We encourage staff and faculty to use vacation time. As part of your overall well-being, time away to rest and relax is important.

Permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week earn ONE of the following vacation leaves based on their employment type and date of hire with the University. Employees who work less than 40 hours per week earn vacation leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty do NOT earn vacation leave.

• Vacation Leave | For SHRA employees working 20 hours or more per week.
• Annual Leave | For EHRA Non-Faculty employees and twelve-month Faculty working 20 hours or more per week and hired before Jan. 1, 2025.
• Personal Leave | For EHRA Non-Faculty employees and twelve-month Faculty working 20 hours or more per week and hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025 and for EHRA employees hired before Jan. 1, 2025, who opt in to the Personal Leave Program.

Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

Sick Leave is for when staff and faculty are ill or injured or are caring for an immediate family member who is sick.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week earn sick leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty do NOT earn sick leave.
• Sick Leave accrues on a monthly basis.
• Unused Sick Leave accrues and carries forward from year to year on an unlimited basis.
• Unused Sick Leave is NOT paid out upon separation from the University.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

Learn more on the Sick Leave webpage and view full details in the Sick Leave policy.

The North Carolina General Assembly granted bonus/special bonus leave to eligible state employees in certain fiscal years from 2002 to 2019.

Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

Learn more on the Bonus Leave & Special Bonus Leave webpage and view full details in the Bonus Leave policy.

UNC-Chapel Hill provides paid Personal Observance Leave to ensure that University employees have an opportunity to observe a day of personal, cultural or religious importance.

Employees may use Personal Observance Leave for any single day of personal significance. This includes, but is not limited to, a day of cultural or religious importance, which does not have to be from the employee’s own religious or cultural background. In considering a request to take Personal Observance Leave, managers must not question whether an employee’s identification of a particular day for Personal Observance Leave is sincere and legitimate.

• Permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week receive 8 hours of Personal Observance Leave each calendar year. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work at least half-time receive Personal Observance Leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty do NOT receive Personal Observance Leave.
• Leave hours allotted annually on a calendar-year basis. Hours automatically renew annually Jan. 1 and expire Dec. 31. No rollover, accrual, payout or transfer.
• All 8 hours of this leave must be used in one work shift.
• This leave has no cash value and cannot be converted into retirement credit.
• This leave cannot be applied to existing negative leave balances and cannot be donated under the Voluntary Shared Leave policy.
• Leave may not be used for the same purposes as sick leave.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

View full details in the Personal Observance Leave policy.

The Community Service Leave (CSL) program is a paid time-off program that gives employees leave with pay for volunteer service with schools through the high-school level and with other community service volunteer activities for non-profit organizations.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week earn CSL on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty do NOT earn CSL.
• Leave hours allotted annually on a calendar-year basis. Hours automatically renew annually Jan. 1 and expire Dec. 31. No rollover, accrual or payout.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

Learn more on the Community Service Leave (CSL) webpage and view full details in the Community Service Leave (CSL) policy.

Effective Jan. 1, 2025, Bereavement Leave provides paid time off for bereavement following the death of an immediate family member and for travel time for a memorial event for the death of a Carolina colleague.

• Permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 40 per week are eligible for:
  • Up to 40 hours of paid leave for bereavement following the death of an immediate family member.
  • Up to 8 hours of paid leave for travel time to and from a funeral or other memorial event for the death of a colleague at their current institution.
• Prorated for employees who work 20-39 hours per week. Nine-month Faculty are NOT eligible for Bereavement Leave.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, work with your department’s TIM Administrator to enter these hours into TIM on your behalf.
• The employee will need to provide documentation to their manager for verification purposes. Acceptable forms of documentation include a death certificate, obituary or funeral/memorial service event program. The department is not obligated to retain this documentation, only to verify it.

Learn more on the Bereavement Leave webpage.

The Family & Medical Leave Act provides for 12 work weeks of unpaid leave in any 12-month period for an eligible employee to use for the birth or adoption of a child, their own serious health condition or the serious health condition of an immediate family member.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for FMLA on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for FMLA.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Documentation required.
• Use the Online Leave Request Form to request this leave. See the Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage for information about the form and instructions on how to use the form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.

View full details in the Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) policy.

Faculty Serious Illness (FSIL) & Faculty Parental Leave (PPL) is available for faculty who need to request leave for a qualifying family- and medical-related reason.

• Applies to all permanent faculty working at least 30 hours per week (0.75 FTE).
• Manager approval required prior to use. Documentation required.
• Use the Online Leave Request Form to request this leave. See the Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage for information about the form and instructions on how to use the form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.

Learn more on the Faculty Serious Illness & Parental Leave webpage and view full details in the Faculty Serious Illness, Major Disability & Parental Leave Policy.

