Postdoctoral fellows (award recipients)
Source: https://hr.ubc.ca/working-ubc/faculty-resources/faculty-titles-ranks-and-descriptions/postdoctoral-fellows-0 Parent: https://www.postdocs.ubc.ca/
A postdoctoral fellow award recipient is where an individual is awarded a competitive fellowship from an external granting agency, which may or may not be paid through UBC, or receives financial support from a sponsoring agency.
Award recipients do not have an employment relationship with UBC. They independently work under the mentorship of a supervising faculty member at UBC.
For full details and descriptions on postdoctoral fellow appointees at UBC, see our main postdoctoral fellows page.
Fellowship earnings & external allowance
The amount of a fellowship will vary depending on the award and funding source.
Postdoctoral Fellows who receive fellowship earnings administered by UBC will receive payment directly deposited to their bank account on the 15th and the last day of every month.
Postdoctoral Fellows who receive financial support from other sources not administered by UBC will have an appointment with UBC but will not receive payment from UBC. However, the monthly amount of the external award/funding is recorded on Workday as an External Allowance. This is to ensure that externally funded Postdoctoral Fellows are covered under UBC’s liability insurance and are covered under the Extraordinary Expense Fund (EEF).
Income tax
While at UBC, any earnings received are considered Canadian income, unless otherwise indicated by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) in writing prior to arrival.
UBC Payroll withholds income tax from fellowship earnings. At the end of the tax year in February a T4A slip will be issued by Payroll which will be used to file your taxes. Please ensure that your forwarding address is up to date in the event you leave UBC prior to this time. Contact a financial advisor or the Canada Revenue Agency for tax and financial information.
If there are any questions about paying income tax in Canada, please refer to CRA’s information for non-residents or contact the International Tax Services Office:
- Calls from Canada and the US: 1.800.267.5177
- Calls from outside Canada and the US: 1.613.952.3741
- Fax number: 1.613.941.2505
***Collect calls are accepted***
Check the CRA website for a self-directed online course on Learning About Taxes. According to the site, this online course has been developed to help explain the fundamentals of the Canadian tax system and how to file a tax return.
Benefits
Postdoctoral Fellow award recipients are eligible for health benefits if they meet the eligibility requirements. Please refer to the benefits section on the main Postdoctoral Fellows page for detailed information on eligibility requirements. Detailed information regarding benefits and leaves is found on the benefits page of the employee website.
Postdoctoral Fellows whose awards are paid through UBC receive Worker’s Compensation coverage but not other Statutory Benefits, such as Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan. However, these Postdoctoral Fellows are eligible for all statutory holidays. Postdoctoral Fellows whose awards are paid directly to them and are not processed by UBC do not have Worker’s Compensation coverage.
Vacation
UBC encourages Postdoctoral Fellows who are award recipients to take scheduled time off for personal reasons up to two weeks per year unless otherwise agreed to with the supervising faculty member.
Please note that the external granting agency or sponsoring agency may have guidelines or requirements regarding vacations and leaves. If a supervising faculty member has any concerns regarding attendance, they should seek advice from Faculty Relations.
Leaves
Postdoctoral Fellow award recipients are eligible for the following types of leaves:
- sick leave
- maternity, parental, and adoption leave;
- general leave (without salary);
- jury duty or court witness leave; or
- compassionate care leave.
Award recipients who receive funding directly through an external agency should check the sick leave guidelines of the external granting agency. If the external granting agency does not provide for paid medical leave, funds may be available from the Extraordinary Expense Fund to cover up to 5 months paid sick leave.
Hours and days of work
Postdoctoral Fellows who are award recipients set their own hours and days of work, provided that sufficient progress in research is made. Postdoctoral Fellows are advised to consult with their supervising faculty member regarding hours and days of work so both parties are aware of expectations.
UBC encourages award recipients to take scheduled time off for personal reasons up to 2 weeks per year unless otherwise agreed to with the supervising faculty member. Please note that the external granting agency or sponsoring agency may have guidelines or requirements regarding vacations and leaves. If a supervising faculty member has any concerns regarding attendance, they should seek advice from Faculty Relations.
Non-renewal
If an appointment will not be renewed, supervising faculty members should give reasonable (normally 3 months) notice to a Postdoctoral Fellow. The appointment will end as per the letter of appointment.
Supervising faculty members should contact Faculty Relations in advance of a termination of appointment at any other time than the original end date.