Employees can use accrued hours in their paid time off (PTO) bank to take time off as they choose, whether for personal/family illness, travel, vacation or other reasons not covered by other types of specialized type of leave such as Short-Term Disability Leave, Parental Leave or Caregiver Leave.
PTO hours, which are a flexible type of leave, are subject to supervisor approval and must be earned before taken. Employees may accumulate twice their annual accrual. PTO is accrued at a rate determined by your employee group and years of service.
| Employee Group | Years of Service | Days Per Year* |
|---|---|---|
Office, technical, maintenance and service (hourly) Includes all employees in positions designated as non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay. | 5 or less | 18 days (144 hours) |
| Over 5, up to 15 | 23 days (184 hours) | |
| Over 15 | 28 days (224 hours) | |
Administrative (salaried) Includes all employees in positions designated as exempt and not eligible for overtime pay. | 5 or less | 23 days (184 hours) |
| Over 5 | 28 days (224 hours) |
*Hours are prorated for employees working less than 100% FTE. MU Health Care hourly employees also have a PTO cash-in option.
Find more detailed information about PTO accruals in the HR-421 Paid Time Off (PTO) policy.
Earning, Accruing and Requesting PTO
PTO accruals can be viewed, and PTO can be requested using (or for MU Health Care employees).
Employees earn their PTO in hours each week based on their annual allowance. Hours will be prorated for employees working less than 100% FTE. Once an employee reaches their maximum, no new accruals are earned until the balance is used down below the maximum. PTO may be used in any increment, but accruals must be earned before they can be used.
| Type of Position | Years of Service | Per Year | Hours per Week | Hours per Pay Period | Max Hours Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly, Non-exempt | Up to five years | 18 days | 2.77 hours | 5.54 hours | 288 hours |
| Five up to 15 years | 23 days | 3.54 hours | 7.08 hours | 368 hours | |
| Over 15 years | 28 days | 4.31 hours | 8.62 hours | 448 hours | |
| Monthly, exempt | Up to five years | 23 days | 3.54 hours | Based on the # of Mondays in the month | 368 hours |
| Five years and over | 28 days | 4.31 hours | 448 hours |
PTO Cash-In Program (MU Health Care)
The MU Health Care PTO Cash-In Program allows eligible employees to request that a portion of the PTO they will accrue be paid as a lump sum rather than being placed in their bank of available PTO hours.
Benefit-eligible non-exempt (hourly paid) MU Health Care employees will be eligible for the PTO Cash-In Program. This includes nurses who are non-exempt but accrue time at the exempt rate.
Eligible employees will be able to elect between eight and 80 hours (in one-hour increments) to cash in each year during annual benefits enrollment in the fall. Payout will occur the following August at the employee's base rate.
- Employees must be actively employed by MU Health Care (HOSPT business unit) at time of election and payout.
- At the time of payout, eligible employees must have worked in a benefit-eligible position within the University system for at least 12 months.
- Employees must maintain a minimum balance of 80 hours in PTO bank.
Banked Sick Leave
Banked Sick Leave
ÎçÒ¹Ó°Ôº System employees should use available PTO when they need to be out for a sick day. However, employees with accrued, or banked, sick leave from the former staff leave plan that ended Dec. 31, 2023, may access their sick leave for specific situations.