University employees can use Family Illness Leave to care for a child, parent or spouse with a serious health condition.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for this leave.
• This leave does NOT cover an employee’s own health condition.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Documentation required.
• Use the Online Leave Request Form to request this leave. See the Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage for information about the form and instructions on how to use the form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.

View full details in the Family Illness Leave policy.

FMLA Military Caregiver/Qualifying Exigency leave is an expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include two provisions for military families.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for this leave.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Documentation required.
• Use the Online Leave Request Form to request this leave. See the Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage for information about the form and instructions on how to use the form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.

View full details in the FMLA Military Caregiver/Qualifying Exigency Leave policy.

Paid Parental Leave (PPL) provides dedicated leave time to care for and bond with a newborn or a newly-placed child under the age of 18 by adoption, foster care placement or other legal placement.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA and EHRA Non-Faculty. SHRA and EHRA Non-Faculty who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Documentation required.
• Use the Online Leave Request Form to request this leave. See the Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage for information about the form and instructions on how to use the form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.

View full details in the Paid Parental Leave Policy.

The Voluntary Shared Leave (VSL) program at Carolina gives employees the opportunity to help another employee in the case of a prolonged medical condition that exhausts the employee’s available leave and would otherwise force the employee to be in leave-without-pay status.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for this leave.
• Employees have the opportunity to donate qualifying leave hours to a specific employee requesting VSL and to receive donated VSL in qualifying circumstances.
• Does not apply to incidental and/or short-term medical conditions.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Documentation required.
• Use the Online Leave Request Form to request this leave. See the Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage for information about the form and instructions on how to use the form in ConnectCarolina Self Service.
• Use the Voluntary Shared Donation Form (pdf) to donate leave hours. You can find this Leave Forms section Online Leave Request Form & Other Leave Forms webpage.

Learn more on the Voluntary Shared Leave webpage and view full details in the Voluntary Shared Leave Policy .

UNC-Chapel Hill looks to the UNC System’s Adverse Weather and Emergency Events Policy during severe weather and when considering key factors in deciding whether to reduce or suspend operations due to safety concerns. The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our number one priority in making any weather-related decision about campus operations.

Based on information from grounds, police and transportation staff, Chapel Hill Transit, law enforcement agencies, the National Weather Service, and other sources, the University may activate one of three Adverse Weather Conditions described in detail on the Adverse Weather & Emergency Closing webpage.

For questions about adverse weather, email the Employee & Management Relations team at emr@unc.edu.

Eligible SHRA employees may be able to use paid administrative absence leave to serve on State commissions, councils, boards, and committees; to attend workers’ compensation hearings; or for the other qualifying reasons.

• Applies ONLY to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA employees who work 20 or more hours per week. EHRA Non-Faculty and Faculty are NOT eligible for this leave.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Contact your departmental TIM administrator for details.

View full details in the Administrative Absence Leave (SHRA) policy.

A form of paid leave at the employee’s normal hourly rate, Civil Leave compensates employees for absences due to jury duty or to subpoenas for court appearances.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for this leave.
• Available on an as-needed basis.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

View full details in the Civil Leave policy.

A permanent, probationary or trainee employee may use educational leave to request extended leave to participate in certain job- or career-related study.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for this leave.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

View full details in the Educational Leave policy.

University faculty may be able to apply for Research and Study Leave within their academic unit.

View full details on the Research and Study Leaves webpage of the UNC Faculty Affairs website.

University employees can use Leave Without Pay for various reasons, including family and medical leave, extended educational purposes, military service, personal reasons and other situations requiring a period of extended leave. At the end of the approved leave, the employee is reinstated to their prior position or to one of like seniority, status and pay.

Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work 20 or more hours per week. SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and twelve-month Faculty employees who work less than 40 hours per week are eligible for this leave on a prorated basis. Nine-month Faculty are not eligible for this leave.

View the Leave Without Pay policy for full details, including information about the use of vacation and sick leave prior to using Leave Without Pay.

Carolina employees in the uniformed services may be eligible to use military leave for active or inactive duty training, required military physical examination and/or reserve active duty.

Applies to full-time and part-time permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA, EHRA Non-Faculty and Faculty employees.

View full details in the Military Leave policy and the Faculty Military Leave policy.

Earned Compensatory (Comp) Time may be used for various leave purposes.

• Applies to permanent, probationary, and time-limited SHRA employees who work 20 or more hours per week.
• Manager approval required prior to use. Upon using requested Comp Time leave hours, enter leave hours in TIM in ConnectCarolina Self Service on the corresponding timesheet.

See full details in the related policies:

• Overtime & Compensatory Time for SHRA Exempt Employees policy
• Overtime & Compensatory Time Off for SHRA Non-Exempt Employees policy

For questions about overtime and/or comp time, email the Classification & Compensation team at compensation@unc.edu.