Sick time off for contract covered, classified, and professional staff
Last updated: September 10, 2025
Overview
This page applies to classified non-union, contract covered, and professional staff, including those in regular salary, regular hourly, nonpermanent, intermittent, temporary and fixed term employee types.
The University provides sick time off to all staff. Sick time off can be used for any of the following authorized purposes:
- For your own illness, injury, health condition, or disability
- For preventative care such as a medical, dental, or optical appointment(s)
- For a family member’s illness, injury, health condition, or disability, and/or preventive care such as medical, dental, or optical appointment
- For the closure of the UW by order of a public official for any health-related reason
- For the closure of a child’s school or place of care by order of a public official for any health-related reason or after the declaration of an emergency by a local or state government or agency, or by the federal government.
- To prepare for, or participate in, any judicial or administrative immigration proceeding involving the employee or employee’s family member.
- For domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking covered absences
- For a family care emergency absence
- During furlough for benefits maintenance only if the employee has previously exhausted all other paid time off balances
Family member definition
“Family member” is defined as a child or parent (including biological, adopted, foster, step, regardless of age or dependency, or legal guardian, or de facto parent or parent-in-law), a spouse, state registered domestic partner, spouse’s parent, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling, child’s spouse, or child’s registered domestic partner.
- “Family member” also includes any individual who regularly resides in the employee’s home or where the relationship creates an expectation that the employee care for the person, and that individual depends on the employee for care. “Family member” does not include an individual who simply resides in the same home with no expectation that the employee cares for the individual.
- For the purpose of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking absences, “family member” also includes a person with whom the employee has a dating relationship as defined in RCW 49.76.020.
Accrual
Sick time off hours are accrued monthly on the last day of each month and become available for use on the first day of the following month. The total amount of sick time accrued across all positions may not exceed 8 hours per month.
Accrual rate
All full-time staff earn 8 hours of sick time off per month. This accrual rate is the same for all staff who have an FTE, no matter the employment program, and does not change with length of service.
Accrual calculation (for FTE employees)
Part-time employees with an FTE earn sick time off on a prorated basis, based on their FTE. For example, a part-time employee with a 0.5 FTE who works 20 hours of a 40-hour full-time workweek earns 50 percent of the sick time off that a full-time employee earns, or 4 hours.
Impact of unpaid time off (for FTE employees)
FTE staff who have more than 80 hours of unpaid time off in a month (prorated for part-time) accrue sick time off on a prorated basis proportionate to the number of hours in pay status for the month. However, overtime exempt classified non-union employees do not accrue any time off during a calendar month in which they have taken more than 80 hours (prorated for part time) of unpaid time off (WAC 357-31-120).
Change in FTE
If your FTE status changes in the middle of a calendar month, the number of sick time off hours you earn for that month will be prorated based on the average of the higher FTE in each pay period.
Accrual calculation in first and last month of staff employment
FTE staff accrue sick time off on a prorated basis proportionate to the number of hours in pay status for the month in the month in which they begin or end UW employment as a staff member.
Accrual calculation (for employees who don’t hold an FTE)
Employees who don’t hold an FTE (nonpermanent hourly, intermittent and temporary) accrue, the amount of sick time off earned is based on their actual hours paid in a month, not to exceed 8 hours.
For example, an hourly nonpermanent-hourly or intermittent employee who worked 64 hours in a month in which there are 168 pay period hours accrues 3.05 hours of sick time off for the month (64/168 x 8 hours).
Accrual calculation for staff with multiple positions
Sick Time Off accruals are position-based and impacts to multiple position workers will vary depending on the types of positions.
Example: All positions are hourly
- Both positions will accrue Sick Time Off based on paid hours in the month. If you work 10 hours in one (1) month for Position A, and 30 hours in one (1) month for Position B, then you will accrue 0.25 hours of Sick Time Off for Position A and 0.75 hours of Sick Time Off for Position B.
Example: All positions are salaried
- All positions will accrue based on your FTE. For instance, if you are a 50% FTE for Position A and a 50% FTE for Position B, you will accrue four (4) hours of Sick Time Off for Position A and four (4) hours of Sick Time Off for Position B, provided you have not recorded greater than 10 days of Unpaid Time Off (respective to each position).
