Here are the details on this year’s paid Winter Recess period.
For university staff
Winter Recess for eligible university staff will run from Dec. 26–31 with Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 as paid university holidays. The below-listed Winter Recess hours will be visible in Workday and Kronos on or before Dec. 15. If your area uses a different timekeeping system, please contact your HR Partner or Payroll representative for unit-specific guidance.
- 37.5-hour workweek = 30 hours of Winter Recess
- 40-hour workweek = 32 hours of Winter Recess
To prepare:
- Please work with your manager for approval of your holiday time off. If you need to work during part or all of Winter Recess, you may use your Winter Recess hours as late as Dec. 1, 2026.
- When entering time off, request Winter Recess for Dec. 26–31. Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1 do not need to be entered as time off because they are paid university holidays.
- As a refresher regarding eligibility for the Winter Recess period, per the Paid Winter Recess Policy, eligible employees include all USC staff except those who, as part of our commitment to our patients, spend a majority of their time providing patient care – this is constituted by a cost funding allocation of 50% or more from clinical accounts (e.g., CHLA medical group, USC Care medical group) and who will be working during this period/time. Resource employees, per diem employees, faculty, and those claiming student status (including teaching and research assistants) are also not eligible for these hours.
For Keck Medicine of USC employees
This year, eligible Keck Medicine of USC employees will receive up to 24 Winter Recess hours under their policy, or any applicable bargaining agreement, and they will be added to their time-off banks in Kronos on Dec. 15. Please note, providers employed by the Keck School of Medicine of USC will follow the 2025 Winter Recess Period timeline for university staff employees. For providers who are not employed by the Keck School of Medicine, they will adhere to Keck Medicine’s 24 Winter Recess hours policy.
In addition to these hours, Dec. 25, 2025 and Jan. 1, 2026 are university holidays in recognition of this important time of year.
Please be reminded that any existing winter recess hours that were loaded in 2024 will expire prior to the new hours being loaded and will be unavailable for use. To check the status of your winter recess hours, please log into Kronos. For questions, please contact Keck Medicine’s HR Business Center at KM-HRBC@med.usc.edu, or by calling 323-865-4722.