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Each year, the leave year begins with the first day of the first complete pay period in a calendar year and ends on the day before the first day of the first complete pay period in the following calendar year. For 2022, the leave year began Jan. 1, 2022 (Pay Period 02-22) and ends Jan. 13, 2023 (Pay Period 02-23) for a total of 27 pay periods.

Therefore, employees may earn one additional pay period’s worth of annual leave during the 2022 leave year as compared to the typical 26 pay period leave year. For a full-time employee, the extra pay period amount will be 4, 6, or 8 hours, depending on the employee’s leave earning category. Part-time letter carriers earn leave based on the number of work hours during the pay period up to the same amount of leave earned by full-time employees. CCAs are credited with one hour of annual leave for each twenty hours spent in a pay status during each biweekly pay period.

Although employees may earn one additional pay period’s worth of annual leave during leave year 2022, the annual leave carryover maximums will not increase because of it. Employees must use any annual leave in excess of the carryover limit that applies to them by the end of leave year 2022 (Jan. 13, 2023) or they will forfeit the hours of annual leave that are in excess of their carryover limit. Any additional leave earned by CCAs will be paid out when they take their mandatory break in service between appointments.