Federal Employee Sick Leave Conversion Chart

Under the CSRS system employees receive credit towards retirement for unused sick leave. It isn't uncommon for a federal employee with 30 or more years service to accrued in excess of one year, 2087 hours, of sick leave. If you have 2087 hours at the time you retire your annuity increases by 2% of your average high three salary and You will receive credit for each whole month of accumulated sick leave that you have on the books when you retire.

Table of Converting Unused Sick Leave Into Additional Service
Months	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
Days 0 1 2 3 4 5	0 6 12 17 23 29	174 180 186 191 197 203	348 354 360 365 371 377	522 528 533 539 545 551	696 702 707 713 719 725	870 875 881 887 893 899	1044 1049 1055 1061 1067 1073	1217 1223 1229 1235 1241 1246	1391 1397 1403 1409 1415 1420	1565 1571 1577 1583 1589 1594	1739 1745 1751 1757 1762 1768	1913 1919 1925 1931 1936 1942
6 7 8 9 10	35 41 46 52 58	209 215 220 226 232	383 388 394 400 406	557 562 568 574 580	731 736 742 748 754	904 910 916 922 928	1078 1084 1090 1096 1102	1252 1258 1264 1270 1275	1426 1432 1438 1444 1449	1600 1606 1612 1618 1623	1774 1780 1786 1791 1797	1948 1954 1960 1965 1971
11 12 13 14 15	64 70 75 81 87	238 244 249 255 261	412 417 423 429 435	586 591 597 603 609	760 765 771 777 783	933 939 945 951 957	1107 1113 1119 1125 1131	1281 1287 1293 1299 1304	1455 1461 1467 1473 1478	1629 1635 1641 1646 1652	1803 1809 1815 1820 1826	1977 1983 1989 1994 2000
16 17 18 19 20	93 99 104 110 116	267 273 278 284 290	441 446 452 458 464	615 620 626 632 638	789 794 800 806 812	962 968 974 980 986	1136 1142 1148 1154 1160	1310 1316 1322 1328 1333	1484 1490 1496 1502 1507	1658 1664 1670 1675 1681	1832 1838 1844 1849 1855	2006 2012 2018 2023 2029
21 22 23 24 25	122 128 133 139 146	296 302 307 313 319	470 475 481 487 493	644 649 655 661 667	817 823 829 835 841	991 997 1003 1009 1015	1165 1171 1177 1183 1189	1339 1345 1351 1357 1362	1513 1519 1525 1531 1536	1687 1693 1699 1704 1710	1861 1867 1873 1878 1884	2035 2041 2047 2052 2058
26 27 28 29	151 157 162 168	325 331 336 342	499 504 510 516	673 678 684 690	846 852 858 864	1020 1026 1032 1038	1194 1200 1206 1212	1368 1374 1380 1386	1542 1548 1554 1560	1716 1722 1728 1733	1890 1896 1902 1907	2064 2070 2075 2081

How to Use This Table-Find the number in the table closest to the number of hours of your unused sick leave. Obtain this figure from your most recent pay stub and then add any additional hours that you will accrue up to your retirement date. Federal employees earn 4 hours of sick leave each pay period, every two weeks. In the horizontal column you will find the number of months and in the vertical column the remaining number of days. For example: 441 hours equals 2 months and 16 days. Another example: 1452 hours equals 8 months and 11 days. (If the number of hours falls between two figures shown on the table, use the next higher figure.) See the following explanation.

Credit for Unused Sick Leave

As an employee under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), if you (1) retire on an immediate annuity or (2) die leaving a widow, widower, or former spouse entitled to a survivor annuity, your service will be increased by the days of unused sick leave to your credit under a formal leave system. The days of unused sick leave that are added are used only in counting your number of years and months of service for annuity computation purposes. The sick leave cannot be used in computing your "high-3" average salary or for meeting the minimum length of service for retirement eligibility.

In general, if your leave system charges 8 hours of sick leave for I day's absence, 8 hours of unused sick leave constitutes I day of credit. Days are converted to months and years on the basis of a 2087 hour work year. To compute the additional credit for sick leave at retirement, add the months and days of sick leave to the months and days of actual service.

For example:

Actual service
*Sick leave at retirement:
Total credit:

30 years, 4 months, 16 days
4 months, 24 days
30 years, 9 months, 10 days

Only years and full months of service are used in the annuity computation. Odd days are dropped. In the example, the 10 days would be dropped. You can use the conversion table to find the additional service time credit provided by unused sick leave. If your regular tour of duty is other than an average of 8 hours per day, you cannot use this table; you should check with your personnel or payroll office on how to convert unused sick leave into additional service.

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*Using the table, 835 hours of sick leave converts to 4 months and 24 days of credit.

Credits: Excerpted from OPM's Retirement Fact Sheet #8

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