Hey there! If you‘re working (or planning to work) at Home Depot, you‘re probably curious about their vacation policy. How many vacation days can you take? Do unused days roll over? What are the rules around getting paid for unused vacation time? I‘ve done the research so you don‘t have to!
In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know about Home Depot‘s current vacation policy and practices. I‘ll cover:
- Vacation time allowances for full-time and part-time employees
- How vacation accrues based on hours worked
- Their policies around carrying over and paying out unused time
- Rules managers can enforce around vacations
- How Home Depot‘s vacation compares to competitors like Lowe‘s and Walmart
Let‘s get started!
Vacation Time Allowances at Home Depot
The number of vacation days you can earn at Home Depot depends on whether you are a full-time or part-time employee.
Full-Time Employees
If you work full-time (at least 35 hours per week), here is how your vacation allowance stacks up:
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0-4 years: You earn 2 weeks (10 days) of paid vacation per year.
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5-19 years: Your allowance increases to 3 weeks (15 days) of paid vacation.
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20+ years: Full-timers with over 20 years of service get 4 weeks (20 days) of vacation.
The maximum vacation allowance for full-time Home Depot employees is 4 weeks per year.
Part-Time Employees
For part-time workers (under 35 hours per week), vacation allowances are based on hours worked instead of years of service. Here‘s the breakdown:
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For every 1,000 hours worked, you earn 20 hours of paid vacation time.
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The maximum vacation allowance for part-timers is 60 hours (about 1.5 weeks) per year.
So a part-timer working 20 hours per week would need to work 50 weeks, or about 1 year, to earn 1 week of vacation.
In addition to vacation days, all Home Depot employees receive 7 paid holidays per year:
- New Year‘s Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
- 1 Personal Holiday of your choice
Now let‘s look at how vacation time accumulates…
How Vacation Time Accumulates at Home Depot
Vacation time accumulates based on hours worked. Here‘s a more detailed breakdown:
Full-Time Vacation Accrual Rates
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You earn 0.01923 hours of vacation for every eligible hour worked.
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At 40 hours per week, it takes about 43 weeks, or 10.5 months, to earn 80 hours (2 weeks) of vacation.
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Vacation accrues each pay period and is available for use after 90 days of employment.
Part-Time Vacation Accrual Rates
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You earn 0.0192 hours of vacation for every eligible hour worked.
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At 20 hours per week, it takes 52 weeks, or 1 year, to earn 40 hours (1 week) of vacation.
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Vacation also accrues each pay period and can be used after 90 days of employment.
You can check your current vacation balance anytime on Home Depot‘s employee portal. Managers can also view vacation balances when approving time off requests.
Tip: Keep an eye on your balance as it increases so you know when you have enough time to request a vacation.
Paying Out Unused Vacation Time
What happens to leftover vacation time if you leave Home Depot? Whether unused vacation gets paid out depends on state law:
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In some states, like California and Massachusetts, unused vacation is considered earned wages and must be paid out.
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In other states, paying out vacation is up to the employer‘s discretion.
Here are Home Depot‘s policies around paying out vacation:
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They do pay out unused vacation to terminated employees in states requiring payout by law, such as California.
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In states without laws mandating payouts, Home Depot generally does not pay out unused vacation.
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However, they make a few exceptions, such as paying out vacation to retirees or employees who pass away.
According to a 2021 report, the average unused vacation payout was $504 per employee, down from $572 the prior year.
Pro Tip: If you want to get paid for leftover vacation, use your days before leaving Home Depot!
Carrying Over Unused Vacation Time
In most cases, you lose any unused vacation time at the end of the year or upon leaving Home Depot. Leftover hours do not roll over into the next year.
The only exception is in states requiring carryover by law, such as California.
However, Home Depot does allow you to "pre-load" some vacation hours for use in the next year:
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Full-timers can pre-load up to 40 hours.
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Part-timers can pre-load up to 20 hours.
For example, if you have 30 unused hours at year-end, you could pre-load 40 hours to use starting January 1. The remaining 30 hours would be forfeited.
Pro Tip: Use your vacation days before losing them! Pre-load the max hours allowed for the next year.
Can Home Depot Force You to Take Vacation?
Yes, Home Depot managers can legally require you to take vacation, even if you don‘t want to.
Store managers approve or deny time off requests based on business needs. During busy seasons like spring and the holidays, they may restrict vacations.
Managers can also force vacation if you have excessive unused time accrued. Per company policy, if you exceed 1.5 times your annual earning rate (like 6 weeks for full-timers), your manager can make you take time off.
Heads up: Use your vacation so you don‘t lose it and get forced to take days!
How Home Depot‘s Vacation Compares
Now that we‘ve gone over Home Depot‘s policies, how does their vacation stack up against competitors like Lowe‘s and Walmart?
Lowe‘s: Lowe‘s vacation policy is nearly identical to Home Depot‘s. Key similarities include:
- 2 weeks vacation after 1 year for full-timers
- Maximum 4 weeks vacation
- Part-time vacation based on hours worked
- Vacation payout dependent on state laws
Walmart: Walmart offers less time off than Home Depot:
- Full-timers get 1 week of vacation for 1-9 years of service
- Maximum 2 weeks vacation after 25 years
- Part-timers must work over 1 year to earn vacation
The Verdict: Home Depot offers strong vacation benefits comparable to Lowe‘s, and more generous than Walmart. Their maximum 4 weeks of vacation is 20% higher than Walmart‘s.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key points to remember about Home Depot‘s vacation policy:
- Full-timers can earn up to 4 weeks of annual vacation
- Part-timers earn vacation through hours worked
- Make sure to use (or pre-load) unused days before losing them
- Managers can force vacation for excessive balances
- Home Depot provides better vacation than Walmart and similar to Lowe‘s
The bottom line? Home Depot offers a solid paid vacation plan for retail workers. Now that you understand their policies, go enjoy some well-deserved time off! Let me know if you have any other Home Depot policy questions.
