July 2026 Merit Increases

A&P Faculty: A&P Faculty who were employed in a salaried position on or before April 25, 2026, and remain employed in a salaried position as of July 25, 2026, with no break in service and who hold a satisfactory performance rating.

Classified Employees: Classified employees who were employed in a salaried position as of April 25, 2026, and remain employed in a salaried position as of July 25, 2026, with no break in service and who received a rating of “Partially Successful” or above on their last performance evaluation, more recent interim evaluation, or probationary progress review.

Instructional Faculty: Instructional Faculty who were employed in a salaried position on or before April 25, 2026, and remain employed in a salaried position as of July 25, 2026, with no break in service and who hold a satisfactory performance rating.

Adjunct Faculty: Academic Affairs determined that adjunct faculty who were employed on or before April 25, 2026, who taught in Fall 2025 or Spring 2026, and who hold a satisfactory performance rating are eligible for the merit increase.

Please contact Academic Affairs if you have questions regarding adjunct faculty eligibility.

Wage Employees: Wage employees who were employed in a wage position on or before May 1, 2026, and remain employed in a wage position as of August 1, 2026, with no break in service.

A&P Faculty: Eligible A&P faculty will receive the 3.5% merit increase effective July 25, 2026.

Classified Employees: Eligible classified employees will receive the 3.5% merit increase effective July 25, 2026.

Instructional Faculty: Eligible instructional faculty will receive the 3.5% merit increase at the beginning of their contract, either August 10, 2026, or August 25, 2026.

Adjunct Faculty: Eligible adjunct faculty will receive the 3.5% merit increase as contracts are renewed; therefore, effective dates will vary.

Wage Employees: Eligible wage employees will receive the 3.5% merit increase effective August 1, 2026.

Salary data can be viewed in My Madison on July 29, 2026, for full-time staff and A&P faculty and on August 14, 2026, for wage employees.

Instructional faculty with a contract start date of August 10, 2026, can view salary data on August 14, 2026. Instructional faculty with a contract start date of August 25, 2026, can view salary data on August 25, 2026.

The merit increases are performance-based. A three-month period provides a reasonable time to assess the probationary progress of a new employee; therefore, three months of employment is required to be eligible for the merit increase.

As long as you were hired in a state agency on or before April 25, 2026, with no breaks in service, and have a satisfactory performance evaluation on file, you will be eligible for the merit increase.

No. Employees who transfer from a part-time position to a full-time position after April 25, 2026, are not eligible for the merit increase because they were not in their full-time role on April 25, 2026.

Instructional faculty on educational leave with full pay, partial pay, or without pay will receive the merit increase when they return to active working status.

This is a general increase authorized by the Commonwealth of Virginia; therefore, the merit increase is not optional and must be supported and paid for by the sponsor. Please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs if you have questions regarding grants or contracts.

Employees on leave without pay status will receive the merit increase when they return to active status.

Yes, the July 25, 2026 merit increase is performance-based. Employees must have received a rating of “Partially Successful” or above on their latest performance evaluation, more recent interim evaluation, or probationary progress review to be eligible to receive the merit increase.

For 10-month instructional faculty, the 3.5% merit increase will be applied first, followed by the promotion and tenure increase.

No. The last day worked for an employee separating effective July 25, 2026, is July 24, 2026. Therefore, the employee is not employed on July 25, 2026, and is not eligible for the merit increase.

The minimum and maximum of each classified pay band will increase by 3.5%.

The new Pay Bands are as follows:

For eligible full-time employees, the July 25, 2026, merit increase will first appear in the August 14, 2026, pay advice.

For eligible wage employees, the August 1, 2026, merit increase will first appear in the August 31, 2026, pay advice.

Eligible classified and A&P faculty who work a less-than 12-month contract and are in their rest months on July 25, 2026, will receive the 3.5% merit increase upon return to active working status.

The merit increase is applied to base state salary only.

No. Temporary pay is additional compensation above the employee’s base salary that is paid when an agency assigns an employee to perform different key (essential) duties on an interim basis, for critical assignments associated with a special time-limited project, or for employees serving in an acting capacity in a higher-level position. Because these assignments are temporary, the additional pay associated with them is not creditable for retirement purposes. Therefore, these amounts will not be automatically adjusted effective July 25, 2026.

Otherwise-qualified employees who are on short-term disability or other paid medical leave will receive the merit increase on July 25, 2026.

Employees on long-term disability working will also have the merit increase applied to their current rate of pay. The adjustment does not apply to individuals who are on long-term disability-non-working.

Instructional faculty on educational leave with full pay, partial pay, or without pay will receive the merit increase when they return to active working status.

Employees on leave without pay are not eligible for the merit increase until they return to active working status or paid leave.

Military supplements of eligible employees on leave without pay-military will be adjusted to reflect the merit increase.