What does it mean for you?
We're making an important change to how we manage annual leave to make the process simpler and more consistent for everyone. Starting 1 August 2026, all staff and postgraduate researchers (PGRs) will follow a single annual leave cycle that runs from 1 August to 31 July.
The amount of annual leave you are entitled to take will not change as a result of the new arrangements.
What's Changing and Why?
Having multiple leave cycles across the university has created unnecessary complexity for staff, managers, and administrative teams. This change will:
- Reduce administrative burden and create a more efficient system.
- Ensure better financial planning for the university by standardising how we manage leave and allow a clearer understanding of our financial liability.
- Help prepare us for HR Finance Transformation through standardising our approach.
Next steps
To prepare for the new annual leave cycle beginning 1 August 2026, your upcoming leave year will be prorated. This means your annual leave entitlement for this shorter period will be adjusted to reflect the change.
- If your leave year currently runs from October to September, your 2025/2026 leave year will be 10 months, from October 2025 to July 2026.
- If your leave year currently runs from January to December, your 2026 leave year will be 7 months, from January 2026 to July 2026.
This change will be automatically reflected in your Flexileave account when your current leave year ends.
We appreciate your cooperation as we make this important transition. We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions to provide more information. For any further queries, please speak with your line manager or contact hr-enquiries@york.ac.uk.