Postdoctoral benefits & salary
Benefits information
As a postdoc at the University of Nevada, Reno you are entitled to several employee benefits, including health insurance and retirement. Below is a general overview. For additional information, please visit Human Resources' Postdoctoral Fellow Benefits at a glance or BCN.
- Health insurance: There are two plans to choose from based on your needs and the needs of your family.
- Retirement: A retirement contribution of 6.2 percent is mandatory, and it is matched 100 percent by the employer
- Annual leave (vacation days): Leave days are accrued at the rate of 1.25 working days per month for full-time continuous service or the equivalent of 15 working days per year.
- Voluntary benefits include discounted auto and home insurance.
- Child care: The University provides early care and education for children from six weeks old through first grade. University students and employees have enrollment priority, and tuition is calculated using a sliding fee scale based on family household income. Learn more about on-campus childcare and K-12 education programs.
- Employee Assistance Program: The Employee Assistance Program or EAP (LifeWorks) is a confidential assessment and referral service specifically designed to assist employees and families in handling personal and work-related issues. It allows up to three sessions of EAP counseling services per year and unlimited telephone and online services at no cost to the employee.
- Counseling services: Counseling services are available through The Downing Counseling Clinic at a sliding scale based on the ability to pay.
Additional benefit information
Compensation information
| Job type | Min | Max |
| Academic research Hired on or after July 1, 2023 |
$54,800 annually | Q1 of academic A Rank II: $83,806* |
| Academic research Hired on or after July 1, 2024 |
$56,484 annually** | Q1 of academic A Rank II: $83,806* |
| Academic instruction Hired on or after July 1, 2023 |
$50,400 annually | Q1 of academic A Rank II: $83,806* |
| Academic instruction Hired on or after July 1, 2024 |
$52,800 annually** | Q1 of academic A Rank II: $83,806* |
*As of February 8, 2024, all salary maximums have been updated.
**As of July 1, 2024, all continuing and new hire postdocs must be at the minimum for their job type: $56,484 for Research, and $52,800 for Instruction.
Academic overload
Postdoctoral fellows may receive overload pay to teach a maximum one-course overload per semester under special circumstances comparable to the provision for overloads for academic faculty, see sections 2,512 and 2,690. An overload for a postdoctoral fellow requires approval from the faculty mentor, department chair, dean, and Provost's Office. Teaching a course should typically be done as an offload rather than an overload; therefore, justification for an overload should provide information on the need for the overload and how it benefits the postdoctoral fellow and the department. There is no restriction on the amount of the salary for the overload except that the overload salary supplement cannot create a salary total that exceeds the maximum monthly salary level allowed for postdoctoral fellows. The overload salary is to be paid in the months that the work is done and cannot be spread over additional months if the sole purpose of spreading the pay is to pay an amount that would be in excess of the maximum if paid during the months that the work is done.
Postdoctoral fellows may receive a salary increase no more frequently than once per 12 months. The salary increase can occur at any time during the year (does not have to be July 1) and typically coincides with funding cycles tied to the grant providing the postdoctoral fellow's salary. During the first 12 months after the initial hire date, a postdoctoral fellow may receive a raise at any time; the next raise cannot occur for a minimum of 12 months after the first raise. A salary increase up to 10% may be granted by the dean. A salary increase in excess of 10% must be approved by the Provost's Office. There is no obligation to provide a cost of living adjustment to a postdoctoral fellow when COLA is granted to faculty or classified employees. Neither the faculty nor classified merit policies apply to postdoctoral fellows. An increase can be granted to a Postdoctoral fellow using Request Compensation Change in Workday.