Carnegie Mellon University
Human Resources  ›  Benefits and Pay  ›  Time Away from Work  ›  Winter Break

Winter Break

Winter Break provides the campus community with additional time off during the winter holidays. Carnegie Mellon University is closed during Winter Break, and non-essential personnel should not report to work. In 2025, Winter Break will occur on Dec. 26, 29 and 30. Coupled with the official Christmas and New Year holidays and Community Appreciation Day, this means that Carnegie Mellon University will be closed from Dec. 24, 2025, through Jan. 2, 2026.

  • Full-time staff members (including TES employees) will be paid for the Winter Break days as if they had reported to work.
  • Part-time staff members should work with their managers to make up the missed work hours during the weeks preceding or following the Winter Break days, if possible. Because they are not eligible for holiday pay or PTO, part-time nonexempt benefits-eligible staff members will receive a payment of $300.
  • Staff members on leave are not eligible for Winter Break days.
  • Essential employees who work on any of the Winter Break days will be given an equal number of paid days off to take in the new year. These days off must be scheduled in advance, submitted through Workday, and are subject to supervisor approval. Individual departments will determine which employees are essential and must report to work during the Winter Break.
  • Members of the Carnegie Mellon Campus Police Association and Local 95 are expected to report to work as scheduled. Union workers who work on any of the Winter Break days will be given an equal number of paid days off to take in the new year.
  • Members of Teamsters Local 249 affiliated with International Brotherhood of Teamsters are not expected to report during Winter Break and will be paid for these days off if they had been normally scheduled to work on them. There will be no shuttle or escort services on the Winter Break days.

Record hours for the Winter Break day you worked:

  1. Log in to Workday with your Andrew ID and password.
  2. From the Workday homepage, click Menu > Time Off.
  3. In the Request section, click Manage Absence.
  4. From the Manage Absence calendar, navigate to December using the arrows and select the Winter Break day you worked.
  5. Click 1 Day – Request Absence.
  6. On the Request Absence screen, under Type of Absence, select Winter Removal.
  7. In the Hours field, enter the appropriate number of hours.
  8. Click Submit Request.

Schedule your replacement day off for the next calendar year:

  1. Log in to Workday with your Andrew ID and password.
  2. From the Workday homepage, click Menu > Time Off.
  3. In the Request section, click Manage Absence.
  4. From the Manage Absence calendar, select the day you would like to take off in the next calendar year.
  5. Click 1 Day – Request Absence.
  6. On the Request Absence screen, under Type of Absence, select Winter Replacement.
  7. In the Hours field, enter the appropriate number of hours.
  8. Click Submit Request.