Paydays and holidays
VCU observes a semi-monthly payday for all employees. Payday falls on the 1st for the previous 10th-24th pay period. Payday falls on the 16th for previous 25th-9th pay period. If a payday falls on a weekend or Monday holiday, payday will be the preceding Friday (except for the new July 1 fiscal year or when a state-mandated and end-of-quarter payday falls on another day).
Current and future paydays and holidays
Plan ahead and mark these dates on your calendar for when the university closes to observe holidays. 12-month faculty, classified staff and university and academic professionals observe the holiday schedule below. Nine-month faculty observe the same holidays as students; they do not accrue holiday time. VCU’s holiday schedule includes any additional holiday time granted by the Governor.
Previous paydays and holidays
2023 paydays and holidays
2022 paydays and holidays
Plan ahead and mark these dates on your calendar for when the university closes to observe holidays. 12-month faculty, classified staff and university and academic professionals observe the holiday schedule below. Nine-month faculty observe the same holidays as students; they do not accrue holiday time. VCU’s holiday schedule includes any additional holiday time granted by the Governor.
2022 paydays
- Jan. 14
- Feb. 1 & 16
- March 1, 16 & 31
- April 15 & 29
- May 16
- June 1 & 16
- July 1 & 15
- August 1 & 16
- September 1, 16 & 30
- October 14
- November 1 & 16
- December 1, 16 & 30
2022 holidays
- Jan. 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Feb. 21: George Washington Day (moved to Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022)
- May 30: Memorial Day
- June 20: Juneteenth (observed)
- July 4: Independence Day (observed)
- Sept. 5: Labor Day
- Oct. 10: Columbus Day/Yorktown Victory Day (moved to Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022)
- Nov. 8: Election Day
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day (moved to Friday, Dec. 30, 2022)
- Nov. 23: Additional 4 hours*
- Nov. 24: Thanksgiving
- Nov. 25: Day after Thanksgiving
- Dec. 22: Employee leave required
- Dec. 23: Additional 8 hours*
- Dec. 26: Christmas Day (observed)
- Dec. 27: Employee leave required
- Jan. 2, 2023: New Year’s Day (observed)
2022 winter break
The 2022 winter break runs Dec. 22 - Jan. 2, 2023 and requires that faculty and staff use two days (16 hours) of leave, which will be reduced should additional leave be granted. *Additional leave is granted by the Governor of Virginia. Employees will be required to use leave for:
- Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022
- Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022
Following past practice, VCU moved several state holidays to the 2022 winter closing to accommodate VCU’s academic calendar:
- Feb. 21, 2022: George Washington Day (moved to Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022)
- Oct. 10, 2022: Columbus Day (moved to Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022)
- Nov. 11, 2021: Veterans Day (moved to Friday, Dec. 30, 2022)
For 2022, the Governor has granted additional holiday leave:
- Four (4) hours on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2022 – day before Thanksgiving
- Eight (8) hours on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 – day before Christmas Eve
2021 paydays and holidays
Plan ahead and mark these dates on your calendar for when the university closes to observe holidays. 12-month faculty, classified staff and university and academic professionals observe the holiday schedule below. Nine-month faculty observe the same holidays as students; they do not accrue holiday time. VCU’s holiday schedule includes any additional holiday time granted by the Governor.
2021 holidays
- New Year’s Day
Jan. 1, 2021
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 18, 2021
- Memorial Day
May 31, 2021
- Juneteenth
June 18, 2021
- Independence Day
July 5, 2021
- Labor Day
Sept. 6, 2021
- Election Day
Nov. 2, 2021
- Thanksgiving observance*
Nov. 24, 2021 (4 hours leave granted*)
- Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 25, 2021
- Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 26, 2021
Winter closing
Dec. 23, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021
(Note: Dec. 31 is both a payday and a holiday.)
2021 paydays
Jan. 15
Feb. 1 & 16
March 1, 16 & 31
April 16 & 30
May 14
June 1 & 16
July 1, 16 & 30
August 16
September 1, 16 & 30
October 15
November 1 & 16
December 1, 16 & 31
2021 winter break
The 2021 winter break runs Dec. 23 - 31, 2021 and requires that faculty and staff use one day (8 hours) of leave, which will be reduced should additional leave be granted. *Additional leave is granted by the Governor of Virginia. Employees will be required to use leave for:
- Monday, Dec. 27, 2021
Following past practice, VCU moved several state holidays to the 2021 winter closing to accommodate VCU’s academic calendar:
- Feb. 15, 2021: George Washington Day (moved to Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021)
- Oct. 11, 2021: Columbus Day(moved to Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021)
- Nov. 11, 2021: Veterans Day (moved to Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021)
For 2021, the Governor has granted additional holiday leave:
- Four (4) hours on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021 – day before Thanksgiving
- Eight (8) hours on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021 – day before Christmas Eve
2020 paydays and holidays
View the 2020 payday and holiday calendar (PDF). Plan ahead and mark these dates on your calendar for when the university closes to observe holidays. 12-month faculty, classified staff and university and academic professionals observe the holiday schedule below. Nine-month faculty observe the same holidays as students; they do not accrue holiday time. VCU’s holiday schedule includes any additional holiday time granted by the Governor.
