Postdoc Policies & Benefits

As defined by the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), “a postdoctoral scholar (“postdoc”) is an individual holding a doctoral degree who is engaged in a temporary period of mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring the professional skills needed to pursue a career path of his or her choosing.”

Postdocs constitute an important workforce that fuels research programs of any top-level research institution. Although postdocs are engaged in temporary training, they will become the voice of our institution as they move on with their careers. Therefore, UIC is dedicated to enhancing the postdoc experience in order to build a strong postdoc community, cultivate excellence in training, and promote career growth.

For a comprehensive guide outlining policies and benefits for UIC postdocs, please see the UIC Postdoc Handbook.

For any questions related to benefits or leave, contact your departmental HR representative. You can also reach out to University Payroll & Benefits (UPB):

Postdoc titles at UIC are determined by your source of funding.

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate: If you are funded by state funds, your PI’s grant, or by an individual grant or fellowship that supports paying your salary through the institution (e.g. NIH K grant), you are appointed as a postdoc research associate and are considered an employee of the university.
  • Postdoctoral Fellow: If you are funded by your own grant or external source of funding that directly pays you a stipend (e.g. NIH F32, T32, NSF postdoctoral fellowship, or funding from another institution), you are appointed as a postdoc fellow and you are not considered an employee of the university and are ineligible for benefits provided through UIC. You become ineligible for benefits provided by UIC when you directly receive funding that provides your own stipend. This is because these fellowships do not pay for fringe benefits.
  • Postdoc Research Associates:
    • Must have received a doctorate within the last five years and may be appointed to this title for only five years.
    • Policies that govern Academic Professional employment at UIC apply to postdoc research associates, with a few exceptions as specified.
    • Academic Notices of Non-Reappointment: Generally contracts are renewed annually, however, Academic Professional employees do not have an assumed right to indefinite continued employment. For postdoc research associates with soft funding (funding from PI grant), formal notice of non-reappointment from the Board of Trustees is not required. A courtesy notice from the employing unit is strongly encouraged. Postdoc research associates with hard funding (state funds) must be given 6 months’ notice from the Board of Trustees before the end of the contract. If it is issued later than 6 months before the contract’s expiration, an additional year of appointment must be offered.
  • Postdoc Fellows:
    • Policies and eligibility are determined by the fellowship.
    • There is no limit to the amount of time a postdoc can hold the postdoc fellow title.
  • Postdoctoral Research Associates: as employees of the university, postdoc research associates with at least 50% appointment receive benefits entitled to employees:
    • Summary of benefits for UIC employees can be found here, which includes health, dental, and vision insurance; life and disability insurance; retirement benefits through the State Universities Retirement System (SURS); flexible spending accounts; employee assistance plan; tuition waivers; discounts, and more.
    • Note for International Postdoc Research Associates on J1 visas: To be eligible for some UIC benefits (insurance and SURS) you need to have met the substantial presence test. If you do not meet substantial presence, the Office of International Services (OIS) will provide you with detailed insurance information included with exchange visitor welcome and admissions packets.
      • UIC offers RSL BasicCare, a limited benefit program offered to help meet federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements, which is available to eligible employees (including postdoc research associates on J1 visas) who have not yet met substantial presence and who average 30 or more hours per week. For eligible employees who are offered and enroll in the two-part medical plan, the University will pay 100% of the monthly premium for your employee-only coverage. NOTE: RSL BasicCare is not intended to replace a comprehensive major medical health insurance plan, and coverage alone will not meet the health insurance minimum requirements for a J-1 Visa holder.
    • All postdoc research associates, regardless of international status, are eligible to participate in supplementary retirement programs, the University Supplemental 403(b) Plan and State Deferred Compensation 457 Plan
    • Postdocs who terminate their position with the university MAY be eligible for COBRA continuation of insurance coverage. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) provides eligible covered State of Illinois Employees Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) participants and their eligible dependents the opportunity to temporarily extend their health coverage when coverage would otherwise end due to certain qualifying events. To be eligible for COBRA, you (or your eligible dependent) must be enrolled in a SEGIP health plan the day before the qualifying event occurs.
  • Postdoctoral Fellows: benefits entitled to postdoctoral fellows are determined by the terms of the fellowship. For example, many fellowships include funding for health insurance. You MUST talk to the grants administrator in your department to learn more about the amount funding available to you to purchase health insurance through the Illinois marketplace/exchange and how the funds will be paid. Some postdoctoral fellows are eligible to receive UIC student health insurance, CampusCare.

If you are benefits-eligible, don’t forget to enroll in benefits. New state benefit eligible employees have 30 calendar days, from the benefit eligibility date, to make state benefit plan elections, and 6 months to make your mandatory State Universities Retirement System (SURS) plan election. Visit the University of Illinois System HR website to learn more about benefits available to you!

NOTE: Changes to many benefit plans can be made only during the annual open enrollment (May 1-31, with changes taking effect July 1) or when experiencing a qualifying life event. SURS plan elections are irrevocable.

  • Postdoc Fellows: Leave and stipend continuation is determined by the terms of the fellowship.
  • Postdoc Research Associates: For information about all types of paid and unpaid leave, visit the University of Illinois System HR website.

Holidays:

Vacation:

  • You must have a 12-month appointment to be eligible for vacation. If you are appointed for an academic year (9-month appointment), you are not eligible for vacation leave.
  • Academic employees receive 24 workdays (192 hours) per year at the percentage of their appointment.
  • If the appointment FTE is 50% or greater, two floating holidays are also available for use (which is also based on the academic year August 16 through August 15 and pro-rated for any partial year of service)
  • Postdoctoral research associates hired on or after 8/16/2019 shall be ineligible for vacation termination pay and their vacation leave shall not transfer to any position that is not postdoctoral (i.e. postdoctoral research associates are ineligible to be paid-out for unused vacation time after ending their postdoctoral appointment).

