Q: In a recent response you stated: “Most of you do get paid for all your unused annual leave if you retire before the end of the leave year; however, if you are an employee of the U.S. Postal Service, the amount of leave for which you can be paid is capped.” What is the cap as a postal service employee? And my maximum leave carryover is 440. If I carry over the max, and then earn another 80 hours prior to my retirement date, am I only paid for the 440 max carryover, or do I get paid for the full 520 hours of unused leave?
A: The maximum annual leave carryover for postal bargaining unit employees is 440 hours. For Executive Administrative Schedule employees it’s 560 hours. While either can receive a lump-sum payment for accumulated annual leave carried over from the previous year and accrued annual leave during the year, the total for which payment will be made cannot exceed their maximum: 440 or 560 hours. Any hours beyond those maximums are lost.
