Bonus Leave
Over the last two decades the North Carolina General Assembly has granted bonus leave to eligible State employees. In most cases, bonus leave may be used similarly to how regular vacation leave may be used; however, each type of bonus leave has specific provisions.
FY 2002-2003 | FY 2003-2004 | FY 2005-2006 | FY 2012-2013 | FY 2013-2014 | FY 2014-2015 | FY 2017-2018 | FY 2018-2019 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| How much leave was granted? | 80 | 80 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 40 | 24 | 40 |
| Does it expire? | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Does it pay out upon separation? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Can it be used before exhausting comp time? | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Can you donate this leave as voluntary shared leave? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Does it have a leave offsetting rule? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
FY 2018-2019 Special Annual Bonus Leave
The North Carolina General Assembly granted eligible state employees a one-time additional five days (40 hours) of FY 2018-19 Special Bonus Leave, effective July 1, 2018. This leave will remain available during the length of the employee’s employment. It has no cash value and cannot be paid out at the end of employment or applied to total state service. This 2018-19 Special Bonus Leave also has a leave offsetting provision. If this leave is used in a year when an employee has more than 240 vacation leave hours at the end of the calendar year (pro-rated for part-time employees), it will offset the hours that normally would transfer to the employee’s sick leave hours.
To receive the FY 2018-2019 Special Bonus Leave, employees must meet all of the following criteria:
- Full-time employment
- Employed (in pay status) with the state of North Carolina on July 1, 2018
- Eligible to earn vacation leave on July 1, 2018
- Permanent, probationary or time-limited appointment
Full-time employees who work less than 12 months (nine-, 10-, or 11-month employees) and permanent or time-limited part-time employees who work less than 40 hours per week shall receive a pro-rated amount of leave.
FY 2017-2018 Special Bonus Leave
Effective July 1, 2017, the North Carolina General Assembly granted a one-time additional three days (24 hours) of leave to leave-earning SHRA/CSS/EHRA employees. Eligible employees working less than 40 hours per week received a pro-rated amount of leave. Employees may use Special Bonus Leave for time taken on or after July 1, 2017. This leave can be used similarly to how regular vacation leave is used; however, it differs from regular Bonus Leave and Special Leave types previously granted.
Bonus Vacation Leave (FY 2002-2003, FY 2003-2004, FY 2005-2006, and FY 2014-2015)
Bonus Vacation Leave was credited to all leave earning employees who were actively working as of the effective date. Leave earning employees working less than 40 hours per week received a pro rata amount of leave.
The General Assembly has approved the following bonus vacation leave amounts:
Effective Date | Amount of Leave |
|---|---|
| September 30, 2002 | 80 Hours |
| July 1, 2003 | 80 Hours |
| September 1, 2005 | 40 Hours |
| September 1, 2014 | 40 Hours |
Any balance of Bonus Leave on Dec. 31 will be retained by the employee and carried forward into the next calendar year. It will not be part of the maximum 240 hours of vacation leave that can be retained (pro-rated for part-time employees), and it will not be subject to conversion to sick leave.
Any Bonus Leave balance can be transferred with the transferring employee to another state agency eligible for Bonus Leave. ECU will accept bonus leave for leave earning EHRA and SHRA employees coming from UNC System schools or eligible state of North Carolina agencies. Bonus Leave balances can be paid out to eligible employees in addition to regular vacation leave payouts if the employee separates or the employee changes to a non-leave earning status.
FY Special Leave (FY 2012-2013, 2013-2014)