Understanding Leave Balances in MyTime and UCPath

Understanding Leave Balances in MyTime and UCPath

Contents

Source Systems for Leave Accrual Calculations

While UCPath is the system of record for calculating most leave accruals, usage, and balances, some leave accruals, usage, and balances are calculated directly in MyTime, UCSF’s local time and attendance system.

Leave balance groups: source system of record

Leave Balance Group

Source System: Employees paid biweekly

Source System: Employees paid monthly

Academic Sick Leave

N/A

MyTime

ASE - Long Term Leave

N/A

MyTime (usage tracking only)

ASE - Short Term Leave

N/A

MyTime (usage tracking only)

Catastrophic Leave

UCPath

UCPath

CompTime Floating Holiday (CTF)

UCPath

UCPath

CompTime Off (CTO)

UCPath

N/A

Education

MyTime

N/A

EX Vacation Comp Time

UCPath

N/A

GSR - Long Term Leave

N/A

MyTime (usage tracking only)

GSR - Short Term Leave

N/A

MyTime (usage tracking only)

Holiday (CTU)

UCPath

N/A

Jury Duty

MyTime (usage tracking only)

MyTime (usage tracking only)

Military Duty

MyTime (usage tracking only)

MyTime (usage tracking only)

Months of Service

UCPath

UCPath

Paid Time Off (PTO)

UCPath

N/A

Paid Time Off (PTO) additional

UCPath

N/A

Per Diem Sick Leave

UCPath

N/A

Postdoc Paid Family Leave

N/A

UCPath (usage tracking only)

Postdoc PTO

N/A

UCPath

Postdoc Sick

N/A

UCPath

Sick

UCPath

UCPath

Vacation

UCPath

UCPath

Vacation additional

UCPath

UCPath

If you have questions about what type of leave you are eligible to receive, please ask your manager or Human Resources representative.

How UCPath Leave Accruals and Service Credit Are Calculated

Where specified above, UCPath is UCSF’s system of record for leave accruals, usage and balances, as well as for employment service credit. During payroll processing, after each regularly scheduled payroll cycle has been confirmed, the Absence Management (AM) module of UCPath calculates employee leave accruals and employment service credit. Leave accrual earnings and balances are received by UCSF’s local time and attendance system – MyTime – and posted the following day.

Adjustments or changes to accrual balances are not reflected on the Leave Balances page in UCPath online until AM processing has completed for each pay cycle. Leave accrual processes and timing are different depending on pay frequency. UCPath leave and service credit accrual period end dates can be found on the Monthly and Biweekly Payroll Calendars.

Monthly Accrual Process

  1. UCPath runs AM Processing to calculate accruals, make adjustments, and update leave balances following the monthly pay confirm. Monthly employees submit leave one month in arrears, therefore leave usage for the current month is NOT known at the time of calculation.
  2. Accruals and leave balances are posted in employee self-service in UCPath online around the first of the month.
  3. Only leave balances are loaded into MyTime, on the following day. Leave balances in MyTime are “reset” with each load to remain in sync with UCPath.
  4. Employment service credit, expressed as months of service, is posted in UCPath at the same time accruals are posted. Months of service credits are loaded to MyTime.

Biweekly Accrual Process

  1. Biweekly pay cycles do not evenly align with monthly calendars, therefore leave and service credit are accrued every four weeks according to an established quadri-weekly schedule.
  2. UCPath runs AM Processing to calculate accruals, make adjustments, and update leave balances following the biweekly pay confirm that aligns with the end of the quadri-weekly period.
  3. All leave usage for the quadri-weekly period is recorded in UCPath at the time of the leave accrual calculation.
  4. Accruals are posted in employee self-service in UCPath online after 5 p.m. the Monday prior to the payday.
  5. Only leave balances are loaded into MyTime, on the following day. Leave balances in MyTime are “reset” with each load to remain in sync with UCPath.
  6. Employment service credits are calculated on a separate quadri-weekly period and post in UCPath online two weeks after the leave accrual. Service credits are loaded to MyTime.

