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Working at Cornell

Credited & Continuous service

Cornell credited service is defined as an employee’s length of non-student benefits-eligible employment at the University. It is used to determine vacation accrual rates, employee service award recognition, and Cornell retirement eligibility.  

Credited Service

Calculation

An employee’s credited service date reflects the cumulative amount of time holding a non-student benefits-eligible appointment at the university regardless of the length of any break(s) in service. For many employees the credited service date is the same as their hire date. Only employees who have had a break in service from the University or held a non-benefits eligible position would potentially have a different date. Students who transfer to non-student positions will also have a credited service date that is different from their hire date.

Credited service adds together service including:

  • Non-student benefits-eligible service, including but not limited to
    • approved medical leave i.e. workers comp, short term disability or long term disability,
    • paid or unpaid military leave,
    • short term layoff status,
    • paid or unpaid personal leave of absence, and
    • paid or unpaid family leave for staff.
  • Time spent in a non-benefits eligible temporary appointment if the employee moves to a benefits-eligible appointment with no break in service; i.e. credited service will include service from the beginning of the non-benefits eligible temporary appointment.

Credited service does not include:

  • student employment,
  • casual appointments,
  • time on indefinite layoff status,
  • University Leave of Absence,
  • time during a break in service, or
  • temporary non-benefits eligible positions (see exception above)

Requesting a Review

If you believe your credited service is incorrect, begin by contacting your college or unit Human Resources representative to discuss your circumstances and determine if your date may need further review. If further review is appropriate, the HR representative will request a comprehensive review of your record to determine your credited service date.

Continuous service

Continuous service (as applied outside of Workday) is defined as uninterrupted time holding a regular or temporary benefits-eligible appointment. Regular or temporary benefits-eligible appointments are outlined under credited service above.

Continuous service is used to determine an employee’s eligibility to use vacation, layoff status, vacation payout and severance pay.