Time off and leaves for non-represented academic personnel
Last updated: September 22, 2025
This page applies to non-represented academic personnel. Leaves and time offs for represented academic personnel are governed by their respective CBAs:
- Postdoctoral Scholars collective bargaining agreement
- ACGME Residents and Fellows collective bargaining agreement
- Extension Lecturer collective bargaining agreement
- Service Employees International Union 925 – Libraries collective bargaining agreement
Information on employee rights and procedures
Confidentiality
The University will treat information you provide confidentially. Information will only be disclosed if you request or consent to it, as ordered by a court or administrative agency, or as otherwise required by federal or state law.
Notifying your manager
As a condition of taking leave, you are required to give your manager (e.g., chair/director/campus dean) advance notice as soon as is practicable. If you cannot provide advance notice because of an emergency or unforeseen circumstances, your designee must give notice to the University no later than the end of the first day that you take leave. In the event of a medical leave, while you are required to give notice to your manager, you are not required to disclose the nature of your condition or any medical facts related to your condition.
Documenting absences
Most leave and time off balances are recorded in Workday. Contact hrhelp@uw.edu or your Academic Partner if you need assistance submitting leave or time off requests and viewing absence records.
Maintaining benefits while on leave
To avoid interruption of benefits, academic personnel on leave can arrange to self-pay their insurance premiums if needed or required. Learn more at UWHR Benefits or contact benefits@uw.edu with questions.
Promotion and Tenure Clock Extensions
Academic personnel in clock-managed ranks are subject to mandatory reviews for promotion. To learn more about how leaves may affect mandatory review periods, visit the Promotion and Tenure Clock Extension page.
Faculty
Unpaid leave of absence
Overview
An unpaid leave of absence (LOA) is a temporary non-pay status and absence from duty, which is sometimes termed “LWOP” or “unpaid leave.” The following section applies to an unpaid LOA that is discretionary and not an entitlement such as a leave associated with FMLA. Unpaid LOA may be full-time with no pay or part-time with the individual’s pay temporarily reduced commensurate with the duration and percentage of approved leave.
Faculty may use an unpaid LOA for a variety of reasons, including:
- Personal reasons (e.g., family obligations or pursuing interests relevant to job duties and responsibilities)
- Parental leave, including adoption and foster placement in circumstances where FMLA is not applicable
- Family care leave in circumstances where FMLA is not applicable
- When state or federal leave entitlements are not applicable or have been exhausted and faculty member needs continued leave
- Paid sick time off allotment has been exhausted
- Medical condition does not qualify for paid sick leave use
- As a form of disability accommodation, determined and approved in the course of the interactive process with the Disability Services Office (DSO) and the faculty member’s unit
- Outside Professional Work as approved by the department and the Office of Research
Consecutive Quarter Limits
Faculty with a 9-month service period (Sept 16 to June 15) are limited to no more than 6 consecutive quarters of unpaid LOA. Faculty with a 12-month service period (July 1 to June 30) are limited to no more than 8 consecutive quarters of an unpaid LOA. Consecutive quarters are those that “touch,” for instance, Autumn–Winter or Winter–Spring. For 9-month faculty, Spring–Autumn would be considered consecutive quarters. For 12-month faculty, consecutive quarters would also include Spring–Summer and Summer–Autumn.
LOAs, of any duration or percentage, taken within a given quarter counts against the consecutive quarter limit. For instance, a leave from October 1 through November 30—while less than a full quarter—would count as one quarter against the consecutive quarter limit. Similarly, an unpaid LOA that crosses academic quarters will count as two quarters against the consecutive quarter limit.
A faculty member who has exhausted their consecutive leave eligibility is expected to return for a minimum of one full academic year before requesting additional leave. A request for leave beyond the consecutive quarter limit requires advanced review and approval by the UW Human Resources for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF). Units should work with their assigned leave and accommodation specialist to coordinate exceptional review prior to initiating the Workday business process.
Considerations and Exclusions
Mandatory review: Leave without pay for personal reasons is generally not permitted in the year the faculty member is going through mandatory review for promotion and/or tenure. Leave without pay in prior years may impact a faculty member’s mandatory review date.
Parental leave without pay: For more details on parental leave without pay, please check with your unit. They may require that parental leave be taken as one continuous period away from work.
