Health insurance is just one of your benefits as a postdoc.

Postdoctoral Scholar Benefits Plan

Insurance

All UCSF postdoctoral scholars and their dependents must be provided with health insurance. The postdoc's mentor or principal investigator (PI) is responsible for most of the cost of such benefits, which include medical, dental, and vision plans. Postdocs pay only a very small percentage of the healthcare premium, from under $13 a month for postdocs with no dependents. View monthly premium rates for all plans.

The PI is responsible for the full cost of short-term disability, life, and accidental dismemberment and disability insurance. 

A complete description of benefits together with enrollment instructions are available on the Gallagher Benefit Services website or contact:

Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc.
tel: 1-800-254-1758 (hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Pacific Time)
email: [email protected]

Visit the UCSF Human Resources Department's website for updates and further information. The benefits coordinator for postdocs at UCSF is Sharon Mendonca in the Human Resources Department. Sharon can be reached at 476-6529 or email: [email protected].

Childcare Benefits for Postdoctoral Scholars

As of Oct. 1, 2023, postdoctoral scholars are eligible to be reimbursed for up to $2,500 per year for qualifying childcare expenses. Learn more about this program at UCSF Human Resources.

Repatriation and Medical Evacuation Coverage

The Postdoctoral Scholars Benefits Plan (PSBP) also includes the automatic repatriation and medical evacuation coverage necessary to satisfy the J visa program for postdocs holding J-1 visas and their dependents with J-2 visas. Complete information is on the Gallagher Benefit Services website.

Benefits and Tax Consequences

Note that benefits provided to postdoctoral fellows (title code 3253) and paid-directs (3254) and their dependents are subject to income tax. (This is not true for postdoc employees – title code 3252.)

Postdocs in the applicable title codes who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents must self-report the total annual value of their fellowships, including benefits for themselves and their dependents, when they prepare their U.S. and California income tax returns. The University is not required to report the value of your benefits to the IRS or to withhold tax from benefits payments.

For nonresident aliens, the imputed income for benefits is reported on IRS form 1042-S as a non-qualified fellowship/scholarship. The University is required to report these payments to the IRS and under some circumstances to withhold tax on the payments. Fellows will not billed for required tax withholdings on benefits, but deductions will be taken from the fellow's stipend payment.

See also information about sick leave and other types of leave.