Postdoc benefits

All postdoctoral benefits at the University of Waterloo are definite-term appointments, and may be eligible for benefits dependant on the funding source and length of contract. Postdoctoral fellows who are employed and paid through the University of Waterloo payroll (including tri-agency funded postdocs) are eligible for extended health care benefits provided that their initial contracts are of at least one year, and that they work at least 33% of full-time equivalency (FTE). Additionally, please note:

Postdocs who are paid directly from another agency (i.e. not through UWaterloo payroll) are not eligible for University of Waterloo benefits.
Postdocs who are paid directly from another agency (i.e. not through UWaterloo payroll) and who also receive a "top-up" that is paid through UWaterloo payroll may be eligible for benefits. Postdocs in this situation should confirm with Human Resources (HR) regarding their specific situation.

Below you will find further information about UWaterloo benefits, including:

Postdoctoral fellows benefit eligibility
Postdoctoral fellows maternity and parental leaves
Relevant UWaterloo policies
Who to contact

Postdoctoral fellows benefit eligibility

Postdoctoral fellows benefit eligibility
*Benefits*	*Definite-term appointments of two years or more, and positions that are contingent upon funding.*	Definite-term appointments of one year or more but less than two years.*	*Definite-term appointments that are more than three months but less than one year*
Pension	Please refer to pension eligibility section of the HR website.	Please refer to pension eligibility section of the HR website.	Please refer to pension eligibility section of the HR website.
Dental	YES (part-time/fractional load, Waterloo pays premium based on full time equivalent (FTE) percentage)	NO	NO
Extended health	YES, employee must participate in the Ontario Health Insurance Plan or the University Health Insurance Plan basic health plan (part-time/fractional load, Waterloo pays premium based on FTE percentage)	YES, employee must participate in Ontario Health Insurance Plan or University Health Insurance Plan basic health plan (part-time/fractional load, Waterloo pays premium based on FTE percentage)	NO
Life insurance	YES, up to six times annual salary (based on actual salary, if part-time/fractional load)	YES, one times annual salary (based on actual salary, if part-time/fractional load)	NO
Sick leave	YES, 180 calendar days (pro-rated if part-time /fractional load)	YES, six working days per year, pro-rated if part-time/fractional load	YES, six working days per year, pro-rated (does not apply to casual or occasional employees)
Long-term disability	YES (based on actual salary, if part-time/fractional load)	NO	NO
Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP)	YES	NO	NO
Tuition benefit	YES	NO	NO
Vacation	YES, university policy provides one month of vacation during each year of appointment.	YES, university policy provides one month of vacation during each year of appointment.	NO, the law of Ontario requires that you be paid 4% of your salary for this period of employment as vacation pay.

*In cases where definite-term appointments are continued or extended, these appointments are treated as on-going for benefits purposes when two years of continuous employment is reached.

For additional details regarding what is included within each benefit, please refer to the HR benefits information.

Postdoctoral fellows pregnancy and parental leave (including adoption)

Postdoctoral fellows may be eligible for pregnancy and/or parental leaves, including for adoption, and may also be eligible for a UWaterloo top-up during pregnancy/parental leaves.

Postdocs funded through Tri-Agency research grants or Tri-Agency fellowships may be eligible for a tri-agency funded parental leave.

Postdoctoral fellows benefit eligibility
*Benefits*	*Definite-term appointments of two years or more, and positions that are contingent upon funding.*	Definite-term appointments of one year or more but less than two years.*	*Definite-term appointments that are more than three months but less than one year*
Pregnancy/parental leave	YES	YES	YES (if eligible per ESA)
Pregnancy/parental leave top-up	Confirm with HR	Confirm with HR	Confirm with HR

Applicable UWaterloo Policies

The University of Waterloo has several policies related to benefits, that postdocs may find useful to review:

Questions?

If you have questions about your benefit eligibility as a postdoctoral fellow, please reach out directly with the Human Resources team at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca.

You may also wish to review the HR Benefits FAQ page.