Patterns of use: LOAs should not be used in a manner that changes the individual’s fundamental appointment relationship with the University. A pattern of recurring use that results in a non-temporary, alternate work arrangement (e.g., leave every Spring quarter) would not be appropriate.
Reduced responsibility: Faculty with an obligation to fund all or part of their base salary, who experience a lapse in funding, would go into Reduced Responsibility status as provided for in GIM 38 with the intent of eventually returning to their full roster percent.
Sabbatical leave: sabbatical or professional leave is not an unpaid and, therefore, does not count against the consecutive quarter limit.
Sponsored visas: Employees on UW-sponsored visas may have limitations on their eligibility for unpaid LOA, depending on the visa type. Please see the webpages below for more detail:
Impacts on appointment: an unpaid LOA does not permanently alter the regular appointment. Unpaid LOAs are temporary reductions in FTE, and academic appointees are expected to return to their regular roster percent (e.g., contracted effort defined in their appointment letter) at the conclusion of their leave.
Request procedure
To apply, the individual requesting LOA will complete and submit the Leave without Pay Request Form to their unit who will coordinate the review, approval, and processing in Workday. LOA requests are reviewed by the chair, director, or campus dean. If supported, the request goes to the dean or chancellor who will review and have final approval authority. In cases where exceptional review is warranted, approval by the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) is required.
Whenever possible, faculty requests should be submitted at least 30 calendar days before the proposed LOA begins. A separate form must be completed for each unique leave event.
Sabbatical
Faculty may be considered for sabbatical or “professional leave” consistent with EO No. 33.
Vacation Time for 12-Month Faculty
The majority of faculty at the UW are not eligible to receive or accrue vacation.
Faculty with 9-month service periods are paid for 9 months of service and expected to use summer for time off.
Faculty members on twelve-month appointments are paid after each month of service. A twelve-month faculty appointment consists of 11 months’ salary paid in 24 installments for 11 months’ service; it covers a period running from July 1 through June 30.
Eligible faculty and academic staff should follow local unit guidelines.
For 9-month faculty, the three-month period of time away from work that is not part of the employee’s service period does not apply to Washington state Paid Family and Medical Leave (“PFML”) supplemental benefits.
Outside Professional Work for Compensation
Faculty may be required to request leave without pay to perform work outside their University duties if engaging in professional activities for compensation. In addition to receiving an approval, employees are required to comply with the Outside Professional Work Policy, Executive Order 57, through the UW Office of Research.
Personal Leave (Non-Medical)
This type of leave without pay pertains to circumstances that require time away from the University on a full- or part-time basis. This includes, but is not limited to, family obligations or pursuing interests relevant to job duties and responsibilities.
Personal leave is generally not allowed in the mandatory year of promotion and tenure review for clock-managed ranks.
Sick time off
Faculty may be eligible for up to 90 calendar days of paid sick time off (UW Faculty Code Section 51-1). See Faculty paid sick, medical or family leave for more information.
Librarians
This section applies to Librarians not subject to a collective bargaining agreement.
Leave Without Pay
Librarians may be granted an unpaid leave of absence (LOA) for any of the following reasons:
- Illness, disability, or injury
- Parental leave
- Educational leave (e.g. going back to school)
- Military leave
- Leave for government service in public interest
- Maternity-related disability and infant care leave
- Other reasons acceptable to the employing department
Use of Leave Without Pay
Accrued paid leave must be used before going on an unpaid LOA, unless the leave is a disability, military, or parental leave, or is covered by the Family & Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) or Washington state Paid Family Medical Leave (“PFML”). LOA should not exceed one academic year. Librarians are not charged LOA for a partial day absence.
Generally, librarians returning from an authorized LOA are employed in the same job or in another job in the same class, geographical area and organizational unit. Such a return to employment, however, must not conflict with rules relating to layoff or other terms of the librarian employment program.
Should the librarian’s job be eliminated while the employee is on approved leave, at the time the employee is available to return to active status, if there is no other comparable vacancy in the unit, the employee will be terminated under the provisions for layoff – reduction in force.
Sabbatical
Librarians may be considered for sabbatical or “professional leave” consistent with the Librarian Personnel Code.
Vacation
Vacation time off is accrued by all librarians and may be used for reasons such as:
- Personal time
- Sick leave reasons
- Emergency childcare situations
- Inclement weather when the employee is otherwise scheduled to work
Maximum accrual
Librarians accrue 26 days of vacation time off per year regardless of years of service.
