Annual Leave
Full-time employees accrue annual leave based on the length of their tenure with the government. The following chart details the annual leave accrewal rate per pay period.
Prior experience may count toward the accrual rate that new employees receive.
Employees are allowed to carry over 240 hours (30 days) each leave year; any hours over 240 at the end of the payroll year will be forfeited.
Annual leave is paid as a lump sum if you leave the government; you may be required to pay back some or all of this if you return to federal service within certain time frames.
Sick Leave
Sick Leave accrues at a rate of four hours per pay period for full time employees, or 13 workdays per year. Sick leave doesn’t expire and continues to accrue throughout your career.
If you leave the government and return to federal service later, your previous sick leave balance can be restored to your account. Sick leave can be used for personal illness, care of sick family members, adoption, and medical appointments.
ASPR employees receive other leave benefits, including parental leave, bereavement leave, emergency leave, and leave under the Family Medical Leave Act. Visit
OPM Pay and Leave to find out more about federal leave types.
Paid Holidays
Federal employees receive 10 paid holidays every year:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- President’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas Day
