As a federal employee, you are eligible to take several types of authorized absences from work when needed.
For an overview, see Family-Friendly Leave Policies on OPM.gov.
You may use annual leave for vacations, rest and relaxation, and personal business or emergencies. Except for emergencies, you must have your use of annual leave authorized in advance by your supervisor.
You earn annual leave in one-hour increments on the basis of years of federal service, including creditable military service. Your work schedule also impacts your annual leave accrual rate. General estimates are shown below:
*10 hours are accrued for the last pay period of the year
Employees on an intermittent work schedule or on a temporary appointment of less than 90 days do not earn annual or sick leave.
Generally, leave accrual rates are transferrable without change if you move between agencies.
To learn more, see Annual Leave OPM.gov.
You may use sick leave when you are unable to perform your job due to physical or mental illness, injury, pregnancy, or childbirth. In some cases, you may be required to provide evidence of illness.
Full-time employees earn four hours of sick leave each biweekly pay period, or 13 days per year. Part-time workers earn one hour of sick leave for each 20 hours in pay status.
To learn more, see Sick Leave on OPM.gov.
When needed, you can take advantage of authorized paid leaves of absence, such as:
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You may request leave without pay (LWOP) - a temporary, non-paid absence from work. Generally, it is granted at your supervisor's discretion, whether or not you have accrued annual or sick leave. You may be entitled to LWOP under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, or if you are a disabled veteran needing medical treatment.
To learn more, see Leave Without Pay on OPM.gov.
If your personal religious beliefs prevent you from working at certain times of the workday or workweek, you may be permitted to work alternate work hours, at your manager's discretion. You must submit a written request in advance for an adjusted work schedule.
To learn more, see Adjustment of Work Schedules for Religious Observances on OPM.gov.
Under the leave transfer program, employees may voluntarily donate annual leave to a fellow employee who is experiencing a medical or family emergency and who does not have accrued leave available.
To learn more, see Leave Transfer Program on OPM.gov.
As a Federal employee, you'll enjoy public holidays each year, as established by Federal law.
To see details and a schedule of holidays for the current year, go to Federal Holidays on OPM.gov.
Under the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), you may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in any 12-month period for such family concerns as:
To learn more, see Family Medical Leave on OPM.gov.
There are restrictions on carrying over some kinds of leave to the next year:
