GovernmentExecutive.com

2005 is almost history, which means you can start planning your annual leave for next year.

Our 2006 Federal Leave Chart is designed to help you plan and track your use of leave in the coming year.

You can print out the chart and record your vacation days on paper, or you can save the file onto your computer and track your leave electronically.

You can also download the Leave Calculator, an Excel spreadsheet that automatically calculates your leave balance for the year.

The Leave Calculator assumes that you earn eight hours of annual leave and four hours of sick leave per pay period. If your calculation is different, change the figure in the first pay period to the amount you accrue and hit enter. The chart will readjust automatically.

If you have annual leave carried over from last year, enter that figure into the "carried over" section at the top of that column.

Federal employees with less than three years of service earn four hours of annual leave for every pay period. Employees with three to 15 years of service earn six hours a period; employees with more than 15 years earn eight hours.

Office of Personnel Management policy allows supervisors to grant employees leave in advance of when it is earned, but use of this option varies across agencies.

Sick leave is another story. All full-time employees earn four hours of sick leave per pay period. Sick leave can be used for personal medical needs, care of a family member or adoption-related purposes.

The 2006 leave year begins on Jan. 8 and ends on Jan. 6, 2007, for most employees. There are 10 holidays in 2006. This year, Veterans Day falls on a weekend, so the days off don't precisely coincide with the holiday. The holiday is on a Saturday but is recognized on a Friday.