UCPath vs MyTime Leave Balances

Employees should be aware of key differences between the display of leave balances in MyTime and UCPath.

Usage and balances for leave types that are calculated in MyTime are not available in UCPath. Consult the table above for leave types where MyTime is the source system for usage and balances; these are only available in MyTime.

For all other leave types, UCPath is the system of record for calculating accruals and leave balances. There may be differences in the display of leave balance information between UCPath and MyTime for the following reasons:

  1. Rounding differences. UCPath calculates leave accruals and balances to four decimal places. Currently, MyTime is only able to store balances to two decimal places.
  2. Timing differences. Ending balances in UCPath only reflect absences that have been processed as of the date displayed. For monthly employees, balances in UCPath will not include leave usage reported in the current month.
  3. Future leave requests. UCPath leave balances do not reflect future leave requested/approved in MyTime. Because MyTime includes a running balance of leave usage inclusive of leave not yet transmitted to UCPath, it provides a more complete view of leave information.
  4. Earned accrual for the period. UCPath displays the accrued earnings for the period which is only displayed in MyTime for balances calculated in MyTime. This is because MyTime receives a balance reset and does not consume the accrual from UCPath at this time.

Other leave balance discrepancies between UCPath and MyTime that may arise must be researched on a case-by-case basis.

During the timekeeping system transition from the HBS Timekeeping System to MyTime in May and June 2025, leave balances will be imported into MyTime from UCPath and HBS in stages upon completion of payroll processing. Balance imports are expected to be complete by Tuesday, May 20, 2025, for biweekly employees and by June 14, 2025, for monthly employees. After these dates, employees can report discrepancies to the UCSF Payroll Office.

Understanding Vacation/PTO Maximum Caps

Vacation/PTO maximums are prorated based on the eligible employee’s FTE in alignment with policy and applicable labor contracts. An employee whose balance exceeds the maximum vacation/PTO accrual limit will no longer accrue additional vacation/PTO hours until the balance is reduced below the maximum. The employee will not lose already accrued vacation hours, but the employee will not accrue additional hours until their balance falls below the maximum.

It is important for department administrators to note that when an employee reaches vacation accrual maximum, the department will continue to be charged vacation leave assessment (opens in new window) , for future pay periods, even when the employee is not eligible to accrue beyond the established maximum.

Consult the following resources for leave accrual factors and maximums:

Vacation Accrual Timing for Monthly Employees at Their Vacation Maximum Cap

As monthly employees report leave one month in arrears, UCPath will not have up-to-date vacation usage data to accurately calculate accruals. As a result, an employee at their vacation/PTO maximum will not accrue leave during AM Processing for the month. However, when the leave usage is transmitted to UCPath the following month, UCPath will correct the accrual and balance to replace any lost accruals.

Example UCPath April AM Processing
(Check date: April 30, 2025)
UCPath May AM Processing
(Check date: June 1, 2025)

Monthly employee at vacation max in April but recorded vacation leave in MyTime for April

  1. Employee is at max.
  2. April paycheck will not show April vacation usage on earnings statement.
  3. No April vacation is accrued.
  1. April leave usage transmitted to UCPath.
  2. May paycheck includes April vacation usage on earnings statement.
  3. UCPath recalculates the April accrual.

Vacation/PTO Maximum Grace Period Exceptions

When an employee reaches their maximum accrual limit, no additional vacation leave/PTO may be accrued until the employee’s balance falls below the maximum, unless an extension has been requested and granted prior to the employee reaching the maximum accrual. Employees granted an extension will be allowed to accrue the equivalent of three or four additional months of leave, per the employee’s applicable policy or collective bargaining agreement.

