Employee Benefits

Pay & Holidays

Each year, full-time state employees receive twelve (12) holidays off with pay.

Insurance

There are a variety of insurance options available to state employees including:

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • The Tennessee Plan (Supplemental Medical Insurance for Retirees with Medicare)
  • Pharmacy Benefits
  • Vision Insurance
  • Disability Insurance (long term and short term)

Information on all benefits is available on the Benefits Administration website.

Annual Leave

Full-time employees earn annual leave annually based on years of service outlined in the chart below. Annual leave is available to employees within their first month of employment and each service anniversary month after.

Years of Service

Annual Leave Earned Annually

Maximum Allowable days

0 up to 5

12 days

30 days

5 up to 10

18 days

36 days

10 up to 20

21 days

39 days

20 or more

24 days

42 days

* Leave earned in excess of the maximum allowable days will be transferred to the employee's sick leave account annually on the employee's anniversary hire date.

Sick Leave

Eligible employee's sick leave is accrued by an employee at the rate of twelve (12) days per year. Sick leave is available within an employee's first month of hire and in each service anniversary month after.

Bereavement Leave

Leave with pay is granted for three days in the event of the death of an employee's spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild, parents, grandparents, siblings, stepparents, foster parents, or parents-in-law without charge to the employee's leave time. Two additional days of sick leave may be granted to provide a total of five days of absence for this purpose.

Family Medical Leave

Allows up to twelve work weeks of leave* each year to eligible employees for certain family and medical reasons. Continued health insurance coverage is provided during the leave period, and the employee is reinstated to the same or an equivalent position once the leave period has ended.

* Leave may or may not be paid leave, depending on the individual employee's leave balances for earned leave.

Paid Parental Leave

Paid parental leave is an absence from work granted to any employee for the employee's birth or placement of a child for adoption. Employed must be in state service for at least 12 consecutive months as a full-time employee. Paid parental leave is up to six (6) work weeks and a combination of sick, annual, or special leave without pay. Parental leave is not to exceed four months following the employee's birth or placement of a child for adoption.

Military Leave

Military leave is granted following applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.

Retirement

RetireReadyTN is the state’s retirement program, combining the strengths of:

  • One of the nation's strongest defined benefit plans, provided by the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS)
  • A 401(k) plan through services provided by Empower Retirement
  • Retirement readiness education

As a state employee in Tennessee, you have unique retirement plan options available to you, including an additional savings opportunity through a 457 deferred compensation plan. 

To learn more, visit Retire Ready TN for state employees.

Flexible Benefits Plan

Under this program, specific expenses (e.g., medical and dental insurance premiums, medical expenses, and dependent daycare expenses) can be deducted from an employee's paycheck before taxes, resulting in a lower taxable income level.

Higher Education Fee Waivers Discounts

A 25% discount on undergraduate tuition at any state-operated institution of higher learning in Tennessee is available to children 23 years of age or under of full-time state employees. In addition, full-time state employees with six months of continuous service are eligible to have tuition fees waived for one course per semester at a state institution.

TNStars® College Savings 529 Program

The TNStars® College Savings 529 Program was created to provide families with an affordable and accessible way to save and invest for the costs associated with higher education.  Nationally ranked for investment performance, TNStars® is designed to give families high-quality investment options at a low cost to help them put aside money for future college expenses. TNStars® offers one age-based option and 14 static investment options with annual asset-based fees ranging from 0-35 basis points.

ABLE TN

ABLE TN is a savings program designed to help individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities put aside money to pay for qualified disability expenses. These accounts provide an opportunity to save and invest with tax-free earnings to help participants maintain independence and quality of life. The Tennessee Treasury Department administers ABLETN under State Treasurer David H. Lillard, Jr. For information regarding program eligibility, features and benefit, visit ABLETN.gov.

Wellness Program

The State Employee Wellness Program works to increase employees´ knowledge of options for healthier lifestyles through information and events that focus on improving behaviors affecting your health. Some specific benefits offered through the program include health risk assessments, fitness events, smoking cessation programs, and various other benefits.

Emotional Wellbeing Solutions (EWS)

Formerly called the Employee Assistance Program

Emotional Wellbeing Solutions (formerly called the Employee Assistance Program) is a confidential counseling and referral service for all employees and their dependents. All services are strictly confidential and can be accessed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Visit https://www.tn.gov/partnersforhealth/other-benefits/eap.html to learn more.

State Employee Discount Program

All current and/or retired state employees are eligible to participate in the State Employee Discount Program. To learn more, visit TeamTN.