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Division of Human Resources

Time Away From Work

Whether you are sick or planning a family vacation, USC offers generous leave benefits to help our employees maintain a healthy balance between work and home life. 

Summary of Leave Benefits

Each type of leave has unique eligibility requirements, accrual rates and procedures. For more details, please refer to the individual leave policies.

HR Annual Leave Policy 1.03 [pdf]

Eligibility:

  • Applies to full-time and part-time (FTE), research grant (RGP), and time-limited (TL) employees working 20+ hours/week.
  • Faculty on less than 12-month contracts are excluded.

Accrual:

  • 9.375 hrs/month for 37.5-hour weeks
  • 10 hrs/month for 40-hour weeks
  • Pro-rated for other schedules
  • Bonus accrual for 10+ years of service (up to 30 days/year)
  • Max carryover: 45 days/year

 Procedure:

HR Sick Leave Policy 1.06 [pdf]

Eligibility:

  • Same as Annual Leave (FTE, RGP, TL working 20+ hours/week)

Accrual:

  • 9.375 hrs/month for 37.5-hour weeks
  • 10 hrs/month for 40-hour weeks
  • Pro-rated for other schedules
  • Max accrual: 15 days/year
  • Max carryover: 180 days

Employee Procedure:

HR Family and Medical Leave Policy 1.07 [pdf]

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Employed with the State of SC for 12 months (not necessarily consecutive)
  • Worked 1,250 hours in the past 12 months

Procedure (Leave-Earning Employees):

  • Request via Time and Absence System (Extended Absence tile)
  • Upload medical certification or required documents
  • Central Benefits Office reviews and responds within 5 business days

Procedure (Non-Leave Earning Employees):

  • Submit  Form P-83 AND a medical certification to your Department/Campus HR Leave Administrator. 
  • Do not send medical info to supervisors

Required Documentation:

HR Paid Parental Leave Policy 1.08

Employee Request for Paid Parental Leave Form [pdf]

SC Code of Laws 8-11-150 (A) provides six weeks of paid leave or two weeks of paid leave at one hundred percent of the eligible state employee’s base pay. Leave for part-time eligible state employees must be on a prorated basis corresponding to the percentage of hours they are normally scheduled to work.

Eligibility:

  • FTE employees only (not RGP, TL, or temporary)
  • For birth, adoption, or foster care (after Oct 1, 2022)
  • No service time required

Leave Amount:

  • 6 weeks for primary caregiver
  • 2 weeks for secondary caregiver
  • Foster care leave can be split into two 1-week blocks

Required Documents:

  • Adoption: Legal placement documentation
  • Birth: Birth certificate, proof of birth, or custody order
  • Foster care: Placement agreement and custody order

Other Notes:

  • Only one occurrence of PPL allowed per 12-month period
  • Leave must be used within 12 months or it is forfeited
  • PPL is not paid out or transferable
  • No need to use other leave types first

PPL Frequently Asked Questions [pdf]

Paid Parental Leave Presentation 

Refer to HR Leave Without Pay Policy 1.12 [pdf] for details.

Eligibility:

  • Applies to FTE, RGP, and TL employees.
  • Only used after all applicable paid leave is exhausted.

Insurance Premiums 

  • Employees must pay their share of insurance premiums while on LWOP.

Staff Employee Procedure:

  • Up to 5 days: Submit request in the Time and Absence System to your supervisor.
  • More than 5 days: Submit request in the Time and Absence System and ask HR Contact to submit a status change form in Peoplesoft HCM.
  • Non-leave earning employees: Contact your HR representative for guidance.

Faculty Employee Procedure:

HR Other Leave With Pay Policy 1.09 [pdf]

Eligibility:

  • Applies to FTE, RGP, TL, and some temporary employees.

Procedure:

Types of Leave (based on position):

  • FTE, RGP, TL (20+ hrs/week): Blood donation, court, voting, disaster service, educational, bone marrow, family death, extended disability, organ donation.
  • Temporary (20+ hrs/week): Bone marrow donation.

HR Leave Transfer Policy 1.10 [pdf]

Eligibility:

  • FTE employees working 20+ hours/week.
  • Must use all accrued leave and comp time before using donated leave.

Donating Leave:

Requesting Leave:

HR Hazardous Weather and Emergency Leave Policy 1.18 [pdf]

Policy:

  • Richland and Lexington counties are directed by the governor and not the county
  • The Governor may grant up to 5 days of paid leave per emergency.

Eligibility:

  • FTE, RGP, and TL employees who earn paid leave.

Procedure:

  • Check  South Carolina Emergency Management Division and Carolina Alert websites. 
  • If Governor grants leave and you were scheduled to work, you qualify for paid leave.
  • If not granted, choose one of the following:
      • Request annual or comp leave
      • Request LWOP; or
      • Make up time with supervisor approval
  • HR will communicate the Governor’s decision.
  • For additional information, please refer to the frequently asked questions regarding hazardous weather and emergency leave.

HR Holiday Leave Policy 1.15 [pdf]

USC observes thirteen (13) holidays each year.



FAQs for Requesting and Managing Leave

Below are answers to common questions about requesting absences and managing leave balances in the Time and Absence System. Visit the Payroll Toolbox for a list of job aids to help you perform each task.


Employee Questions

As far as the leave calendar allows (typically 1 year).

 

Before the leave occurs, especially for planned absences. For FMLA please try to apply one (1) month in advance of planned absences. For unplanned absences please give notice as soon as the need for leave is foreseeable. For other leave please consult your department (ex: you want HR applying for annual leave two (2) weeks in advance) for their preferences. Please try to apply for leave in advance of the absence.  

You can submit a leave request for up to 30 days after the absence. If it’s been longer, your manager or TL/ABS approver can submit it for you—up to 60 days back. For anything beyond that, contact the Central Benefits Office for help.

Cancel and resubmit.

Use the Cancel Absence tile in Employee Self-Service. Use this job aid [pdf] to walk you through the process. The cancel request will require your manager’s approval.

After the leave date is processed in payroll.

If you're a leave-earning employee and worked more than half the month in paid status, your leave (annual and/or sick) will be added between the 22nd–25th of the month.

No. You can only use leave that has already been earned. The system won’t allow you to apply future accruals to past absences.

Submit and get approval for your Leave Transfer Donation during the pay period before your last day. LUse this job aid [pdf] for help.

Follow this job aid [pdf] to enter partial day leave hours.

  • The system defaults to a half-day.
  • To enter a specific number of hours, switch the “Is Partial Day a Half Day?” toggle to “No” and enter the exact hours.

After approval, submit your absence requests in the system to cover your FMLA days. Use this job aid [pdf] for step-by-step help.


Manager Questions

Ideally, before the leave happens.

  • Employees can submit requests up to 30 days after the absence.
  • Managers can enter them up to 60 days after.
  • All leave should be submitted before payroll is processed for that period.
  • Go to the far right of the screen and click the “Canceled Absence Request” link.
  • You can also cancel the absence for the employee if needed. 
  • Use this job aid for guidance. 

 

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