Vacation and Leave

The City of Seattle offers a competitive and comprehensive vacation and leave package to their employees. Benefit eligibility and programs may vary by job status (e.g. full-time or part-time, regular or temporary, and represented or non-represented).

Holidays

The City observes 10 official holidays and 2 personal holidays. An official holiday that falls on a Saturday will be observed on the preceding Friday. An official holiday that falls on a Sunday will be observed on the Monday immediately following. Employees may take their personal holidays at any time with supervisory approval.

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King’s Birthday
• Presidents’ Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Day Following Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

Vacation

Eligible City employees accrue vacation based on hours on regular pay status. The amount of vacation earned depends on the employee's length of service—from 12 days per year for a new employee to 30 days per year after 29 years of employment.

Sick Leave

City employees accrue sick leave based on the number of regular hours worked. Full time employees earn 96 hours of sick leave per year. You may carry over your unused sick leave, there is no maximum accumulation.

The City has a sick leave transfer program where employees can donate sick leave to an employee who has exhausted their sick leave.

Other Leave Policies

The City also has the following paid and unpaid leaves:

• Funeral leave
• Family and Medical Leave
• Pregnancy disability
• Jury duty
• Military duty leave
• Leave for employee assistance plan counseling
• Transplant donor leave
• Unpaid personal leave
• Sabbatical leave