Faculty honoraria and administrative stipends

If you wish to pay a lump sum honoraria to a faculty member holding an unpaid appointment, the existing relationship should be examined first to determine whether an employment relationship exists.  If an employment relationship exists and the appointment meets the criteria for a salaried appointment then regular earnings should provided so the individual is receiving a salary. Any questions about whether the appointment meets the criteria to be salaried should be directed to a member of the Faculty Relations team.  If there is no employment relationship and the honoraria is a token of recognition then the honoraria may be paid. Back up documentation explaining the reason for the honoraria must be included when processing the honoraria payment.

If a faculty member takes on extra teaching over and above their normal teaching load an honoraria may be paid. There's no salary scale for overload teaching, and the honorarium would be negotiated between the faculty member and the head of the academic unit. Back up documentation explaining the reason for the honoraria must be included when processing the honoraria payment.

Sessional lecturers must be paid regular salary for any teaching or related duties through ISI and in accordance with the minimum salary scale.  Sessional lecturers normally only receive honoraria for marking when the exam is within three days of the end of the appointment, or for course cancellations without one month’s notice as provided for in Articles 2.04 and 10.05 of the Part 7 of the collective agreement (Conditions of Appointment for Sessional Faculty Members).  Please ensure back up documentation which explains the reason for the honoriara is included when processing the honoraria payment.

Faculty members are allowed to receive research honoraria from third parties, provided they don't succeed 1/6th of their total compensation.

The total of all honoraria paid to the faculty member from third parties (contracts, grants, etc., whether the source is research related or otherwise and whether the honorarium is for research activities or otherwise) doesn't exceed 1/6th of the member’s total compensation (excluding benefits) during the academic year (July 1 to June 30) unless previously approved by the Provost, as per Policy LR2 – Research.

Honoraria from internal sources

Note that honoraria from internal UBC sources – such as from general purpose operating funds (GPO) – is not subject to the 1/6 limit and instead is considered as part of the total compensation from which honoraria from third parties cannot exceed 1/6th of.

When processing the honoraria, back up documentation must be included that provides an explanation for the payment.  

A summary of honoraria payments paid to a faculty member can be provided by running the Workday report "List of Honoraria Paid". Please run these prior to processing a research honoraria to ensure the faculty member has not exceeded the 1/6th limit for the academic year.

Faculty members can receive an honorarium for additional administrative duties above and beyond the normal service expectations.

There's no salary scale for additional administrative duties, and the honorarium would be negotiated between the faculty member and the head of the academic unit.

Back up documentation explaining the reason for the honoraria must be included when processing the honoraria payment.

All honoraria are subject to the approval of the head of the academic unit and dean (Dean’s approval only in non-departmentalized faculties). Payments to joint appointees must be approved by both heads and dean(s).

Payments made to faculty members outside of the unit (not official joint appointments) must also be approved by both department heads and the dean of the faculty where the academic appointment resides.

Upon the approval of the dean(s),

• the provost must approve any honoraria from third parties where the total honoraria paid to a faculty member by third parties is in excess of 1/6th of the total compensation (including internally funded honoraria; excluding benefits) received within an academic year (July to June). To arrange Provost review e-mail your request to fr@exchange.ubc.ca, and we'll forward to the provost. Once the response is received the department will be informed. 

Honoraria are taxable (including mandatory income tax, CPP, EI, BC EHT, and WCB) but do not attract UBC benefit deductions (e.g. pension, life insurance,health). Note that EI hours are not attached to lump sum honoraria. Therefore should an individual need to access EI benefits, any lump sum payments will not be included in their UBC insurable hours, which could have a negative impact on their EI claim.

Stipends are paid for the duration of the administrative appointment. There is no salary scale, minimum or maximum for stipends. Stipends are taxable as salary, and attract pension and benefits, as well as CPP, EI, & WCB.