Time Off and Leave | Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs

Time Off & Leave Benefits

GW offers a variety of paid time off and leave programs to support our postdoctoral fellows' need for time away from work. Below is a summary of the various time off and leave programs available. Please note that not all leave types are available to all postdoctoral fellows.

Postdoc Time off & Leave Guide

Holidays and Days Off

Holidays

Postdoctoral fellows follow the University Holiday Schedule and receive all days off as regular employees.

Spring Break Days

Beginning in 2027, the Thursday and Friday of GW’s academic Spring Break will be paid days off for postdoctoral fellows. Please see the university’s Academic Calendar for the specific dates each year, and the postdoc leave guides for additional information.

Early Dismissal

The university will provide dismissal three hours early to postdoctoral fellows before their regularly scheduled dismissal time on the scheduled workday before the Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, and Thanksgiving holidays, as observed.

Requesting Leave and Time Off

Time Off Requests

All postdoc associates use the University's Time Reporting System (TRS) to request and manage vacation, sick, bereavement, jury and witness duty, and time off.

Requests are subject to approval by the postdoc’s Principal Investigator.

If you have questions about your accrual balances or using the TRS, you can send an email to timeoffgwu [dot] edu (timeoff[at]gwu[dot]edu).

Postdoc scholars utilize TRS for general tracking of time off only.

Leaves of Absence Requests

GW supports postdoctoral fellows' ability to balance your work and home life through several leave of absence options. Leave options available to postdoctoral scholars may vary based upon funder guidelines. Please see Scholar Time off and Leave Guide for more information on leave available to scholars.

Summaries of each leave and how to apply are described below.

Time Reporting System (TRS) Login

TRS Login Resources about TRS

If you have questions about your accrual balances or using the TRS, email to timeoffgwu [dot] edu (timeoff[at]gwu[dot]edu).