Overview – Leaves for Academic Personnel
See notes where School of Medicine policy is separate. A separate resource describes record-keeping; partial leaves are also possible.
Note that in 2020, IU policy ACA-47 consolidated leave language that had previously existed in various IU policies.
The following groups of academic employees are addressed in this guidance:
- Full-time faculty: AC1s (lecturers, clinical, research scientists, tenure-track professors, tenure-track librarians, professors of practice, research associates, post-doc employees (not fellows), and academic specialists).
- Paid family leave (formation or family support) is not available for post-docs or visiting faculty.
- Paid family leave requires at least 1 year of service (not in a post-doc or visiting position), and can be taken only 2 times in 5 years.
- All faculty with 1250 hours of service may take unpaid FMLA leave: 12 weeks per calendar year.
The following appointees are not eligible for medical leave or vacation:
- Adjuncts (per-course instructors not otherwise employed by IU): AC2
- Student Academic Appointees: AC3 (see this document for updates on leave options for SAAs.)
Guidance by Leave Type
Vacation
- Eligible: 12-month AC1 employees (not 10-month AC1s, who receive academic breaks).
- Limits: 22 working days per calendar year; is pro-rated for partial-year employees; does not roll over from year to year; may be taken as terminal leave; employees also are not obligated to work on campus holidays and days when their office is completely closed (e.g. winter break).
- Process: Managed within office/department/unit, subject to needs of the unit, no eDoc coding.
Medical Leave: less than 3 weeks.
- Eligible: 10-month or 12-month AC1 employees.
- Limits: 15 or fewer work days per calendar year.
- Process for AC1: Managed within office/department/unit, no campus form and no eDoc coding.
If during the initial three weeks it becomes obvious that more than three weeks are necessary, the employee applies for major medical leave, and the start date for that is the start of the person’s inability to work.
Medical Leave: 3 weeks or more.
- Eligible: 10-or-12-month AC1 employees. No AC2 or AC3.
- Limits: 6 weeks fully paid, 9 weeks half-pay, per calendar year. [Leaves may be incremental/partial, e.g. work 40%, off 60%. Please see guidance on Partial Leaves for AC1s]. A second leave may not occur until the person has returned to work. There must be medical documentation that the person is unable to work, except for six weeks for pregnancy-childbirth.
- Process: medical leave form processed within the school; chair / supervisor uses "essential job functions" document (librarians, all others).
All pre-tenure tenure-track faculty should consult with chairs about tenure clock stoppage.
Family Formation Leave
- Eligible: AC1 (except visiting or postdocs), with at least 1 year service in an eligible position; School of Medicine uses its own policy and procedures.
- Limits: 12 weeks fully paid, taken within 6 months of the child’s birth or arrival. [Leaves may be incremental/partial, e.g. work 40%, off 60%. guidance on Partial Leaves for AC1s]. Paid leave can be used up to 2 times per every 5 years (with at least one semester or 5 months in-between. Can be added to medical (pregnancy-childbirth) leave (except for School of Medicine).
- Process: family formation leave form; processed within the school (eDoc AFF) unless a partial leave; no documentation other than child’s birth (or adoption) date needed.
All pre-tenure tenure-track faculty are eligible for a tenure clock stoppage, included within the FORM.
Family Support Leave
- Eligible: AC1 (except visiting or postdocs), with at least 1 year service in an eligible position; School of Medicine uses its own policy and procedures. Covers inability to work due to care provided to a specific list of relatives.
- Limits: 12 weeks fully paid, documented by medical necessity, maximum per calendar year and 2 times per every 5 years; *base pay over $125,000 / year is reduced by 1% for every $2,000 over $125,000.
- Process: family support leave form as well as IU FMLA form 2F. The family support leave form is attached to the Leave of Absence eDoc (AFF) and the FMLA form is saved within the school.
All pre-tenure tenure-track faculty should consult with chairs about tenure clock stoppage.
Funeral/Bereavement Leave
- Eligible: All full-time academic appointees (AC1).
- Limits: 3 days fully paid, per qualifying event.
- Process: Managed within units; no eDocs.
Leave without Pay (LWOP)
- Eligible: All full-time academic appointees (AC1; not visiting) upon request to the chair and dean; campus approval also needed if the leave is for one year. Only one year of leave may be authorized at any time; a second year is rare.
- Limits: LWOP for up to 6 months: IU maintains contributions towards health plans, makes no retirement contributions (see IU policy HR-04-40). Consult with Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) about how time on leave counts towards IU benefits, retiree status, and sabbatical eligibility.
- Process: For leaves of less than one year, manage within school; submit eDoc. For leaves of one year, obtain OAA approval.
If faculty are moving to a non-IU job, consider an ACNP to maintain connections until all tasks are completed.
Prestigious Leave
- Eligible: all full time faculty. Rare. Some leaves for prestigious reasons may count as university service (for retiree status and/or sabbatical eligibility). Please consult with OAA.
Sabbatical Leave: brief summary only.
- Eligible: Tenure-track librarians and tenure-track faculty after 6 years of IU service.
- Limits: One half-pay full-year leave, or one semester leave at full pay, per 7 years of IU service; must return to duties for at least one year afterwards.
- Process: School and campus permission needed. See full process on OAA website.
Military Leave
- Eligible: All IU employees. Implemented according to federal law; see IU policy HR-05-60.
Leave for Jury Duty
Includes service as a witness; fully paid for all AC1/full-time employees. Notify unit of times of duty, no eDocs needed.
Guidance by Faculty Type
AC1, at least 75% FTE tenure-track faculty or librarians, lecturers, clinical, research scientists, professors of practice, academic specialists.
All leaves are per calendar year
- 12-month: 22 work days of vacation plus campus holidays and days an office is closed (e.g. for breaks).
- 10-month: no self-selected vacation days; campus breaks.
- Medical leave up to 3 weeks (handled within unit).
- Medical leave 3-6 weeks fully paid, up to 9 additional weeks half-pay; must return to work before a subsequent leave is taken.
- Family formation leave 12 weeks fully paid.
- Family support leave 12 weeks fully paid.
- Maximum of 2 family formation or family support leaves per 5 years, with 1 semester in-between.
If < 100% FTE:
- Pro-rated vacation days.
- Medical and family leaves: normal rate of pay.
If visiting or post-doc:
- No paid family formation or family support leave; major medical leave available for pregnancy or sickness.
If adjuncts or student academic appointees:
- No paid medical leave or vacation leave.