Accrual rate and eligibility
The monthly accrual rate is 17.34 hours per month. Hours accrue at the end of the calendar month and are available to use the following month. Librarians hired after the 15th day of the month will accrue leave starting the following month.
Request procedure
Request this through Workday.
Payout for unused time off balance
Upon termination of employment, librarians who have completed at least 6 months of continuous service are paid for their unused vacation time off balance up to the maximum of 288 hours. Hours that exceed the 288-hour limit will be forfeited. Payment is based on the regular salary at the time of termination.
Holidays
Full-time (100% FTE) librarians receive 8 hours of regular pay for each holiday, including the personal holiday.
Part-time (50% FTE) librarians receive holiday pay at a rate proportionate to their appointment percentage (e.g., half-time librarians receive 4 hours of regular pay for each holiday).
Eligibility
Librarians are eligible to be paid for the holiday if they are in pay status for the entire work shift on the workday preceding a holiday.
The personal holiday is an annual day off work that librarians are eligible for after completing the first 4 months of employment. This is in addition to the regularly scheduled state holidays.
Librarians who hold appointments of less than 12 months during the calendar year are eligible to receive only those holidays that fall within their appointment period.
Holidays, Holiday Credit, and Alternate Schedules
Any schedules outside the traditional Monday–Friday, 8 hours per day are called alternate. Working an alternate schedule requires special attention to holiday-related leave. If a holiday falls on an employee’s regularly scheduled day off, the employee receives holiday credit equal to the full-time percentage. If a holiday falls on a day when the employee would normally work more time (e.g., 10 hours) than the holiday’s hourly equivalent (e.g., 8 hours) there are special holiday time accounting considerations.
Holiday Credit Use Deadlines
All accrued holiday credit must be used or paid annually by June 30. The balance of unused holiday credit should be used or paid if an employee moves from one job to another within the University or when terminating from University employment.
Using the Personal Holiday
The personal holiday is paid at a rate equivalent to the effective FTE at the time the holiday is taken (e.g. 100% FTE = 8 hrs, 75% FTE = 6 hrs, 50% FTE = 4 hrs).
The personal holiday must be used as a single day off work, unless donated to another employee as shared leave, in which case you must use your remaining personal holiday at one time.
If you do not use your personal holiday by the end of the calendar year, it is forfeit.
If you move from one position to another within the University, or to a position at another state agency without a break in service, the unused personal holiday transfers with you.
If you leave University employment, you will not be paid for an unused personal holiday.
Request procedures
Check with your local unit contact for guidance on requesting or extending your holiday credit use.
Bereavement time off
Librarians are granted up to 5 days of paid bereavement time off for the death of a family member or loss of pregnancy. University Libraries use the same family member definition as professional staff for both bereavement and sick time off.
Bereavement must be used in full-day increments.
Sick time off may be used for bereavement or condolence purposes if 5 days of paid bereavement time off does not adequately cover your bereavement obligations, such as having to travel a long distance.
Sick time off
Full-time librarians accrue 8 hours of sick leave per month. Part-time employees accrue sick leave hours on a prorated basis, based on their monthly FTE. Leave accrues at the end of the month in which it is earned and is available for use by eligible employees the following month. The sick leave accrual rate does not change due to length of service. There is no limit on the amount of sick leave that an employee may accrue. Librarians do not accrue sick leave during any calendar month when they are on leave without pay status for more than 10 working days, including holidays.
For all information relating to Librarian sick leave, contact UWHR at hrleaves@uw.edu.
Non-ACGME Fellows
Academic titles governed by this policy:
- Fellow Non-ACGME
- Fellow Non-ACGME Stipend*
If the applicable training grant provides more generous leave and time off than what is provided in this policy, the Fellow non-ACGME Stipend will be entitled to the leave and time off benefits offered by the training grant. Should a training grant not provide equal leave and time off benefits, then the Fellow non-ACGME Stipend is entitled to what is provided for in this policy. The academic appointing unit is responsible for providing funding for the leave and time off benefits if they are not otherwise covered by the applicable training grant.
Unpaid leave of absence
Full or partial unpaid LOAs will be at the University’s sole discretion and in accordance with NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service award (“NRSA”) guidelines (if applicable).
Generally, leave may be approved for personal reasons related to medical or family care obligations. Leave will not be approved for outside work or in response to a loss of funding. If granted by the University, such leave shall not continue beyond the end of the appointment and does not extend eligibility in this title.
