Academic Winter Recess

The organizational health of The Ohio State University begins with the success and well-being of our faculty and staff. Based on feedback from faculty and staff and similar practices at other public institutions, Ohio State observes an Academic Winter Recess.

Academic Winter Recess Policy, 6.21 allows most academic campus faculty and staff members – colleges, business units and regional campuses – to be off during a time when there are no classes and reduced campus operations. The policy also includes a calendar to aid in future recess planning efforts.

Core Details

Academic Winter Recess takes place Dec. 26–31 each year, pursuant to Academic Winter Recess Policy, 6.21.

  • 2026: Specific dates for 2026 are Dec. 28-31, starting at 12 a.m. Dec. 28 and ending at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31. See the Academic Winter Recess calendar.
  • Eligible employees will receive paid time off hours based on their full-time equivalent (FTE) status and the number of business days during the Academic Winter Recess.
  • Paid time off hours for the recess will appear in an Academic Winter Recess time off balance in Workday. The hours will only appear on payslips when they are used.
  • University Holidays: Existing university holidays in December and January will remain per the Holidays Policy, 6.20.
  • Academic Winter Recess is not a weather or short-term closure. In the event of a weather or short-term closure event, consult the Weather and Short-Term Closure During an Academic Recess job aid.

2026 Important Processing Dates

The deadline for monthly timekeeping approval is 1 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 10, 2026. For the biweekly pay period covering Nov. 29–Dec. 12, 2026, the deadline for timekeeping approval is Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026. Corrections can be made for up to three pay periods after approval. Corrections can be made for up to three pay periods after approval.

HR Connection will be available during the recess Dec. 28–31 with reduced hours. The customer service lobby will be closed, including fingerprinting and I-9 services. Online customer service support remains available 24/7.

Campus graduate associates must be fully hired in Workday by Dec. 21, 2026, to meet the Jan. 1, 2027, start date due to the fee authorization deadline. Corrections or updates will be made on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23 to ensure hires are fully processed. Campus lecturers unable to be hired before Dec. 21 will be processed when operations resume on Jan. 4, 2027. Because hiring volume varies across units, processing dates may differ slightly. Please confirm your dates with your college or unit HR team.

Employee transactions must be completed in accordance with the university Payroll Processing Calendar (login required) and Pay Period Schedule.

Eligibility

Faculty and staff — including regular, temporary, term and seasonal employees — who work in colleges and business units across all academic campuses at the time of the Academic Winter Recess are eligible for paid time off during the recess. If you are unsure about your eligibility, ask your people leader/manager. Other employee eligibility is outlined below:

  • Seasonal employees must be in an active position at the time of the Academic Winter Recess to be eligible.
  • Employees on a continuous paid leave of absence or preapproved paid time off (such as sick or vacation leave) will not be charged for that time during the Academic Winter Recess. Instead, Winter Recess hours will be applied to cover the period originally designated as paid leave.
  • Employees who are on a continuous leave of absence and are not using paid time off, such as sick or vacation time, are not eligible for paid time off for Academic Winter Recess.
  • Intermittent, contingent and student employees (students paid biweekly and graduate associates) are not eligible for Academic Winter Recess paid time off.
  • Nine-month (9/12) faculty will continue to be paid normally based on their appointment during Academic Winter Recess because it is a scheduled break, and they will not receive an Academic Winter Recess time off balance.
    • Nine-month faculty who apply for off-duty pay and are approved, in accordance with Faculty Rule 3335-5-07, will receive off-duty pay. The rule states “Breaks within a given semester, summer term or session, as well as any days between the end of the exam period and the beginning of the next semester or session, will be considered off-duty days.”
  • Wexner Medical Center employees – including the Health System, College of Medicine, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Comprehensive Cancer Center, OSU Physicians, Health Plan and Office of Health Sciences – are not included in the Academic Winter Recess Program and are not eligible for Academic Winter Recess paid time off.
  • Academic campus employees who primarily report to a college or campus unit, including those assigned to Wexner Medical Center locations, are included in the Academic Winter Recess provisions. If these employees are required to work during the recess period, they will receive the appropriate Winter Recess hours credited to their time off balance. These provisions do not apply to employees of the College of Medicine.
  • Employees who are on approved Family and Medical Leave and are not expected to work during the Academic Winter Recess will not have FMLA time deducted.

Questions specific to your college or unit can be directed to your people leader/manager or HR professional.

Work during Academic Winter Recess

Most campus employees will be off during the recess, as this period coincides with unscheduled classes and reduced campus operations. However, some services must continue during the recess. Those in critical services listed below and certain operational services identified as necessary by the employing unit will ensure that essential university functions are maintained.

Employees who do need to work during the recess will receive an equivalent number of hours added to their time off balance in Workday. (See the How to Use Academic Winter Recess section below for details.)

How to Use Academic Winter Recess

Academic Winter Recess time off will be centrally loaded in Workday Absence for employees in an eligible position at the start of the recess, regardless of whether they are scheduled to work during part or all of the recess period. For those not scheduled to work, the time will be applied as paid time off to reflect the days off.

Employees who previously requested vacation or other paid time off during this time may remove those entries.

Employees who are required to work during the recess and call off must follow unit/department call-off procedures and/or attendance policy. Academic Winter Recess hours cannot be used for unplanned absences, and employees must use vacation or sick time.

If you are required to work during the recess, you will be paid for time worked and will need to adjust or remove centrally loaded recess time off as needed. This will add hours back to your paid time off balance in Workday based on your full-time equivalency and the number of business days in the recess.

  • These hours will appear in your time off balance in Workday. Time off balances from the recess must be used by Dec. 23 of the next calendar year before the start of another recess.
  • Employees eligible for Academic Winter Recess who are required to work all or part of the designated recess period may use the equivalent balance of hours at a later date. This time must be scheduled in advance of the following year’s Academic Winter Recess and approved by the employee’s people leader/manager.
  • Employees who have multiple positions with one or more eligible for the recess (based on employing unit designation), the eligible positions will be combined to determine the number of hours awarded.
  • Academic Winter Recess time will carry over in a transfer to a new job if there is no break in service and if the new position is also eligible for Academic Winter Recess paid time off.
  • Employees who separate from the university or transfer to a position that is not eligible for Academic Winter Recess paid time off will forfeit the unused time, and it will not be paid out upon departure or transfer.

Timekeeping

Eligible employees who work a shift during the recess should record their time using the current timekeeping process in Workday. It is essential that timekeeping records accurately reflect the actual hours worked. Resources for employees and people leaders:

Key timekeeping practices:

  • Academic Winter Recess time off may be used in increments of one-tenth of an hour (i.e., 6 minutes).
  • Employees should only use Academic Winter Recess time off on days they are normally scheduled to work, up to their Full-Time Equivalency (FTE).
  • Academic Winter Recess hours do not count toward overtime calculations.
  • If an employee’s usual day off coincides with a recognized Academic Recess Day, they do not need to use Academic Winter Recess Time Off and may save it for future use. Employees will need to take action to update their timekeeping. (See Academic Winter Recess Time Off Balance section above.)
  • Before submitting timekeeping entries, employees should remove any paid time off hours that they worked.
  • Similarly, people leaders must carefully review and approve timekeeping submissions to ensure paid time off is only applied to times the employee did not work. This helps maintain accurate records and ensures compliance with university policy and accurate pay.

Roles and Responsibilities

Frequently Asked Questions