Get Vacation Leave Application

In North Carolina, employers are not required to provide sick leave to employees, either paid or unpaid. If a North Carolina employee is not covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), an employee can be fired or disciplined for missing work for a medical reason, even with a doctor's note.

At least 112 hours (14 days) of vacation leave is provided yearly to permanent, probationary, trainee and provisional employees. As length of service increases, the amount of leave earned increases. Leave is prorated for part-time employees. The Vacation Leave Policy is prorated for part-time employees.

The Personal Observance Leave Policy provides up to eight hours of fully paid leave to eligible employees for a day of personal observance. This day of personal observance includes, but is not limited to, days of cultural or religious importance.

How Much Leave Is Available? North Carolina employees may take up to 12 weeks of leave in a 12-month period for a serious health condition, bonding with a new child, or qualifying exigencies. This leave is available every 12 months, as long as the employee continues to meet the eligibility requirements explained above.

An employer-sponsored leave-sharing program allows an employee to donate accrued hours of paid vacation, or personal and potentially sick leave for the benefit of other employees who are in need of taking more leave than they have available.

Eligible state employees who give birth will receive eight weeks of paid leave to recover from the birth and to bond with and care for their newborn. Other eligible state employees will receive four weeks of paid leave to bond with and care for the child.

To receive FMLA, employees must have worked for an employer for at least 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours of service during the 12-month period immediately preceding the leave. FMLA is unpaid leave; there are no federal laws requiring paid leave following a birth or adoption.

An employee may donate leave to an employee who has been approved to receive voluntary shared leave because of a medical condition of the employee or of a member of the employee's immediate family that will require the employee's absence for a prolonged period of time.