Å®Óźϼ¯ Holiday Closure and Timesheet Submission Deadlines
In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, employees should be aware of both holiday and winter closure dates. Further details on the Winter Closure, including the definitions of Hard and Soft Closure, are available on the benefits website.
Paid Holidays
Fall Break: Thursday, November 26 & Friday, November 27, 2026
Winter Holiday: Thursday, December 24 & Friday, December 25, 2026
New Year’s: Thursday, December 31, 2026 & Friday, January 1, 2027
Winter Closure
Hard Closure: December 28, 29, & 30, 2026
Soft Closure dates are set by each department and generally follow December 21, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Please inquire about soft closures with your leadership.
During the Winter Closure, four days are recognized as paid holidays: December 24 and 25, 2026, and December 31, 2026 and January 1, 2027. However, the Hard Closure days, December 28, 29, and 30 are not paid holidays. Employees are required to use any of the following for these three closure days: Annual Leave, Faculty Time Off, a Personal Holiday, or Leave without Pay. Similarly, employees observing the Soft Closure must also utilize Annual Leave, Faculty Time Off, a Personal Holiday, or Leave without Pay. Actual Soft Closure dates observed are determined by each department individually based on business needs.
During Hard Closure, certain departments must remain operational. Supervisors and unit leaders are advised to coordinate with their respective leadership — be it the president, chancellor, vice president, chief officer, provost, or vice chancellor — to ascertain the necessary staffing levels to sustain university functions.
For the pay period of December 13th through 26th, employees must submit their timesheets by 11:59am on December 21st, and supervisors must approve them before 7pm on December 22nd. This timesheet will be available for completion on November 29th, and it is advisable to complete these tasks in advance, so planning ahead is crucial. For units considering a partial or complete shutdown during Soft Closure days, it's essential to collaborate with the designated leadership contact for your unit and confirm that all time is submitted prior to the Soft Closure of your department to ensure that operational requirements are fulfilled.
After a department's business hours are established and communicated by the supervisor, employees are expected to discuss leave options and scheduling with their supervisor. It is important for employees to note that PERS and TRS retirement service credit for the year will be reduced and could impact retirement date eligibility if unpaid leave surpasses ten days within a calendar year.
For inquiries regarding Å®Óźϼ¯ Holidays, please reach out to your direct supervisor or contact the benefits team at (907) 450-8242, ua-benefits@alaska.edu, or schedule a one-on-one session.
Published on October 19, 2026, to benefit eligible employees 10/19/2026 & Å®Óźϼ¯ News 11/6/2026