BENEFITS

Benefits Summary

Yale offers a comprehensive benefits package to support the well-being and professional growth of its scholar community.

To enroll, refer to the Benefits Enrollment. You can view or update your selections through the Workday@Yale Guide.

Below is a summary of health benefits available:

Benefits  Postdoc Associates Postdoc Fellows *
Health Insurance Yes Yes, full rate
Dental Insurance Yes

Yes, at premium rate 

Unpaid PDF’s are unable to enroll into dental insurance.
Long-Term Disability Yes No
Vision Care Insurance Yes No
Employee Retirement Plan Yes No
Flexible Spending Accounts - Medical/Dental Yes No
Flexible Spending Accounts - Dependent Care Yes No

* For Postdoctoral Fellows not receiving a Yale University paycheck and who are unable to enroll via Workday, eligibility for enrollment in the Postdoctoral Fellow Membership Health Coverage Program through Yale Health is available.

  • Go to Yale Health’s Unpaid Postdoctoral Fellows page for additional details, monthly rates, and instructions for enrollment. 
  • Postdoctoral Fellows can receive a Healthcare Subsidy. See the Form, Documents & Templates page for the enrollment links and guide.
  • Postdoc Fellows are eligible for up to 8 weeks of paid parental leave unless such leave is explicitly restricted by an external source of funding.
  • University holidays do not include Recess Days.
Important Information on Health Benefits

Paid Time Off 

Paid time off (PTO) provides postdoctoral appointees with time away from work to balance the demands of both their professional and personal lives. Postdoctoral Associates and Fellows (where permitted by their funding source), are entitled to 23 days as PTO during each one-year appointment that can be used for vacation or sick time. Plus, the Official Yale Holidays and recess days. 

If, by nature of their work or as directed by their faculty mentor, a postdoctoral appointee is required to work on an Official Yale Holiday or recess day, they will be entitled to an additional day of PTO that must be used in the same 12-month appointment period. 

PTO is prorated for appointments of less than 12 months. All PTO should be scheduled in advance with the faculty mentor, and it is recommended that a written record of time used be maintained. PTO is not tracked in Workday, it does not accrue from one year to the next, is not paid out if unused by the end of an appointment, and cannot be used on the last day of an appointment.  

Bereavement — Postdoctoral appointees are entitled to up to three days off without loss of pay in the event of death in the immediate family. The immediate family is defined as parent, parent-in-law, brother, sister, spouse, child, grandparent, domestic partner, grandchild, or person in an equivalent relationship. Exceptions to this policy require approval by the Associate Provost for Postdoctoral Affairs. If additional time is necessary, departments may allow the appointee to use PTO days or may approve personal leave. Spreadsheet template for tracking PTO. 

This policy was updated on 10/22/2024 and is effective 11/1/2024.

Yale University provides a broad array of benefits designed to enhance the well-being of its employees and their families. These offerings reflect the university’s commitment to supporting the personal, professional, and financial health of its community. For more information, visit My Benefits by Job Classification. 

Please find further information on the Policies & Resources page.