Annual Leave and Compensatory Time 

This page was last updated on October 24, 2024 at 9:47 PM.

Overview

Employees earn an annual leave allowance, which may be used for vacation, personal business, and/or religious observance.

Calculation/Crediting of Annual Leave Accruals 

Leave accruals are based on the employee’s title, years of service, hours worked per week, and collective bargaining agreements.

Annual leave accruals will be credited for time served while in full pay status (as illustrated in the charts below). Annual leave may also be granted for the first year of a military leave of absence and for the first six (6) months of absence while receiving Workers’ Compensation. Employees serving in the military reserves are allowed up to thirty (30) calendar days in a calendar year with pay for service in the military reserves without charge to their annual leave balances.

Annual leave accruals are earned during a calendar month, and the computation date will be the first day of the following month. An employee must be in full pay status for at least fifteen (15) calendar days in the prior month to be credited with annual leave accruals.

Earned annual leave allowance should be taken at a time convenient to the employee’s department and only upon the express written permission of the office head or their authorized representative.

Deductions for annual leave used during the month appear in Cybershift immediately after the leave request is entered in the system. 

Annual Leave Accrual Rates for Non-Managerial Employees

The leave accrual tables below are for illustration purposes only and apply to administrative employees in titles represented by DC 37 and CWA, based on a 35-hour work week.

Please refer to your specific collective bargaining agreement for information regarding the leave accrual schedule and required weekly work hours for your title. Employees can also review their current monthly annual leave accrual rate in CyberShift. 

Annual Full-Time Employees

Employees hired prior to October 1, 1976
Hire DurationAnnual Allowance (# of workdays)Monthly Accrual DaysMonthly Accrual HoursMonthly Accruals Minutes
From beginning of first year to completion of seventh year 201440
From beginning of eighth year to completion of fourteenth year 252035
From beginning of fifteenth year 272145
Employees hired October 1, 1976 through June 30, 1978 (reverted on 
July 1, 1978 to 20 work days -1D/4H/40M)
151145
Employees hired on or after July 1, 1985
Hire DurationAnnual Allowance (# of workdays)Monthly Accrual DaysMonthly Accrual HoursMonthly Accruals Minutes
From beginning of first year100550
From beginning of second year to completion of third year131035
From beginning of the fourth year to completion of fourth year 151145
From beginning of the fifth year to completion of the seventh year 
201440
From beginning of eighth year to completion of the fourteenth year 252035
From beginning of the fifteenth year 272145
Employees hired employment July 1, 1991 – June 30, 2004 
Hire DurationAnnual Allowance (# of workdays)Monthly Accrual DaysMonthly Accrual HoursMonthly Accruals Minutes
From beginning of first year to completion of fourth year 151145
From beginning of fifth year to completion of seventh year 201440
From beginning of eighth year to completion of fourteenth year 252035
From beginning of fifteenth year 272145
Employees hired on or after July 1, 2004
Hire DurationAnnual Allowance (# of workdays)Monthly Accrual DaysMonthly Accrual HoursMonthly Accruals Minutes
At the start of the 1st Year 151145
At the start of the 5th Year 161220
At the start of the 6th Year 171255
At the start of the 7th Year 181330
At the start of the 8th Year 19145
At the start of the 9th Year 201440
At the start of the 10th Year 211515
At the start of the 11th Year 221550
At the start of the 12th Year 231625
At the start of the 13th Year 24200
At the start of the 14th Year 252035
At the start of the 17th Year 272145

Annual Leave Accrual Rates for Hourly Employees

Effective July 1, 1990
Hire DurationAccrual Rate
Beginning of first year 1 hour accrued for every 27 hours worked 
Beginning of second year 1 hour accrued for every 22 hours worked
Beginning of fourth year 1 hour accrued for every 21 hours worked
Beginning of fifth year 1 hour accrued for every 15 hours worked
Effective July 1, 1991
Hire DurationAccrual Rate
Beginning of first year 1 hour accrued for every 15 hours worked 
Beginning of fifth year 1 hour accrued for every 11 hours worked
Effective July 1, 2004
Hire DurationAccrual Rate
Beginning of first year 1 hour accrued for every 15 hours worked (154 hours maximum)
Beginning of fifth year 1 hour accrued for every 14 hours worked (165 hours maximum)
Beginning of sixth year 1 hour accrued for every 13 hours worked (176 hours maximum)
Beginning of seventh year 1 hour accrued for every 12 hours worked (199 hours maximum)
Beginning of ninth year 1 hour accrued for every 11 hours worked (210 hours maximum)

Please Note: Hourly employees must be in full pay status for at least 17.5 hours per week to be eligible to accrue time for that week, otherwise, weekly hours worked are not counted towards accruals. Accrued annual leave hours are based on the number of years of service and total number of hours worked each week. 

