UC Davis Salary Program for Policy-Covered Staff

2026 Salary Program Highlights

• 4% general salary increase
• Applies to policy-covered (non-represented) staff.
• Effective Dates:
  • Bi-weekly: June 21, 2026
  • Monthly: July 1, 2026
• Requires a completed 2025-26 performance appraisal with a rating of Fully Achieved Expectations or better.

Overview

In 2026, UC Davis is providing a 4% general salary increase for eligible policy-covered (non-represented) staff in recognition of their contributions to UC Davis and UC Davis Health.

Effective Dates and Pay Timing

Eligible staff will receive a 4% increase to their base salary effective:

• Bi-weekly paid employees: 
  • Effective: June 21, 2026 
  • Pay date: TBD
• Monthly paid employees: 
  • Effective: July 1, 2026 
  • Pay date: TBD

Eligibility for 2026 Salary Increase

Career and Partial Year Career Employees

Eligible employees include:

• Professional and Support Staff (PSS) or Manager and Senior Professional (MSP).
• Employees hired on or before Dec. 31, 2025.
• Employees on active pay status or on approved leave when pay is issued.

Performance Appraisal Requirement

Employees must:

• Have a completed 2025-26 performance appraisal.
• Receive a rating of “Fully Achieved Expectations” or better.

Important timing information:

• Performance appraisals are now past due. 
• Salary increases for employees whose appraisals are completed late may be delayed, but will be applied retroactively.

Supervisor responsibilities:

• Review the Performance WorkCenter in UCPath to confirm completion of employee appraisals.
• Ensure employees acknowledge their appraisal in UCPath. An appraisal is not considered complete until acknowledged.
• Meet with employees to review their performance appraisal. 

Acknowledgement exceptions:

• Supervisors may override acknowledgement if the employee is unavailable.
• Should be done:
  • In consultation with the employee.
  • With guidance from Employee and Labor Relations, if needed.

Probationary Employees

Employees in a probationary period are eligible when they have:

• Successfully completed their probationary period by June 30, 2026.
• A completed Probation Final Evaluation in ePerformance.

Interlocation Transfers (from another UC location)

Employees transferring from another UC location to UC Davis must:

• Be hired in a staff, career or partial year career position with UC by December 31, 2025.
• Be appointed in a policy-covered position by April 30, 2026.
• Have a probation end date on or before June 30, 2026
• Transfer to UC Davis with no break in service by:
  • Bi-weekly: June 21, 2026
  • Monthly: July 1, 2026

Internal Transfers (represented to policy-covered)

Employees transferring internally (within UC Davis) to a policy-covered position must:

• Be hired in a staff, career or partial year career position with UC by December 31, 2025.
• Be appointed in a policy-covered position by April 30, 2026.
• Have probation completed by June 30, 2026.

Employees on Leave of Absence

• Eligible employees on approved leave will receive their increase upon return to active status.
• Increase will be retroactive to the effective date.

SB 525 and 4% Salary Increase Application

Eligible policy-covered employees will receive at least a 4% increase through Senate Bill (SB) 525 and/or the general salary increase. 

Employees who did not receive an increase (or received less than 4%) through the SB 525 July implementation will receive the balance through this year's general salary increase.

Lump Sum Payments (Employees at Range Maximum)

Per PPSM 30: "An individual salary shall be within the salary range that is assigned to the position." 

• Employees at or near the range maximum:
  • Will receive increases up to the range maximum. 
  • Will be paid a lump sum for any amount above the maximum. 
• Lump sum payments do not increase base salary.
• Lump sum payments are not applicable to employees formally designated as red-circled.

Ineligible Employees

The following are not eligible for this salary program:

• Represented employees covered by union agreements, including job titles that have been accreted into bargaining units or recently organized by unions.
• Contract, Floater, Per Diem and Limited Term employees.
• Employees with a rating below “Fully Achieved Expectations” on their most recent performance evaluation.

• What increase will accreted or newly unionized employees receive?
• Employees in formally accreted job titles are excluded from this program. Compensation for these employees is determined through collective bargaining agreements. Find salary effective dates here.
• Why are represented employees not included?
• Compensation for represented employees is governed by union contracts negotiated through collective bargaining.
• Why is a performance review required?
• A completed performance appraisal ensures that employees meet performance expectations and have opportunities for feedback, goal-setting and career development conversations.
• What if a performance appraisal was not completed by June 12, 2026?
• Salary increases cannot be applied until the appraisal is completed.
  
  Once completed, increases are typically processed within two months, and payment will be retroactive. 
  
  Supervisors should notify leadership if they anticipate delays.
• I've heard there is an "optional up to 2% equity pool" in addition to the 4% general salary increase.  How is this being applied at UC Davis? 
• You may have seen references in Systemwide HR communications to an optional equity increase of up to 2.0% for eligible staff. At UC Davis, this will be operationalized through the Annual Compensation Review Program, which typically launches in early fall each year. Any additional increases awarded through this program are planned to go into effect in January 2027.

Questions

For additional information, please contact: