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 I think the issue in classifying post-docs is that your label needs to
 be consistent with the work they are actually doing.

 We treat postdocs being paid from research grants/contracts as
 employees on the regular payroll, with full fringe benefits.  This is
 consistent with their function as a Research Associate on the project,
 and the concept that they are being compensated for services provided
 in the furtherance of the research.

 If however, they are the recipient of a fellowship, they are paid from
 the "fellowship payroll," or "withholding-exempt" system, which is a
 separate system, has no fringe benefits (because fellowships rarely
 include these), and is exempt from withholding.  [No that doesn't mean
 they don't pay taxes, it's just a holdover name from the days when
 student stipends were tax-free.]  The fellowship payroll is used for
 awards where the purpose is not so much the project the person is
 working on, but continuation of his/her training, and is not regarded
 as compensation for services in the same way as a research grant.

 Our fellowship payroll does not require that those on it be classified
 as students, and conversely, students can be compensated on the
 regular payroll, too, when they are actually working.

 Susan Alberts
 Duke University

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Postdocs
Author:  xxxxxx@wmich.edu at Internet
Date:    10/21/96 5:29 PM

How do you handle postdoctoral fellowships at your institution?
Are they considered employees or students? What sort of fringe
benefits do they receive?

At our school the student classification applies only to those actively
pursuing a degree. We treat postdocs as employees with all the
associated fringe benefits. Some of our faculty have raised concern
over this practice since the fringe benefits add considerably to the cost
of the postdoc in their budget.

We have been told that other schools do not treat postdocs as
employees, but as students. If that is the case at your school, how do
you classify them as students when they are not actively pursuing a
degree?

Chris McDowell
Grants & Contracts
Western Michigan University
xxxxxx@wmich.edu

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