Holidays - Federal employees receive 10 paid holidays per year. These include New Year's Day, Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For more information, visit the OPM website at www.opm.gov.
Annual Leave
All career employees earn vacation or "annual leave. The amount earned varies with the length of Federal service. Employees earn 13 days of annual leave each year the first three year of employment, 20 days per year for three to 15 years of service, and 26 days per year after 15 years. Under certain conditions, time spent in the military service is creditable towards leave earning rates for annual leave.
Sick Leave
Regardless of the length of service employees earn 13 days of sick leave each year. Sick leave not used accumulates year after year and protects employees from loss of salary due to an extended illness.
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
This legislation grants to most federal employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12 month period, to allow them to take care of family and medical needs.
Family-Friendly Federal Leave Policies
Legislation has provided to Federal employees permission to:
- Use sick leave for purposes related to the adoption of a child.
- Up to 7 days of paid leave (in addition to sick or annual leave) to serve as bone marrow or organ donor.
- Excused absence to attend the funeral service of a fellow employee killed in the line of duty.
- Use sick leave when caring for family members or when arranging for/attending funeral services for a family member.
For more information visit OPM's Family-Friendly Leave Policies page.
Benefits Information and Programs
Leave Transfer Program
This program allows employees who experience a medical emergency or a medical emergency of a family member to receive annual leave donations from fellow coworkers. Employees approved for this program must exhaust their own annual and sick leave during the emergency and provide supporting medical documentation to qualify for leave donations.
Leave Bank
This program allows employees who experience a medical emergency or a medical emergency of a family member to request leave from the Leave Bank. Employees must become members of the Leave Bank to be eligible for assistance from this program. Employees must exhaust their own annual and sick leave during the emergency and provide supporting medical documentation to qualify for leave bank hours.