Pay and Time Off
For Staff & Temporary Employees

Below are the most commonly received questions regarding pay and time off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If employees need to be away from work due to COVID-19 related illness, self-isolation, or child care and cannot work remotely, Indiana University provides two types of leave: Keep IU Healthy Leave (KIH) and IU COVID-19 School and Child Care Leave (SCCL). See COVID-19 Related Leaves for more details.

For absences not related to COVID-19, or for staff who do not qualify for the two COVID-19 leaves available, with supervisor approval, staff may use accrued vacation/PTO without it counting toward annual limits or be absent without pay. Staff may also use income protection/PTO Sick leave consistent with the applicable policy. Please discuss plans with your supervisor.

Resources

Pay

Will there be any pay increases, discretionary, or bonus pay at this time?

As President McRobbie shared on March 23 and April 10, because of the COVID-19 response and financial repercussions, no salary increases will be processed until further notice. This includes requests that were submitted but not processed.

Last updated April 13, 2020

Are jobs funded by grants part of this freeze?

Employees funded by grants may be temporary or appointed staff and would fall under the salary freeze and COVID-19 provisions.

Last updated April 3, 2020

Will there be temporary additional pay available?

All new additional pay requests, such as supplemental pay, have been paused until further notice, including requests already in-motion. Existing temporary additional pay amounts may not be increased.

Last updated April 13, 2020

Time Off

See also: COVID-19 Related Leaves

What if I need to be away from work for non-COVID-19 related reasons?

For absences not related to COVID-19, or for staff who do not qualify for the COVID-19 leaves available through the university, with supervisor approval, staff may use accrued vacation/PTO without it counting toward annual limits or be absent without pay. Staff may also use income protection/ PTO Sick leave consistent with the applicable policy.

Please discuss plans with your supervisor.

Last updated December 23, 2020

Do the PTO or vacation hours I use count towards the annual usage limits?

Until further notice, vacation and PTO taken during this time will not count towards annual usage limits. The applicable time codes to enter are VNL (Vacation) or PNL (PTO). Please note that, while these do not count towards the annual maximums allowed per policy, they do draw down on an employee’s accrued bank.

Last updated December 23, 2020

If I am off work using vacation or PTO can I still use VNL/PNL?

Yes, employees are permitted to use VNL/PNL into 2021 and/or until further notice.

Last updated December 23, 2020

What if I run out of PTO or vacation hours?

Staff employees off work for non-COVID-19 reasons who have exhausted all PTO or vacation hours will generally be absent without pay and without accruals (ABS), unless another time off reason is appropriate (e.g. income protection, holiday, bereavement, etc.). Staff should talk with their supervisor about available time off options.

Last updated August 14, 2020

Can my supervisor cancel my vacation time off request that has already been approved?

Yes, your supervisor has the authority to cancel any pre-approved vacation request, especially in circumstances where there are serious staff shortages as a result of illness.

Last updated July 2, 2020

My child’s school or daycare is closed. I have no other child care arrangements. If I am working on campus, can I bring them to work with me?

At this time, only employees who have been approved by their unit head to do so are permitted on campus to complete approved work. Children are not permitted on campus.

Employees working on campus or remotely may be permitted to be off work if they need to care for a child whose school or daycare is closed or they have chosen an online learning option due to COVID-19. See the options available under the COVID-19 related leaves provided by the university for more information.

Benefit-eligible employees can utilize the Care.com Backup Care Services for child care needs. However, households with contagious viruses or that are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or are subject to quarantine or isolation orders, are not eligible for backup care. For more information, contact Care.com.

Last updated December 23, 2020

Can I contribute more than the annual maximum of PTO hours to my sick bank for 2020?

For service and support staff, there is no limit to the amount of vacation hours that you may roll over from year to year.

For professional staff, due to COVID-19 related issues in 2020, any PTO hours that cannot be carried over may be allocated to the PTO sick leave account on a one-time basis. Time in the sick leave account can be used to cover absences for personal and family medical needs.

See PTO Rollover Information and Instructions for details.

Last updated December 14, 2020

How do I rollover 2020 PTO hours into my sick bank?

See PTO Rollover Information and Instructions for details.

Last updated December 23, 2020

Prior to retiring, can employees use vacation/PTO to extend their time away from the office? Is there any change in procedure to retire?

As per existing policy, an employee who is retiring may use up to four weeks of Vacation/PTO prior to their designated retirement date. There are no changes to the procedure for an employee to retire.

Last updated June 1, 2020

With classes being held on certain university recognized holidays, such as Labor Day and potentially others, will staff employees still be off? If not, how will they be compensated?

Yes, employees will still generally be off for university recognized holidays, such as Labor Day. Employees who are required to work will be compensated within the parameters of the holidays policy.

Last updated June 8, 2020

Unemployment

Am I eligible for unemployment?

The university does not determine the eligibility for unemployment benefits. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD) determines eligibility. IU provides DWD the information they require to determine eligibility. DWD controls the processing times of unemployment benefit claims.

Last updated April 8, 2020