Example: At least one position is hourly and one position is salaried
- The hourly position will accrue Sick Time Off based on paid hours in the month while the salaried position will accrue Sick Time Off based on your FTE. For instance, if you work 10 hours in one (1) month for Position A, and you are 50% FTE in Position B and have not recorded greater than 10 days of Unpaid Time Off for Position B, then you will accrue 0.25 hours of Sick Time Off for Position A and four (4) hours of Sick Time Off for Position B.
Maximum time off balance
There is no limit on the amount of sick time off you may accrue.
Overtime exempt contract classified and professional staff, and overtime eligible classified non-union, contract covered, and professional staff accrue sick time off on a prorated basis proportionate to the number of hours in pay status for the month
Cyclic positions
If you hold a cyclic year position, you earn time off for the overall number of months you work, even if your position begins or ends mid-month.
For example, if you work September 16 to June 15, you earn nine months of sick time off. You wouldn’t earn sick time off in September, but you would receive your monthly time off accrual for June (if you are in pay status until the end of your position on June 15).
Prior Washington state service credit
If you have previously worked for a Washington state agency (including UW), public institution of higher education, or public education service district, you may be eligible to transfer or reinstate your sick time off balance from your previous employer. Visit the Prior Washington State Service Credit webpage for more information.
Using sick time off
Paid sick time off accrues at the end of the month and is available for use on the first of the following month. Sick time off may be used only for authorized purposes.
For foreseeable absences, you should provide notice at least ten days in advance of the absence, or as early as possible following your unit’s time off request procedure. If you cannot request sick time off in advance, follow your unit’s call-out procedure.
For campus staff: Check your sick time off balance or enter sick time off requests in Workday. Contact hrhelp@uw.edu if you have questions.
For medical centers staff: Check your sick time off balance or enter sick time off requests in Kronos.
FMLA and PFML certification
Certain reasons for using sick time off may fall under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and/or Paid Family Medical Leave. If this is the case, you will be asked to follow medical leave policy and procedures. This will include providing medical certification from a health-care provider. Visit the FMLA and PFML webpages for additional information.
Verification
Even if your sick time off is not covered by FMLA or PFML, you may still be asked to provide medical verification.
Written medical verification may only be requested if you use or request to use paid sick time off after absences of three consecutive scheduled work days.
Example scenario:
Three consecutive scheduled work days — An employee who is scheduled to work on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays uses paid sick time off (in any amount) on Wednesday and Friday of the first week and Monday the next week. If sick time off is used again on the Wednesday of that week, the employee would have absences exceeding three days.
Corrective or disciplinary action may be taken if the employee:
- Fails to provide verification according to unit policy
- Fails to provide appropriate notice of the need for sick time
- Uses sick time off for unauthorized purposes
If the employee is seeking to use or has used sick time off for authorized purposes for more than three (3) consecutive days, the unit may require the employee to provide verification that establishes that the use of sick time off is for an authorized purpose.
Verification must be provided within 10 calendar days of the first day the employee used sick time off to care for themselves or a family member. The employee is not required to provide any details concerning the specific nature of the health condition in order to use sick time off, unless otherwise required by law.
Verification Types
If verification is requested, acceptable verification may include:
- A doctor’s note or a signed statement by a health care provider indicating that the use of sick time off is necessary to take care of yourself or your family member; or
- Notice that your child’s school or place of care was closed by a public official for a health-related reason.
If you or a member of your family have been a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, review the Time off related to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking webpage.
If you are using sick time off to prepare for or participate in any judicial or administrative immigration proceedings, please refer to RCW 49.46.210(g) for information about acceptable forms of verification.
Unreasonable burden or expense for verification
If obtaining verification for use of paid sick time off would result in an unreasonable burden or expense for you, please contact your Human Resources consultant. You will be asked to provide an oral or written statement that explains:
- Your use of paid sick time off was for an authorized purpose; and
- How the verification requirement creates an unreasonable burden or expense.
Within 10 calendar days of receiving your statement, the University will make a reasonable effort to identify and provide alternatives for you to meet the verification requirement in a manner which does not result in an unreasonable burden or expense.
Attendance Incentive Program
Each January, you can receive payment for excess sick time off hours, provided that you meet the eligibility requirements of the program. For more information, visit the Attendance Incentive Program webpage.
Donating to shared leave programs
You may be able to donate accrued sick time off hours to help another employee in need of paid leave for medical or military reasons. For more information, visit:
- Shared Leave Program
- Organ Donor Shared Leave Program
- Uniformed Services Shared Leave Pool Program
- Veterans’ In-State Service Shared Leave Pool Program
- Foster Parent Shared Leave Pool Program
Job changes
Transferring departments
If you move from a sick time off accruing staff position to another sick time off accruing staff position, your entire sick time off balance transfers with you.
If you move from a sick time off accruing staff position to an academic position that doesn’t accrue time off, your balance does not transfer but will be maintained for potential reinstatement if you return to a staff position.
If you move from a staff position to a student hourly position, only a maximum of 40 hours of sick time off will transfer.
Moving from faculty to staff
The amount of sick time off that transfers with you when moving from faculty to staff is dependent on your faculty appointment and your length of service as a faculty member.
| Faculty appointment | Length of service as faculty | Amount of sick time off granted to staff position |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (12-month appointment) | 8 or more years | 480 hours, less any faculty paid sick leave taken in the previous 12 months |
| Part-time (12-month appointment) | 8 or more years | A prorated amount based on percentage of FTE, less any Faculty paid sick leave taken in the previous 12 months |
| Full time (12-month appointment) | Less than 8 years | A prorated amount as determined by Human Resources |
Moving from staff to faculty or student position
If you move from a staff position to a faculty position, your sick time off balance does not transfer with you, nor are the hours paid out. However, if you later return to a sick time accruing staff position, your sick time off balance may be reinstated.
If you move to a student hourly position, only a maximum of 40 hours will transfer; the rest will be maintained for potential reinstatement as outlined in the Prior Washington State Service Credit webpage.
Leaving UW employment
You are not paid for your unused sick time off hours when you leave UW employment (unless your separation is due to retirement or death. See below).
If you return to UW employment, your sick time off balance may be reinstated as follows:
| Separated As | Returned As | What Happens with Your Sick Time Off |
|---|---|
| Staff | Staff (excludes ICA coaching staff) | Full balance of sick time off may be reinstated as outlined in the Prior Washington State Service Credit webpage. |
| Staff | Student hourly or overtime eligible academic student employee | If you are rehired within 12 months of your termination date, your balance is reinstated.
If your rehire date falls in the next calendar year following your termination date, a maximum of 40 hours will be reinstated as though the annual cap had been applied. |
Transfers to another state agency
Your sick time off balance may transfer with you if you move from University employment to a position at another state agency, public institution of higher education, or public education service district without a break in service, depending on the specific terms of your new job. Transferability of sick time off is subject to the rules of the agency the employee is transferring to with the exception of classified employees under WAC 357-31-110 and staff moving to or from public education service districts under RCW 28A.310.240.In order for your balance to transfer, your UW department must ensure Workday reflects that you are moving to another state agency without a break in service.
Separation due to retirement
When you retire from UW employment, 25 percent of the cash value of your unused sick time off balance is placed into a tax-free Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA) medical expense account. For more information, visit the VEBA Health Reimbursement Account webpage.
Members of the Inlandboatmen’s Union are not eligible for a VEBA and therefore receive a taxable cash payment for their unused sick time off at the same 25 percent rate.
Separation due to death
If an employee dies while employed by the UW, the employee’s estate will receive 25 percent of the cash value of the employee’s unused sick time off balance.
Manager responsibilities
Time off requests
You should respond to an employee’s time off request as soon as possible.
You may not require that the employee find a replacement worker to cover the hours during which they are using paid sick time off.
If you have any questions, including whether the time off request could fall under FMLA or PFML, contact your leave and accommodation specialist.
Retaliation Prohibited
Any discrimination or retaliation against an employee for lawful exercise of paid sick time off rights is not allowed. Corrective action may not be taken for the lawful use of paid sick time off.
Policy Requirements
Classified non-union employees: This policy is intended to comply with WAC 357-31-100.
Contract covered employees: When this policy conflicts with Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), Memorandums of Understandings (MOUs), the CBA or MOU will take precedence over this policy as long as it does not violate the law. When CBAs or MOUs are silent regarding the specific requirements of this policy, the policy will take precedence.