After working as a full-time hourly employee for three (3) consecutive years and continuing to work full time, the employee is eligible to earn time as an annual employee. Hourly employees, in full pay status, will accrue time on a monthly basis, beginning with fifteen (15) days per year, up to the maximum prorated amount of twenty (20) annual leave days per year.

However, no hourly employee shall earn more annual leave than an annual employee in the same or equivalent title would earn on an annual basis. Under no circumstances are hourly employees eligible to receive paid holidays.

Annual Leave Accrual Rates for Managerial and Original Jurisdiction Employees

Employees hired on or prior to December 31, 2004

Continuous NYC Service RequiredAnnual Leave AccrualMonthly Accrual Rate (Days/Hours/Minutes)Standard Max AnnualCarryover
During 1st through 7th year of service201/4/4040 days
During 8th through 14th year of service252/0/3550 days

Employees hired on or after January 1, 2005

Continuous NYC Service RequiredAnnual Leave Accrual
First Year18 days
Beginning with 5th year19 days
Beginning with 7th year20 days
Beginning with 10th year21 days
Beginning with 11th year22 days
Beginning with 12th year23 days
Beginning with 13th year24 days
Beginning with 14th year25 days

Requirements for Requesting Annual Leave/Compensatory Time

Annual leave and compensatory time should be utilized on a planned, pre-approved basis. The use of annual leave or compensatory time requires prior supervisory approval. Earned annual leave/compensatory time usage allowance should be taken at a time convenient to the employee’s department and only upon the express written permission (including approvals via electronic timekeeping system) of the office head or their authorized representative.

The normal unit of charge against annual leave allowance for vacation and personal business is one hour; however, if prior permission is granted by the bureau head or their authorized representative, time lost shall be on a minute for minute basis. Smaller units of charge are authorized for time lost due to tardiness and religious observance.

Restrictions on Use of Annual Leave

Permanent, provisional, and hourly employees may not be permitted to use annual leave balances for reasons other than religious observance until they have completed four (4) months of service, except by permission of their Executive Director.

Employees whose employment is temporary and limited to all or parts of the months of June, July, August, or September, and who are designated as summer employees or summer replacements are excluded from these annual leave benefits.

Advances of Annual Leave

If an employee has exhausted their earned annual leave balances, any absences will result in a payroll deduction, unless the Division Head grants permission for the employee to borrow against the future accrual of annual leave, up to a maximum of ten (10) days to be charged against future earned annual leave. Subsequent accruals of annual leave shall first be applied to reduce the deficit.

Carryover of Annual Leave for Non-Managers

The vacation year begins on May 1 and ends on April 30 of the following year.  At the end of each vacation year, the annual leave balance may not exceed two (2) years of annual leave accruals.  Annual leave exceeding two (2) years of accruals will be transferred from the annual leave balance to the sick leave balance, unless a written request for permission to carry over such credit and a plan for use of this carried over annual leave in the following vacation year has been approved by the appropriate office head. For employees who record their time in CyberShift, this process is administered electronically through the system.

Carryover of Annual Leave for Managerial Employees

Normal Maximum Annual Carryover

Normally, the maximum number of days of accumulated, unused annual leave that can be carried over as a balance from one work year to the next is the amount of annual leave that the employee is entitled to accrue in the two-year period prior to the end of each work year. However, an employee with vested annual leave may continue to carry such time in addition to the normal two-year accrual. With the exception specified by the provisions of the section titled Carryover of Foregone Annual Leave below, any accumulated, unused annual leave which exceeds the maximum accumulated limits established by this subparagraph shall be transferred to the employee's sick leave bank.

Carryover of Foregone Annual Leave

Should the Chancellor or designee of the Chancellor, the appropriate Chief Executive, Executive Director, Community Superintendent, or Head of Office approve in writing that an employee covered by this regulation forego the use of annual leave, the number of days of annual leave not taken shall be carried over even though this annual leave exceeds the balance otherwise permitted.

Written approval authorizing the carryover of annual leave over the two-year maximum must be contemporaneous within each vacation year in which the annual leave will exceed the maximum. An approved carryover letter is required for each year that the employee’s annual leave balance exceeds the two-year maximum. The carryover letter includes the employee’s total annual leave balance and the balance that is approved for carryover. The signed, approved carryover letter must be placed in the employee's personnel folder. Employees are advised to maintain a copy of all approved carryover letters in their personal records. For employees who record their time in CyberShift, this process is administered electronically through the system. 

Back to Top