what happens if you quit with vacation time

Does your employer offer paid vacation? According to a 2015 report, more than 90% of full-time employees in the private sector enjoy paid vacation for their employees, but most companies  pay for certain vacation days. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

 Because employers are not obligated to provide vacations, people actually have a lot of legal time in making regulations about who is eligible, how vacations are accrued, when holiday can be used, etc. This article explains the rules that govern paid time off.

Which Employees Get Vacation—and How Much?

Because there is no law that requires employers to provide paid vacation, employers have the freedom to determine how much vacation to provide and to which employees. Employers may only offer a few days of paid leave per year or a few months. Typically, employers decide how many vacations to offer based on industry standards and employee expectations in the area and within that sector. 
 Employers are also free to offer vacations to some employees but not  others. For example, they are legally only allowed to book paid time off for full-time employees. And many do: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that while 91% of full-time employees in the private sector get paid leave, only 34% of part-timers do. 
 Employers cannot unlawfully discriminate  in determining who is entitled to vacation, meaning they cannot base paid leave decisions based on protected characteristics such as race or religion or disability. However, beyond this legal restriction,  employers are generally free to provide as much or as little vacation as they see fit and to set eligibility rules right to their business. surname.

Vacation Accrual and Caps

Companies are also free to adopt a calendar to accrue vacations. For example, company policy may stipulate that an employee earns one  day off per month or a certain number of hours in each pay period. Some companies impose a waiting period before new employees can start accruing vacations. And some companies allow employees to accrue more vacation days as they become more senior in the company. For example, a company might allow employees to accrue three weeks of leave per year for their first five years, but allow employees who have passed the five-year mark to accrue four weeks per year. 
 It is also legal  to limit the number of vacations an employee can accrue, and many companies use this right to encourage employees to use their vacation  regularly. Once employees hit the limit set by the cap, they can't earn  more vacation  until they use it and drop below the limit.
In some states, it is illegal for employers to impose a 'use it or lose it' policy whereby employees give up accrued vacation  they have not used for a certain period of time ( e.g. here is at the end of the year). In these states, vacation  is considered a form of earned wages, which must be cashed  when the employee leaves or terminates a contract (as explained below). Therefore, a policy that prevents vacations is considered illegal wage theft. While the distinction may seem quite technical, these states often allow employers to limit vacation accruals, which prevents employees from accumulating more vacations, rather than eliminating vacations already accrued. accumulated. Some states specify what rates are acceptable, while others only allow a "reasonable" limit. For example, a limit equal to twice the annual accumulation might be considered reasonable. To find out the rules in your state, contact your state's  labor department.

Rules on Using Vacation

Companies are largely free to determine when employees can use vacations. For example, an employer might ban its employees from using their vacation during peak season. Employers can also set up notification rules that require employees to give  notice of leave (and many employers do, to avoid having too many workers  at once). Some employers require employees to plan their vacations  in advance. And employers are free to limit the number of vacations an employee can take at a time. 
 An employer may also impose a waiting period for the use of leave for new employees. For example, some employers do not allow employees to take vacations during the first three to six months of employment. Even if  employees accrue vacation during this time, they cannot use it until the elimination period has passed.