Checklist for new postdocs

Know your hiring status: are you a Postdoctoral Associate or a Postdoctoral Fellow ? Associates are typically paid off a grant held by their advisor, while Fellows are paid off a University Fellowship or have their own direct link to an external funding source.

Know your tax status: is tax being withheld from your paycheck? If tax is being withheld, then you will often receive a refund in April. If not, you will often owe money in April. Typically, Associates have tax withheld from their paychecks, while Fellows do not. Also, in many cases, Fellows are exempt from New Jersey taxes.

Check whether you are eligible for accelerated vesting of retirement and disability benefits. Normally you would have to work at Princeton for 2 1/2 years in order to be able to keep these benefits when you leave. However, if you were previously (within 6 months) employed by a tax-exempt or educational institution then you can decrease or eliminate this period. Thus, you will probably qualify for accelerated vesting if you previously were a teaching assistant or had a graduate stipend. Here is the relevant webpage and the form you’ll need to have filled out by your prior employer.

Attend a postdoc social to get in touch with the local community of postdocs from around the world. These are usually held every month, and are announced on the PDC-social mailing list, which you can subscribe to here.

Contact graduate students and departmental administrators to ensure that you have been added to mailing lists for announcements and social events. Postdocs are often not included automatically, so it is a good idea to be proactive on this front.

Read through the rest of the Princeton Postdocs website for information on housing, professional services, and lifstyle.

New Postdoc Orientations are being held occasionally through the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. Be sure to sign up for our mailing list to ensure you receive information regarding the next orientation session.