Sick Leave:

  • Postdoc research associates receive 13 days of non-cumulative sick leave (does not roll over), all of which are based on the academic year August 16 through August 15 and pro-rated for any partial year of service.

Parental Leave:

  • Effective 8/16/23, eligible employees will be granted up to six (6) weeks of paid leave following the birth, or upon placement or legal adoption of a child under age 18, which is available immediately upon hire. Additionally, parental leave may be taken in full or intermittently with departmental approval.
  • Postdoc research associates are eligible for parental leave
  • Parental leave is limited to one leave per twelve-month academic appointment year. For eligible employees, parental leave taken will count toward the 12-week FMLA entitlement.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA):

  • Individuals who have been employed by the University for at least 12 months and who have performed at least 1,000 hours of service during the previous 12-month period, are eligible for unpaid family and medical leave during each consecutive twelve-month period for which eligibility criteria have been met.

NOTE: It is against the law for anyone who is not a tax expert to give advice regarding tax issues. If you have questions about taxes, we recommend reaching out to a tax professional. If you have questions about the taxes withheld from your paycheck, you can reach out to UIC Payroll.

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has compiled an overview of tax information for postdocs, which is summarized below. For more detailed information, visit the NPA section on Tax Issues for Postdocs.

DISCLAIMER: This information below is for informational purposes only and does not constitute tax or legal advice. If you want tax or legal advice, please contact a qualified tax professional/lawyer.

The inherent complexity of the postdoc appointment, from its temporary nature to multiple funding sources to its visa implications, means that the financial circumstances of many postdoc will be unique. While this guide can provide general information, postdocs with more complex concerns are encouraged to seek out professional advice on their individual situation.

Any support a postdoc receives that is used to cover “living expenses” (as opposed to, say, tuition and fees) is subject to income tax. How that tax is paid typically depends upon the type of funding and the postdoc’s employment classification and citizenship.

Employee Postdocs (at UIC, Postdoc Research Associates are employee postdocs):

  • Tax Withholding
    Postdocs who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and are employed on grants or receive a salary from their institution through the “standard” payroll disbursement will have federal tax withholdings taken out of their paychecks. For postdocs who are temporary residents, please refer to the NPA section on international postdocs, which is also summarized below. The amount of this tax withholding depends upon the individual circumstances of the postdoc, including total income, status of dependents, and any tax treaty status for international postdocs.
  • Upon starting a new appointment, “employee” postdocs should fill out a federal withholding form, IRS Form W-4. In states with an income tax (Note: Illinois is a state with income tax), postdocs should also complete a state withholding form in order to set the amount of this withholding. It is very important that the withholding be calculated in as much detail as possible in order to avoid paying too much or too little tax over the course of the tax (calendar) year.
  • Tax Filing
    All employee postdocs must file a tax return between January 15 and April 15 for the previous tax year. In order to fill out the tax return forms, postdocs will need to have received a W-2 form from their employer that lists their wages and salary accrued for the year. If too little has been paid, a postdoc risks a large payment of the balance and possibly a penalty.

Postdoc Fellows (“Non-employee” Postdocs or Postdocs on Fellowships):

 

  • Fellowships are Taxable Income
    Virtually all postdoc fellowships funded from U.S. sources are subject to income tax because they pay for living expenses. However, often fellowships and traineeships are not subject to automatic tax withholding (note: you will not receive a W-2 from UIC). This is most often true with “direct-paid” fellowships — fellowship stipends that are paid directly to the postdoc — although it is sometimes the case with fellowships that are paid through the institution.
  • Estimated Payments
    Those fellowships without automatic tax withholding are still subject to the IRS requirement that income tax be paid on a regular basis throughout the tax year, and not all at once at the end of the year. Thus, postdocs without withholding should make estimated tax payments each quarter in order to avoid a penalty. Use IRS Form 1040ES for estimated federal tax calculations and payments, and find the equivalent form for estimated state taxes (IL-1040-ES). See the IRS help topic on Estimated Taxes and more information about Illinois estimated taxes, here.

International Postdocs:

International postdocs are subject to U.S. federal and state tax laws; however, qualified residents of some countries may have tax treaties that make them exempt from U.S. taxes or   provide other benefits. Those who intend to pay taxes in the U.S. typically have the same automatic tax withholding as employee postdocs. Tax-exempt postdocs, however, may or may not have taxes withheld, depending on the institution and nature of their appointment.

  • Tax Filing
    International postdocs must always file a federal tax return since it provides the vehicle for either claiming tax-exemption or for declaring (and perhaps paying) taxes owed. The need to file state tax returns varies widely depending upon the state and the amount of time an individual was physically present there. Those who are tax-exempt but who still have taxes automatically withheld from their paychecks will need to file a tax return to receive a refund of their withholdings.
  • Resident or Non-Resident?
    An international scholar’s status as a resident or non-resident for tax purposes is different than his or her status for immigration purposes. The IRS determination depends upon several factors, including treaty status, visa status, and the amount of time the scholar was physically present in the U.S. The IRS Guide for Foreign Students, Scholars, Teachers, Researchers and Exchange Visitors includes a section on “Residency for Tax Purposes” that can help postdocs determine their status and thus which federal tax form they should use.

Other Tax Information: