The table below outlines the payout for different leave types according to employee type. Nine-month faculty members earn no leave and therefore have no eligibility for transfer or payout. Payout for part-time employees is on a prorated basis.

Leave Type	SHRA Employees	EHRA Non-Faculty	Twelve-Month Faculty
Vacation Leave	Payout for up to 30 days/240 hours of an employee’s leave balance	EHRA Non-Faculty do not earn Vacation Leave	Twelve-Month Faculty do not earn Vacation Leave
Annual Leave	SHRA employees do not earn Annual Leave	Payout for up to 30 days/240 hours of an employee’s balance. EHRA Non-Faculty hired before Jan. 1, 2025, earn Annual Leave.	No payout. Only Faculty hired before Jan. 1, 2025, earn Annual Leave. In the event of the death of a twelve-month Faculty member (fixed-term, tenure-track or tenured) active or on-leave status with the University, up to 240 hours (prorated for part-time employees) of an employee's leave balance will be paid to the estate of the faculty member.
Personal Leave	SHRA employees do not earn Personal Leave	No payout. Only EHRA Non-Faculty employees who were hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025, or who opted in earn Personal Leave.	No payout. Only Faculty who were hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025, or who opted in earn Personal Leave.
Sick Leave	No payout. Members of TSERS are eligible to have sick leave credit converted to creditable service upon retirement if within 5 years of separation. ORP participants forfeit unused sick leave at termination or retirement. Unused Sick Leave is restored to an employee’s leave record if the employee is reinstated to state of North Carolina service within five years of any type of separation.
FY 2013-14 Bonus Leave	Payout of balance	Payout of balance	No payout. In the event of the death of a twelve-month Faculty member (fixed-term, tenure-track or tenured) active or on-leave status with the University, up to 240 hours (prorated for part-time employees) of an employee's leave balance will be paid to the estate of the faculty member.
All other bonus leaves	No payout	No payout	No payout

There is no payout or transfer of vacation leave, bonus leave or sick leave for faculty members entering the Phased Retirement Program. Faculty members forfeit remaining leave balances when entering phased retirement. However, once phased retirement begins, faculty members will earn pro-rata leave based on their half-time appointment status, and leave accrual will start anew.

Faculty members may negotiate the use of any remaining vacation or bonus leave with their Department Chair prior to entry into the Phased Retirement Program. Department Chairs may but are not required to grant such leave based on the budgetary and operational limitations of the department. Department Chairs do not have the discretion to allow any remaining vacation, bonus or sick leave balances to be transferred to the fixed-term appointment the faculty member will hold during phased retirement.

Any remaining vacation, bonus or sick leave not used prior to the date of their retirement (that is, before entering phased retirement) will be forfeited. Faculty members may donate forfeited leave to employees who has been approved to receive donations to employees who have been approved to receive donations through the University’s Voluntary Shared Leave Program.

Employees who separate from the University and later return will receive a new Total State Service Date (TSSD). Employees should email HR Records to request a Creditable Service for the State of North Carolina form to receive credit for prior years of service. Email the request and completed form to hr_records@unc.edu.

Employees may donate forfeited Sick Leave, Vacation Leave, Annual Leave, Personal Leave and/or Bonus Leave to employees who have been approved to receive donations under the University’s Voluntary Shared Leave Program.

Transfer within the University
Transfer within the University

• Twelve-month faculty members are not eligible to transfer or payout of any remaining vacation or bonus leave when transferring to another department or to an EHRA Non-Faculty position.
• For twelve-month faculty members transferring to an SHRA position, any remaining sick leave will transfer.
• Twelve-month faculty members may negotiate the use of any remaining vacation or bonus leave with their Department Chair prior to transferring. Department Chairs may set the final termination date taking into account the granting of such leave; however, this is at the Chair’s discretion based on the budgetary and operational limitations of the department.
• Nine-month faculty do not earn leave.

Transfer to other state agencies or UNC campuses

• For Faculty | While faculty members are not eligible for payout of vacation or bonus leave upon separating from UNC-Chapel Hill, the transfer of a twelve-month faculty member’s unused leave when moving to another State agency or UNC System campus may be governed by policies of that agency or campus. If such agency or campus wishes to receive a letter certifying the amount of leave forfeited by a faculty member upon their separating from UNC-Chapel Hill, they should contact HR Records. Note that each State agency or UNC System campus may have different policies with regard to acceptance of leave from other agencies.

Transfer from other state agencies or UNC campuses

• Vacation Leave, Annual Leave, Personal Leave and Bonus Leave do not transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill from other state agencies or from other UNC System campuses.
• Any remaining leave should be paid out by the State agency or UNC campus in accordance with their specific policies. Note that each State agency or UNC System campus may have different policies with regard to acceptance of leave from other agencies.