Salaries and Stipends

Questions and Answers Table of Contents

Where can I find information on salary caps for PIs and stipends for trainees?

Each year, Congress revises the PI salary cap for grantees and contractors and stipend levels for trainees. The PI salary cap is usually pegged to level I of the federal executive pay scale. Find current levels at PI Salary Cap and Stipends with other fiscal information on Paylines and Budget. Also see Can my salary increase each year? on Managing a Grant questions and answers.

May I charge a higher salary to my grant than the cap allows?

No. If you're a PI on a grant or contract, you may not charge a higher salary than the current cap allows. If your institutional salary is higher than the NIH cap, you may use non-federal sources of funding to cover the difference.

Does the salary cap apply to both grantees and contractors?

Yes.

Are there salary caps other than the PI cap?

Yes. The only other salary cap is for graduate students. We award total support -- which includes salary, fringe benefits, and tuition remission -- at level zero for NRSA postdoctoral stipends. Though we use the NRSA stipend level, the cap applies to graduate students supported by NIH research grants and cooperative agreements, not to anyone supported by NRSA training grants and fellowships.

To find stipend levels, see PI Salary Cap and Stipends on our Paylines and Budget page. We use the cap level in effect at the time of the award.

Grantee institutions may continue to rebudget funds to charge more than the cap provided that OMB cost principles requiring reasonable compensation are observed. In general, graduate student compensation will not be considered reasonable if it exceeds the amount paid to a first-year postdoctoral scientist at the same institution performing comparable work.

Please consult with your institution's sponsored research office for guidance on your institution's policies.

Is there a limit on the percentage of my salary that can come from my R01 grant?

As long as your salary does not exceed NIH's cap, all of your salary can come from your R01. See PI Salary Cap and Stipends on our Paylines and Budget page.

You should base your salary request on your actual salary, making sure it does not exceed the time and effort you are devoting to the research. Your effort cannot be more than 100 percent. Use the formulas on our Person Months Calculation Example.

Should foreign PIs use salary caps?

Yes. For further details on caps, see the preceding questions.

For investigators with R01 funding, are there limits regarding the salaries of postdoctoral assistants and technicians?

The only salary limit other than the salary cap is for graduate students supported on research grants and cooperative agreements. See the question and answer above.

How do the terms "supplement" and "compensation" differ?

See What's the difference between a supplement and compensation? in our Supplements to Grants questions and answers.

Can I include clinical practice compensation in my institutional base salary?

Yes, as long as your grantee institution sets the compensation, pays it or directs its payment, and includes your clinical practices in its payroll and effort reporting systems. See the August 4, 2005, Guide notice for details.

Can I rebudget grant monies for a pay increase without NIAID's permission?

Yes. You don't need our permission to rebudget your grant monies for a salary increase up to the allowed salary cap.

Can a PI receive a summer salary that differs from what was originally proposed, e.g., 1.5 months' salary this summer and 2.5 months next summer rather than two months' salary each?

Yes. If the award has automatic carryover, the grantee can carry over funds to the next year and use them for the additional summer salary. Without automatic carryover, the grantee would have to use current year funds. We would not award more money.

For more information, see our SOPs on Carryover Requests and Expanded Authorities or Federal Demonstration Partnership.

Does NIAID pay salary changes if I change grantee institutions?

See Are increased costs covered after I change grantee institutions? in the Managing a Grant questions and answers.

Can grantees pay a salary to a fellow or trainee?

In some cases they can. Read more in What's the difference between a supplement and compensation? in the Supplements to Grants -- Administrative, Revision, and Research questions and answers.

In my biosketch, should I list staff even if I don't plan to pay them a salary?

Yes. List all staff even if you aren't planning to pay them from grant monies. See Senior/Key Person Profile Form: Prepare the Biographical Sketches in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Where can I find salary ranges for postdocs and whether fringe benefits are included?