2020 holidays
- New Year’s Day
Jan. 1, 2020
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 20, 2020
- Memorial Day
May 25, 2020
- Independence Day
July 3, 2020
- Juneteenth
June 19, 2020
- Labor Day
Sept. 7, 2020
- Election Day
Nov. 3, 2020
- Thanksgiving observance*
Nov. 25, 2020 (4 hours leave granted*)
- Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 26, 2020
- Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 27, 2020
- Winter closing
Dec. 21, 2020 through Jan. 1, 2021
2020 winter break and additional leave
The 2020 winter break runs December 21 - January 1, 2021 and requires that faculty and staff take three days (24 hours) of leave to cover the time away from work. For 2020, the Governor has again granted additional holiday leave:
- Four (4) hours on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020 – day before Thanksgiving
- Eight (8) hours on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 – Christmas Eve
- Please note that Friday, Dec. 25, 2020 is a state holiday (Christmas Day observed) and is a part of VCU’s 2020 winter closing
Following past practice, we moved four state holidays to the 2020 winter closing as VCU remains open on these days:
- Jan. 17: Lee-Jackson Day (moved to Monday, Dec. 21)
- Feb. 17: George Washington Day (moved to Thursday, Dec. 22)
- Oct. 12: Columbus Day (moved to Friday, Dec. 23)
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day (moved to Monday, Dec. 28)
2020 required employee leave
Employees will be required to use leave for:
- Tuesday, Dec. 29
- Wednesday, Dec. 30
- Thursday, Dec. 31
View the 2019 payday and holiday calendar (PDF) 2-month faculty, classified staff and university and academic professionals observe the holiday schedule below. Nine-month faculty observe the same holidays as students; they do not accrue holiday time. VCU’s holiday schedule includes any additional holiday time granted by the Governor.
2019 Holidays
- New Year’s Day
Jan. 1, 2019 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 21, 2019 - Memorial Day
May 27, 2019 - Independence Day
July 4, 2019 - Day after Independence Day
July 5, 2019 - Labor Day
Sept. 2, 2019 - Thanksgiving observance*
Nov. 27, 2019 (4 hours leave granted*) - Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 28, 2019 - Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 29, 2019 - Winter closing
Dec. 23, 2019 through Jan. 3, 2020
The 2019-20 winter break runs December 23- January 3, 2020 and requires that faculty and staff take three days (24 hours) of leave to cover the time away from work. This calendar is subject to revisions. For 2019 the Governor has again granted additional holiday leave as follows:
- Four (4) hours on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019 (the day before Thanksgiving)
Please note that Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2019 is a state holiday (Christmas Day observed) and now part of VCU’s 2019 winter closing. Following past practice, we moved four state holidays to the 2019 winter closing as VCU remains open on these days:
- Jan. 18: Lee-Jackson Day (moved to Monday, Dec. 23)
- Feb. 18: George Washington Day (moved to Thursday, Dec. 26)
- Oct. 14: Columbus Day (moved to Friday, Dec. 27)
- Nov. 11: Veterans Day (moved to Monday, Dec. 30)
*Additional time off is granted by the Governor for eligible employees. When additional time off is only four (4) hours, employees must use four (4) hours of appropriate eligible leave if they wish to take the entire day off.
View the 2018 payday and holiday calendar (PDF). Twelve-month faculty and classified staff observe the holiday schedule below. Nine-month faculty observe the same holidays as students; they do not accrue holiday time. VCU’s holiday schedule includes any additional holiday time granted by the Governor.
2018 Holidays
- New Year’s Day
Jan. 1, 2018 - Additional leave granted
Jan. 2, 2018 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan. 15, 2018 - Memorial Day
May 28, 2018 - Independence Day
July 4, 2018 - Labor Day
Sept. 3, 2018 - Thanksgiving observance
Nov. 21 (4 hours leave granted*), Nov. 22 and 23, 2018 - Winter closing
Dec. 21, 2018 through Jan. 1, 2019
The 2018-19 winter break runs December 21- January 1, 2019 and does not require that faculty and staff take leave to cover the time away from work. This calendar is subject to revisions. For 2018 the Governor has again granted additional holiday leave as follows:
- 4 hours on Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018 (the day before Thanksgiving)
- 8 hours on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018
- 8 hours on Monday, Dec. 31, 2018
Please note that Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018 is a state holiday (Christmas Day observed) and now part of VCU’s 2018 winter closing. Following past practice, we moved four state holidays to the 2018 winter closing as VCU remains open on these days:
- Jan. 12: Lee-Jackson Day (moved to Friday, Dec. 21)
- Feb. 19: George Washington Day (moved to Wednesday, Dec. 26)
- Oct. 8: Columbus Day (moved to Thursday, Dec. 27)
- Nov. 12: Veterans Day (moved to Friday, Dec. 28)
*Additional time off is granted by the Governor for eligible employees. When additional time off is only 4 hours, employees must use 4 hours of appropriate eligible leave if they wish to take the entire day off.