Leave & Time Off

All Federal Holidays, Family Days, Chargeable & Non-Chargeable Leave, Hospitalization, or Quarters for being sick are paid working days!

Each member will accrue 2.5 days of chargeable leave a month, equating to 30 days of paid leave a year. The use of leave is essential to the morale and motivation of members and for maintaining maximum effectiveness. Long respites from the work environment tend to have a beneficial effect on an individual’s psychological and physical status. All members should have the opportunity to take at least one leave period of 14 consecutive days or more every fiscal year and are encouraged to use all 30 days each year. 


FY20 Federal Holidays


FY 2020 Family Days

2020 Air Education & Training Command (AETC) Family Days:

Chargable Leave

Chargeable leave: This is ordinary or annual leave that counts against the 30 days of leave each member is entitled to annually. 

Ordinary Leave/Annual Leave: Members take leave for a variety of reasons, for example (travel to visit family & friends, vacation, family emergency, traveling to and from their duty station, or in conjunction with holidays. 

Emergency leave is chargeable leave granted for personal or family emergencies involving the immediate family (e.g. family member is terminally ill, death of an immediate family member, a family member has a life-threatening injury/hospitalization ect.)

En Route Leave. En route leave is ordinary leave members use in connection with PCS, including to their first PCS upon completion of technical training 

Terminal Leave. Terminal leave is chargeable leave taken in conjunction with retirement or separation from active duty. Member’s last day of leave coincides with the last day of active duty.


Non-Chargeable Leave

Non-chargeable leave. The following types of leave are not chargeable toward the member’s annual leave balance: 

Hospitalized or Placed on Quarters. If a member on leave requires hospitalization or quarters status, do not charge leave while hospitalized or on quarters. The time allowed for PCS or TDY travel is not chargeable leave when members take en-route leave. 

Permissive Temporary Duty (PTDY): an administrative absence under DoD Instruction 1327.06, Leave and Liberty Policy and Procedures, which funded TDY is not proper. PTDY is non-chargeable leave. (e.g., House-hunting when PCSing/separating/retiring, Securing a Job when separating, professional conferences..etc) Refer to AFI 36-3003 for a full list. 

Military Parental Leave Program 

The new policy applies to Total Force Airmen who are birth mothers and fathers, same-sex couples, and adoptive and surrogate parents. Maternity Convalescent leave is six weeks (42 days), primary caregiver leave is six weeks, and secondary caregiver leave is three weeks (21 days). Every birth mother will have convalescent leave. Caregiver leave is given in addition to the convalescent leave. Covered service members having a child by birth, adoption, or surrogacy will determine which parent is the primary and secondary caregiver. Designations for caregiver status should be made as early as possible and follow the Department of Defense guidance. Each parent can only hold one caregiver status per birth event or adoption; for example, a secondary cannot transfer their leave to the primary caregiver. All additional information and guidance can be found in AFI 36-3003. 

Convalescent Leave: Convalescent leave is an authorized absence normally for the minimal time essential to meet the medical needs for recuperation. The unit commander typically approves convalescent leave, to include any associated and cleared travel, up to 30 days based on the recommendations by either the MTF authority or the attending physician most familiar with the member’s medical condition.