Upon Termination of Employment

  • Upon termination or separation from the University, an employee who has completed six months of continuous service is entitled to a lump-sum for all eligible unused vacation time. 
  • Employees who are in a non-leave-accruing position and are leaving or retiring from the University with a balance of previously earned vacation hours in a leave-eligible position will be compensated for those hours at the rate of pay in the last position held that the accrued vacation hours were earned (Texas Government Code 661.063[b]). 

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