Vacation time off
Non-ACGME Fellows have 21 days of vacation time off front-loaded on their initial start date.
If the appointment length is less than 12 months, vacation leave days are prorated. Vacation time off is to be applied for and approved in advance by the local unit.
Vacation time off may not be carried over upon reappointment and is not eligible to be paid out upon termination/resignation.
Holidays
Non-ACGME Fellows receive paid time off for all UW-recognized holidays.
Individuals in these titles may join in the observance of all UW-recognized holidays. However, clinical responsibilities and educational requirements may necessitate an individual report for duty. In the event they report for duty on a UW-recognized holiday, they must be allowed to observe the holiday within the 30 calendar days following the UW paid holiday.
Holidays do not carry over upon reappointment and are not eligible for payout upon termination/resignation.
Civil Duty time off
Non-ACGME Fellows receive regular pay while on civil duty time off. Civil duty time off does not apply to legal actions initiated by or that name the Fellow non-ACGME as a defendant or witness in a private legal action unrelated to a UW appointment.
Bereavement time off
Non-ACGME Fellows receive up to 5 days of paid bereavement time off for the death of a family member or loss of pregnancy. Non-ACGME Fellows use the same family member definition as professional staff for both bereavement and sick time off.
Sick time off
Non-ACGME Fellows receive 15 days front-loaded at the initial appointment start date. If the appointment length is less than 12 months, sick time off days are prorated.
Clinician Researchers
Individuals who hold appointments as clinician researchers are always paid a stipend from a training grant in their primary position (Clinician Researcher-Stipend), as well as a salary for their work as an attending physician (Clinician Researcher). If the applicable training grant provides more generous leave and time off than what is provided in this policy, the Clinician Researcher will be entitled to the leave and time off benefits offered by the training grant. Should a training grant not provide equal leave and time off benefits, then the Clinician Researcher is entitled to what is provided for in this policy. The academic appointing unit is responsible for providing funding for the leave and time off benefits if they are not otherwise covered by the applicable training grant. To apply for leave or time off, check with your local unit contact.
Unpaid leave of absence
Full or partial unpaid leave of absence (LOA) will be at the University’s sole discretion and in accordance with NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service award (NRSA) guidelines (if applicable).
Generally, a LOA may be approved for personal reasons related to medical or family care obligations. LOA will not be approved for outside work or in response to a loss of funding. If granted by the University, such leave shall not continue beyond the end of the appointment and does not extend eligibility in this title
Vacation time off
Clinician Researchers have twenty-one days of vacation time off front-loaded on their initial start date.
If the appointment length is less than 12 months, vacation time off days are prorated. Vacation time off is to be applied for and approved in advance by the local unit.
Vacation time off may not be carried over upon reappointment and is not eligible to be paid out upon termination/resignation.
Holidays
Clinician Researchers receive paid time off for all UW-recognized holidays.
Individuals in these titles may join in the observance of all UW-recognized holidays. However, clinical responsibilities and educational requirements may necessitate an individual report for duty. In the event they report for duty on a UW-recognized holiday, they must be allowed to observe the holiday within the 30 calendar days following the UW paid holiday.
Holidays do not carry over upon reappointment and are not eligible for payout upon termination/resignation.
Civil Duty time off
Clinician Researchers receive regular pay while on civil duty time off. Civil duty time off does not apply to legal actions initiated by or that name the Clinician Researcher as a defendant or witness in a private legal action unrelated to a UW appointment.
Bereavement time off
Clinician Researchers receive up to 5 days of paid bereavement time off for the death of a family member or loss of pregnancy. Clinician Researchers use the same family member definition as professional staff for both bereavement and sick time off.
Sick time off
Clinician Researchers receive 15 days front-loaded at the initial appointment start date. If appointment length is less than 12 months, sick time off is prorated.
Educators
For more details about leave and time off for Educators, contact the College of Education.
Visiting Scientists
In limited circumstances and for a limited period of time, an employee who holds a Visiting Scientist appointment may be permitted to take a partial unpaid leave of absence for reasons related to family obligations.
For details about Visiting Scientists, contact hrleaves@uw.edu.
Questions
Questions regarding unpaid LOAs, sabbaticals, or other personal leaves can be directed to the Academic HR team in the Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty (APF) at apleaves@uw.edu. For all questions regarding medical, parental, military, and domestic violence-related time off, contact your leave and accommodation specialist.