Your institution's business office should have a pay scale for postdocs as well as information on fringe benefits.

How much salary can I request for a diversity supplement?

It depends on the education and experience of the worker. Scroll to the "Salary and Budget" header in Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research.

How much salary can I request for a reentry supplement?

Scroll to the "Salary and Budget" header in Reentry Supplements.

How much salary can I request for a primary caregiver supplement?

Scroll to the "Salary and Budget" header in Primary Caregiver Technical Assistance Supplements.

Where can I find more information on stipends and salaries under training (T) awards?

Go to Quick Facts on Research Training and Career Development Awards for stipend information. Funds for training-related expenses on training grant awards may be used to defray staff salaries of mentors.

Where can I find salary caps for career development (K) awards?

Find salary levels on Career Development Awards (K) and Understanding Award Specifics in our Advice on Research Training, Career Awards, and Research Supplements or Quick Facts on Research Training and Career Development Awards.

What is the salary limit for the various career awards?

Find salary levels at Understanding Award Specifics in our Advice on Research Training, Career Awards, and Research Supplements.

Do any career development awards allow you to receive a salary from a second NIH-funded grant?

Yes, but only if the career award is a non-mentored one. When you have a non-mentored career award, you may receive salary from an NIH-funded research grant that is scientifically different from your career award, e.g., another investigator's R01 grant.

For mentored career awards (K01, K08, K22, K23, and K25), you can obtain salary support from another federal agency's grant in the last two years. Read more at Career Development Awards.

For a career award, must I get NIAID approval to rebudget salary and fringe benefit funds?

No.

As a PI of an R01, if one of my investigators receives a K and no longer requires salary from the R01, do I need NIAID's approval to use those R01 salary funds for another purpose?

Yes. You must get prior approval from NIAID if the new K awardee comes off of the R01 and you want to use the R01 salary funds for another purpose, e.g., to rebudget from one budget category to another or to replace that investigator with another one.

Will I be able to keep a portion of my R01 salary if I receive a K02?

No. Read the full the answer in I have an R01 grant. Will I be able to keep a portion of the R01 salary if I receive a K02? in Career Development Grants questions and answers.

If I have a K08, can I receive an R01 and hold the awards simultaneously? What about salary?

That depends. See Can I apply for and receive an R01 after I receive a K01, K08, K23, or K25? May I then hold these awards simultaneously? What about salary? in Career Development Grants questions and answers.

If I have a K08, can my salary be supplemented from other sources?

Yes. Read more in Can I have my salary supplemented from other sources if I receive a career award? in Career Development Grants questions and answers.

If I receive an HHMI award for salary and fringe expenses, can I rebudget excess funds to avoid a reduction in my NIH award?

No. You cannot receive two sources of funding for the same items. Since an HHMI award pays 100 percent of salary and fringe expenses, we must reduce your NIH award if you had previously requested funds for those same costs.

Do you have information on salary ranges or averages for people from varying disciplines, e.g., Ph.D. and M.D.?

We don't have that information, but here are some Web sites that may help.

• Salary.com -- Job Valuation Report
• Payscale -- Real-time Salary Survey Information
• JobWeb -- Salary Information

Must trainees receive stipends at NRSA levels, or is it up to the PI's discretion? What about benefits?

Stipends must be paid at the appropriate NRSA level; a lower or higher level than is appropriate may not be paid. Also, a portion may not be paid from the training grant and a portion paid from another source. Check with your PI on items such as health insurance, scientific travel, and research supplies.

Can I list HHMI as other support in my application and ask for salary or fringe expenses?

No. If you list Howard Hughes Medical Institute as other support in your application and ask for salary and fringe benefits, we will reduce your award after contacting your business office to confirm your HHMI funding. We will reduce salary, fringe benefits, and associated F&A costs as appropriate.

What if my question wasn't answered here, or I'd like to suggest a question?

Email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. We answer questions by email and post them here. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.