How to negotiate your postdoc salary
Many people are surprised (even frustrated) to learn that it’s often possible to negotiate your postdoc salary. You might not have any luck—your future advisor might only have $x left in the grant budget—but it’s a good idea to ask.
How to word the request
Write or say something like this:
“I’m very excited about the opportunity to work with you. Although it’s not my priority, is there any flexibility with the compensation? My budget is going to be tight for the next few years, and I’d like to focus on research as much as possible.”
It’s good to emphasize that you plan to apply for competitive fellowships, if you haven’t already. This is easier if you apply early. Virtually all faculty I know will supplement those fellowships if their stipends fall below what was promised in the postdoc advisor’s offer letter, but this isn’t always possible. (Federal fellowships can only be supplemented by non-federal, i.e., private unrestricted or discretionary, funds, and your advisor might be have none left or not want to spend them if your full salary could otherwise be charged to a grant or contract.) The main point of emphasizing your applications is to show that you’re focused on excelling and appreciate your advisor might be making a financial sacrifice up front.
Some negotiation tactics
Remember to focus on total compensation, not just the annual stipend or salary. If they can’t increase the stipend, can they cover moving expenses, for instance? Can they tell you what the annual increases could look like? Do you have access at this institution to retirement benefits or other valuable benefits? Can they give you paid vacation a little sooner than you might technically earn it?
Many professors will just say they don’t have enough money to pay you more, and it’s reasonable not to push in that case. Funds are often tight. It doesn’t mean they’ll always be tight, but this really might be the best they can do.
But they might trot out something about equity. Perhaps they say this is what they pay all of their postdocs, or that the university prevents them from paying postdocs more. You’ve got a few options:
At many places, staff research scientists don’t have the same stringent stipend requirements of postdocs, and they often have access to better benefits. (They might also have a six-month probationary period, in contrast to the typical year-long postdoc contract.) Some professors might be willing to hire you as a staff scientist while you effectively function as a postdoc. This will require them to post the position (which can take weeks or months to get approved), wait (often a week or 30 days) for people to apply, and hire you after you apply to the job ad and are interviewed. You’ll be competing against other candidates. You’ll probably have a six-month probationary period. But this can be an effective method to circumvent postdoc pay restrictions. Just pay attention to what it means at that institution to be an employee and not a postdoctoral scholar, and confirm any changes to the job description with your potential advisor.
If you have another offer, you might mention it. This is not a lot of leverage because postdoc offers aren’t really exchangeable—they’re usually highly specialized opportunities—but this can often be sufficient justification for your advisor to take to HR and negotiate an exception to formal policy. This assumes they have enough money to pay you
Shouldn’t I take the offer that pays the most?
If you’re thinking like this, a postdoc might not be for you.
The postdoc is fundamentally a growth-focused training position, so once your salary is livable, it would be dumb to pick a lab because it pays $10k more now than the one that will increase your chances of a faculty position or another great job by 3x. (I gave up nearly $40k per year when choosing between my postdoc offers because I had a good sense of the long-term value of the training I chose.)
Of course, it’s important to be able to live comfortably where you work, so do be honest with yourself and then with a potential advisor about what you need. But after that, focus on the move that will accelerate your professional growth.
I’ve accepted an offer. Can I ask for a higher salary?
No, not until you’ve worked there for a year. Negotiate after the initial informal offer but before you sign anything. (I’d consider a verbal “Great, I’d love to join your group for a postdoc!” an effective signature.) Once you sign, it’s pretty much too late. We faculty often burn substantial social capital getting approval for offers behind the scenes, and it’s often not feasible for us to reopen negotiations.