Mary, congratulations! I know how much I love not having to answer to a job or alarm clock!
Best wishes for your retirement!

I pretty much did the same thing, Mary! And I absolutely loved my job! I'm sure it will go faster than you realize...

Mary, do you have any holidays owing to you?

Ah, Nicki, here is one of my problems: I have not used any of my 3 weeks vacation earned for LAST year (our fiscal year ends 8/31). I sure would like to know if I can get paid out for that time, since there is no way I can take that much time off before the end of the year, but if I ask the question, then I let the cat out of the bag, earlier than I anticipated. And that's only vacation days, not holidays!

I'd like to say they have to give it to you plus what you've earned/accrued for this year, but I don't know it that's true. I know my company would do that though. (I should say, the company that I work for.)

Ask when you give your notice and if they say no, change your month down to one week!

That's what I was thinking: ask if I can get paid for my vacation. I think it won't be a problem, but then you never know.

Mary, I was thinking along the lines of

lets say they owe you 3 weeks holidays

you could give them the 1 months notice
7 weeks before you want to leave, work for 4 of those weeks then leave 3 weeks early with pay

if you get my drift

Mary, isn't there a manual of procedures that talks about vacation time, whether it has to be taken or can be sold back to the company?

I elected to get paid for the weeks I had left when I retired. The corporation I worked wouldn't pay me for the other individual days I was allowed, so I worked up to a point then used all the individual days, went back on a Friday, signed my papers and said bye. It was nice getting that bit of extra money for the weeks of vacation.

...What they said. If you can't get paid for all that vacation time, use it. One of my teacher friends took every Friday off for a year and used his. Was great for me because I was a sub and knew that every Friday I had a job. Wheeee.

When I retired, we got day for day credit for all unused sick time so I didn't have to worry.

It's your money (time) so hope you can find a way to use it.

You are going to LOVE retirement!

You all have to remember that I work for a Church, my boss is the Pastor: no manuals, no contracts, not much of anything in writing. I guess as long as all of us do our jobs and don't take advantage of the situation, there's no reason to have a written policy. That's what makes this situation so uncertain for me.

It is for all the reasons you stated that I said to give as much as much notice as possible. If you have been there 26 years, I am sure you have a good rapport with them and giving them some time to find a replacement and have you train them would be a nice thing.

Ana

Ana,
I would give more notice, except I really want to work until the end of the year, and I'm afraid if I give two months notice and they find someone quickly, they wouldn't need two of us trying to do the same job for that period of time and I would feel obliged to leave early.