Postdoc Salary & Stipend

Salary/Stipend Guidelines

CWRU uses the current year National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Research Service Award (NRSA) scale as the minimum salary/stipend guidelines for all Postdoc Scholar and Postdoc Fellow positions. These guidelines apply regardless of funding source. 

See the 2023 Stipend Levels which will take effective for all new postdocs starting after July 1, 2023.

Starting Salary/Stipend

The minimum annual salary/stipend amount required for hiring a new postdoc is the current year 0 level amount listed on the NIH scale. It is strongly recommended that postdocs with prior experience receive a higher starting salary, based on years of experience, listed on the NIH scale.  Please see below for the current NIH scale.

Paydays

Postdocs are paid on the last business day of the month. For information and questions on payroll, please visit the Controller's Office or view the Payroll Calendar to determine each pay date.

** NEW INTERNATIONAL POSTDOCS: There could be delays with receiving your SSN which will delay your first paycheck (you cannot receive a paycheck form CWRU until your SSN has been issued). Please take this into account and try to have 1-2 months pay saved up as a buffer.

Setting Up Direct Deposit in HCM

Follow the instructions to set up Direct Deposit in HCM. 

Taxes

Find information about taxation and filing taxes for postdoctoral researchers. 

Raises

Raises are to be provided yearly at reappointment. It is strongly recommended that increases follow the current year NIH scale. Per the NIH, annual raise increments should be stair-stepped to the next year and the next level of experience (postdocs should not remain on the scale which they come in on). 

NIH Current Fiscal Year Salary/Stipend Scale

  • The scale changes annually, please see the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs for the up-to-date Scale
  • Case Western Reserve adopts the newest NIH payscale each year effective July 1st on any given year. ¹
  • ¹See NIH link for details on Kirschstein-NRSA awards

Postdoc Benefits Program Charges

If a postdoc chooses to enroll in the Postdoctoral Benefits Program, the monthly single coverage premium must be paid for each Postdoc Scholar or Fellow¹ by the Principal Investigator (PI), grant, or department, or internal funds.  Additional coverage levels (postdoc + 1 and postdoc + family) may also be paid for by PI/grant/department funds—this is at each PI’s discretion and contingent upon available funding. Any coverage level (beyond single) not being paid for by the PI will be charged to the postdoc and the premium will be taken out of their paycheck monthly.

The monthly premium rates can be found on the Postdoctoral Benefits Program website administered through Gallagher Benefits Services.

¹Paid Direct Postdocs (not receiving a paycheck from CWRU) pay all costs from their funding source and will be billed directly by Gallagher Benefits Services.