The cap on vacation accruals, which was previously lifted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, will be reinstated. The dates that the cap will be reinstated differ depending on if a staff employee is exempt (monthly paid) or non-exempt (biweekly paid).

For exempt (monthly paid) staff:

• The cap for monthly paid staff employees will reinstate on July 1, 2021.
• The last vacation accrual for those over the max allowed is June 30, 2021.
• If the monthly paid staff employee is over their accrual max by July 31, 2021, they will not receive additional accrued vacation time until they are below the max time based on their accrual rate.

For non-exempt (biweekly paid) staff:

• The cap for biweekly paid staff employees will reinstate on July 11, 2021.
• The last vacation accrual for those over the max allowed is July 10, 2021.
• If the biweekly paid staff employee is over their accrual max by July 24, 2021, they will not receive additional accrued vacation time until they are below the max time based on their accrual rate.

If a staff employee is not at their accrual max, they will continue to accrue vacation time per their accrual rate up to their max allowed time. As a reminder, staff with accrued vacation days at or above the cap will not accrue additional days until they use enough vacation time to drop below the cap, but will have their full, accrued allotment of days available for use as long as they are employed at Pitt.

Any time accrued above the cap will not be compensated for, nor paid out to current staff or those who voluntarily leave the University. Staff who voluntarily separate from the University will be paid out for vacation time, up to the cap, as outlined in the Staff Handbook; compensation for any remaining accrued days beyond the cap will not be provided.

The vacation accrual cap was initially temporarily lifted in April 2020 in response to the ever-changing work environment and to afford staff greater flexibility in the use of vacation time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The lifting of the accrual cap was extended multiple times in the past year, most recently in February 2021.

Staff are encouraged to take time off and to utilize their accrued time if they are able and want to do so. Vacation time does not need to be used for a traditional vacation but can and should be used for self-care, stress prevention, and general time away from work. Staff that are planning to take vacation time should follow the same time-off request process for their individual areas as they have done in the past.

For questions about the vacation accrual cap, or the dates that it will be reinstated, please submit an online inquiry at www.hr.pitt.edu/contact-ohr.