Highlights
Postdoctoral Scholars must be supported by Stanford grants and contracts, training grants, fellowships, or a combination of these sources. They may not be self-supporting.
The university sets minimum funding levels for postdoctoral scholars every spring for the following fiscal year. [Note that clinical fellow funding must meet the PGY levels established by the Department of Graduate Medical Education (GME) at the Stanford Hospital & Clinics.]
University policy requires faculty sponsors to provide a complete funding package for every appointed postdoctoral scholar. That funding package includes the University’s minimum stipend levels plus the institutional cost of benefits (medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and postdoc assistance). The institutional benefit cost covers all costs for individual postdocs, and subsidized costs for postdocs with dependents. (see the Benefits Guide for rates).
The cost of benefits is covered by the University's postdoctoral fringe rate in cases where the postdoc receives a salary of 50% or more from a research grant. In cases where the fringe does not apply (e.g., postdocs with fellowships), any institutional allowance towards benefits should be applied. For example, the NIH NRSA awards and training grants include an "institutional allowance" to be used to pay additional expenses, including health insurance, on behalf of the award recipient.
If no fellowship or training grant funds are available to pay the cost of a Scholar's benefits, then the cost must be borne by a departmental or other unrestricted account. Note that this also applies to postdocs with funding paid directly to them unless the funding includes a letter specifying sufficient funds for benefits as well. See memo from Godfrey Mungal regarding Charging and Paying for Benefits for Postdoctoral Scholars and Graduate Students.
Annual Funding Adjustments
Postdocs receive a step increase every September 1, adjusted to cumulative years of research experience. The funding scale levels are the minimum levels. Many departments and/or labs establish norms regarding funding postdocs at levels higher than the minimum to take into account equity within the unit.
For more information, see Levels and Sources of Financial Support for postdoctoral scholars in Stanford Research Policy Handbook.
For additional administrative information regarding postdoc funding processing, click the Administrator section on Paying Scholars.