This issuance serves as a reminder that District government employees may not carry over more than 240 hours of annual leave or more than 40 hours of universal leave beyond January 13, 2024. Employees are encouraged to use or donate their excess annual and universal leave (“accrued leave”). This issuance provides updated information on excess accrued leave for 2023, the opportunity to donate excess leave to the Annual Leave Bank Program, and accrued leave restored from 2020 and 2021. 

District government employees may not carry over more than 240 hours of annual leave or more than 40 hours of universal leave beyond January 13, 2024. Employees are encouraged to use or donate their excess leave.

Annual and Universal Leave Limits

1. District government employees who are eligible to accrue annual leave can only carry over a maximum amount of 240 hours of annual leave into the next leave year. Any annual leave to their credit in excess of the 240 hours (also referred to as “use or lose”) will be forfeited (lost) at the end of this leave year.
2. Executive service employees accrue universal leave and may only carry over a maximum of 40 hours of universal leave into the next year. Similar to annual leave, any universal leave to the credit of an executive service employee in excess of 40 hours will be forfeited (lost) at the end of this leave year.
3. Accordingly, employees with “use or lose” accrued leave must use such leave no later than January 13, 2024. Otherwise, the excess accrued leave will be forfeited.

Withdrawal of Approved Use or Lose Leave

In certain situations, it may be necessary for a manager or supervisor to cancel an employee’s previously approved accrued leave request due to the demands of the agency or office. To cancel an annual or universal leave request, managers or supervisors can take one of the following actions, as appropriate, based on the leave approval process established by the agency.

Withdrawal of Annual Leave Using PeopleSoft

For step-by-step instructions, see Attachment A – Withdrawal of Annual Leaving Using PeopleSoft.

Withdrawal of Annual Leave Outside of PeopleSoft

To disapprove a leave request outside of PeopleSoft, complete a revised D.C. Standard Form (DCSF) 71, Application for Leave (or equivalent form), as appropriate. For instructions, see Attachment B -  Withdrawal of Annual Leave Outside of PeopleSoft.

Timekeeper (or Equivalent) Support

Managers and supervisors can obtain additional guidance related to recording time in PeopleSoft or completing the DCSF 71 (or equivalent form) from their agency timekeeper, Payroll Supervisor or Quality Assurance Liaison (or equivalent).

Restoring Forfeited Annual Leave

Annual leave that would otherwise be forfeited (lost) may be restored for later use if the annual leave was:

1. Lost due to an administrative error;
2. Lost and denied due to the demands of the public business (as determined by the agency); or  
3. Substituted for sick leave if an employee becomes sick while on scheduled annual leave (with supervisory approval).

The Office of Pay and Retirement Services (OPRS) routinely disseminates guidance on annual leave restoration, and on required information that an agency must send to OPRS. District agencies are reminded that supporting documentation need not be included when sending leave restoration requests to OPRS but should be preserved in case they are later requested.

Employees with excess accrued leave are encouraged to donate their excess hours to the annual leave bank to support their colleagues. 

Employees may also wish to donate to specific annual leave bank members. The District’s Annual Leave Bank Program allows employees to contribute unused, accrued annual leave to leave bank members who:

1. Experienced a personal or family medical emergency, and
2. Exhausted their available paid leave.

Employees may donate annual leave by completing the DCSF No. ALB-01 "Application to Donate Leave to the Leave Bank" form. The form must be submitted to the appropriate agency official no later than December 8, 2023. Agencies must forward all DCSF No. ALB-01 forms to DCHR’s Benefits and Retirement Administration’s inbox at dchr.benefits@dc.gov no later than December 18, 2023.

Coinciding with two years after the end of the Federal public health emergency, employees who had leave restored due to COVID-19 that was originally set to expire on April 30, 2024, will have until May 11, 2025, to use the leave. Any excess annual and universal leave that was accrued in 2020 and 2021 and is now seen as restored leave in PeopleSoft will be available for employees’ use through May 11, 2025.

Employees who will have excess annual leave at the end of the leave year because they used their restored leave instead of their annual leave, will have those restored leave hours returned. Employees will have until May 11, 2025, to use those hours. For example, Employee A used 60 hours of restored leave in calendar year 2023 and had 300 hours of annual leave at the end of the 2023 leave year. Employee A will have those 60 hours removed from their annual leave bucket (will have a new balance of 240) and will have those 60 hours moved into the restored leave bucket. Please note this swapping will only occur if an employee has over 240 hours of annual leave at the end of the 2023 leave calendar and used restored leave in 2023.

The provisions of this issuance apply to those District government agencies which are subordinate to the Mayor’s personnel authority. Other personnel authorities or independent agencies may adopt any or all these procedures to provide guidance to employees under their respective jurisdictions.

In the event of a conflict between any of the provisions of this issuance and any collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the provisions of the CBA shall control to the extent there is a difference.

Inquiries concerning the provisions of this issuance can be directed to the Policy and Compliance Administration, DCHR, at dchr.policy@dc.gov.

1. Human Resources Management, 6-B DCMR § 100 et seq.
2. Hours of Work; Legal Holidays; Leave, D.C. Official Code § 1-612.01 et seq.
3. Annual Leave – Maximum Accumulation, 6-B DCMR § 1238
4. Annual Leave – Restoration, 6-B DCMR § 1239
5. Annual Leave Bank provisions, 6-B DCMR §§ 1238-1239, 6-B DCMR §§ 1250 through 1258