About Benefits

Please refer to your official appointment letter and Terms & Conditions and the Postdoctoral Handbook for those benefits applicable to you. See the Human Resources’ Benefits page for more detailed information regarding the programs listed below. In addition, see the Forms section of the HR web site for any forms you may need.

Annual enrollment occurs every October/November for benefits effective the following calendar year effective January 1st. If you wish to change your medical or dental insurance, the annual enrollment period is the only time to do so unless there is a change in family status.

If you have a new dependent as a result of a marriage, birth or adoption, you may be able to enroll your dependent provided that you request enrollment within 31 days of the event.

Benefit	Who Pays	Eligibility*	Description of Benefit
Vacation	Caltech	Upon Employment	Postdocs and senior postdocs are entitled to one month of vacation a year. Initially, they may take up to three weeks of vacation after having completed nine months of service. Vacation time is not transferable if you should transfer to staff status. It is your responsibility to arrange with your faculty sponsor to take all of the vacation time due during your current appointment period. Please refer to your Terms and Conditions and the Postdoctoral Handbook for details.
Holidays	Caltech	Upon Employment	The paid holidays per year are: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and two floating holidays which are usually designated during Christmas. Please see the Institute Holiday Calendar at http://cit.hr.caltech.edu/holiday_schedule.htm.
Sick Leave	Caltech	Upon Employment	Sick leave is earned at the rate of one "day" per month, or twelve days a year. Unused sick leave will not be paid at termination.
Credit Union	You	Upon Employment	The credit union is available to full-time employees and their families. After six months of employment you may apply for a loan.
Computer Store (Caltech Wired)	You	Upon Employment	All current postdocs and departments are eligible to receive significant discounts at the Computer Store on the most popular hardware, software, and supplies.
Child Care Centers	You	Upon Employment	Child care is available on campus through Caltech Children's Center and the Child Educational Center which is located about 7 miles from campus.
Medical Plans	You/Caltech	First day of work at Caltech or first day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	Caltech offers a choice of three health care plans: Health Net PPO, Health Net HMO and Kaiser Permanente. See the Benefits Comparison page.
Dental Insurance	You/Caltech	First day of work at Caltech or first day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	Caltech offers a choice of dental plans: Delta Dental or Safeguard.
Life Insurance	You/Caltech	First day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	Caltech provides basic Life Insurance at no cost to eligible postdocs in an amount equal to one times annual salary to a maximum of $50,000. Additional supplemental coverage is available for 1,2,3,4, or 5 times annual salary to a maximum of $1,000,000. Cost for voluntary coverage is based on age, and is fully paid by the postdoc. Coverage is also available for spouse and children.
Personal Accident Insurance	You	First day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	Coverage can be elected in one of fourteen amounts ranging from $10,000 to $500,000. Postdocs pay the cost. Dependents may also be covered under the plan.
Long-Term Disability	You/Caltech	First day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	Caltech provides basic LTD insurance at no cost to eligible postdocs. After six months of disability, this plan provides income replacement of 40% of regular salary. Additional supplemental coverage is available at the postdoc's expense. For more information, please see a description of Caltech new Long Term Disability Plan.
Childcare Assistance Program	Caltech	Specific guidelines	This program allows eligible applicants to receive up to $3,500 per year (subject to change) to help defray childcare costs. Awards are available to eligible faculty, postdoctoral scholars, students, and campus staff with dependant children ages 5 and under.
Health Care Spending Account	You	First day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	When first hired and then again at annual enrollment or when family status changes, postdocs may elect to make voluntary pre-tax contributions to a Health Care Spending Account. The money you direct Caltech to set aside for your spending account is not subject to federal or state income taxes, or social security tax. You may use money in these accounts to pay for eligible expenses with tax-free dollars.
Dependent Care Spending Account	You	First day of the month coincident with or first following hire date.	When first hired and then again at annual enrollment or when family status changes, postdocs may elect to make voluntary pre-tax contributions to a Dependent Care (Day Care) Spending Account. The money you direct Caltech to set aside for your spending account is not subject to federal or state income taxes, or social security tax. You may use monies in these accounts to pay for eligible expenses with tax-free dollars.
Retirement	Caltech	First day of the month coincident with or following six months from hire date.	Contributions are made by the Institute to the TIAA-CREF Retirement Plan based on a percentage of salary, and varies according to years of service and age. Vesting is immediate.
Tax Deferred Accounts	You	First day of the month coincident with or first following date of hire.	Postdocs who are paid by Caltech (not paid by a fellowship source) may elect to make voluntary pre-tax contributions to the Tax Deferred Accounts. Postdocs are permitted to tax-defer a portion of their salary into a TDA plan and pay current Federal and State taxes on the reduced salary only.
Direct Deposit		Upon Employment	Staff may have their paycheck deposited directly into a personal checking account. Virtually all of the banks in the region accept direct deposits from Caltech.

*Eligibility Requirement: Postdoc who receive a minimum of $12,000 salary per year.