Overview

The UW System grants nine days of paid legal holidays per year to eligible employees. Full-time employees earn eight hours of leave for each legal holiday. Part-time employees earn a prorated amount based on their appointment percentage. University offices are closed on the following legal holidays:

• New Year's Day (January 1)
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day (third Monday of January)
• Memorial Day (last Monday in May)
• Independence Day (July 4)
• Labor Day (first Monday in September)
• Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November)
• Christmas Eve (December 24)
• Christmas Day (December 25)
• New Year's Eve (December 31)

If the legal holidays of January 1, July 4, or December 25 fall on a Sunday, university offices are closed the following day (Monday) and the holiday is observed on that Monday.

If any of the other legal holidays fall on a regularly scheduled day off (such as Saturday or Sunday), employees are granted floating holiday time (prorated if part-time).

Due to varying business needs, some employees may be required to work on a legal holiday. Employees who are required to work on a legal holiday, or if the legal holiday is on an employee's regularly scheduled day off, they will be granted floating legal holiday.

Floating legal holidays can be used like any other paid leave, and must be used by the end of the year in which it was earned (calendar year for University Staff employees; fiscal year for faculty, academic staff or limited appointees).

Eligibility

To be eligible for a paid legal holiday, you must:

• Be eligible for sick leave; and
• Be actively employed on the legal holiday; and
• One of the following:
  • Be paid for the work day immediately before the legal holiday; or
  • Be paid for the first work day immediately following the legal holiday; or
  • Work on the legal holiday; or
  • Be on an approved military leave of absence.

Resources

UPS Operational Policy BN2: Personal Holiday and Legal Holiday Administration

Additional information on paid leave benefits can be found at sick leave, vacation, personal holidays, and nine paid legal holidays.