  • For employees in the Professional & Support Staff, Managers & Senior Professionals, and Senior Management Group Members personnel programs, Section III.B.5 of the Absence from Work Policy (PPSM-2.210) describes the maximum vacation accrual limit and the extension that is allowed per policy under certain circumstances.
  • For employees covered under the UCSF Health Paid Time Off (PTO) Policy 4.02.03, Section C, Paragraph 1 describes the maximum PTO limit and the extension that is allowed per policy under certain circumstances.
  • Academic employees covered under Academic Personnel Programs (APM) (opens in new window) are not eligible for the Vacation/PTO Maximum Grace Period Exception. Academic employees who have previously accrued above their maximum will maintain those balances but will not accrue until they are below their allowed maximum.
  • Employees covered under the AFSCME EX contract currently receive an automatic grace period in UCPath, and the additional vacation accrual is converted to EX vacation comp time earned.

Eligible employees must follow the standard process to request a Vacation/PTO Maximum Grace Period Exception to accrue above the maximum for up to an additional four months. Complete the Vacation/PTO Accrual Extension Form, obtain all required approvals, and follow the form instructions to submit the request for processing.

Viewing Vacation/PTO Balances When an Exception or Grace Period Is Granted

Employees granted an exception or grace period who have a vacation/PTO balance over the max will see their vacation/PTO hours converted into two leave balance buckets in UCPath:

  • Vacation/PTO: This leave bucket will maintain vacation hours up to the maximum.
  • Additional Vacation/PTO: This leave bucket will maintain hours over the maximum.

Employees will continue to accrue hours over the maximum during the grace period. When the grace period ends, new accruals will stop, and employees will no longer see additions to these accruals. New additions to these accruals will resume once balances fall below the vacation/PTO max. UCPath contains logic to decrease the Additional Vacation/PTO balance bucket first when recording any usage.

When a Vacation/PTO Maximum Grace Period Exception is applied in UCPath a vacation/PTO accrual limit override is created and will end in four months. The override allows for accruals to continue until either the four-month end date is reached or the Additional Vacation/PTO maximum hours are reached, whichever comes first. The Additional Vacation/PTO maximum hours are equal to an employee’s monthly accrual hours multiplied by four. For example, an employee who earns 10 hours of vacation a month will have an Additional Vacation/PTO maximum equal to 40 hours. This maximum is prorated based on the employee’s FTE on their job in UCPath.

If the Vacation/PTO Maximum Grace Period Exception is retroactive to a date, the four-month override will begin from the retroactive date. UCPath will automatically recalculate and update lost leave accruals during the exception period during the next available AM processing.

If a Vacation/PTO Maximum Grace Period Exception is requested for an employee who has already exceeded the Additional Vacation/PTO maximum hours based on the vacation accrual tier, the employee will not accrue until they bring their hours below the Additional Vacation/PTO maximum hours during the grace period.

MyTime Notifications to Monitor Vacation and PTO Balances

MyTime emails alerts to help employees, managers, and manager delegates to monitor vacation and PTO balances. The following notifications are sent when UCPath balances posted in MyTime for the most recent accrual period are approaching the accrual limit:

  • Approaching Maximum Alert: Sent when the employee’s balance in UCPath is 60-90 working days away from reaching their vacation/PTO accrual maximum. The number of working days reflects the notification requirements provided in the policy or collective bargaining agreement governing the employee’s position.

The alerts do not take into consideration leave usage reported in MyTime not yet transmitted to UCPath. Employees who have requested or received an approved grace period exception to accrue over the vacation/PTO accrual maximum will continue to receive alerts until balances are below all alert thresholds.

Catastrophic Leave Donations

There are several programs where staff may be able to donate and receive vacation time. See Voluntary Catastrophic Leave Sharing Programs (opens in new window) for more information.

Human Resources submits completed catastrophic leave donation forms to the Payroll Office. The Payroll Office submits the request to the UCPath Center and makes the adjustment to the MyTime balance. Donors will see their balance in MyTime updated prior to their balance being reduced in UCPath. Recipients will see their balance in MyTime updated prior to their balance being increased in UCPath.

Related Resources

To learn more about accessing, reporting and navigating leave balances in UCPath and MyTime: