Budget guidelines

Research Personnel Costs

All Research Assistants must be paid at least the BC minimum wage ($17.40/hour as of June 2024) plus appropriate benefits; Supervisors may choose to pay a higher rate (e.g., the BC living wage: $25.68/hour).

Graduate Students may be paid a stipend instead of a wage;  stipends must also equal or exceed the BC minimum wage ($17.40/hour as of June 2024) and typically do not include compensation for benefits.

• Note that the living wage for Metro Vancouver is $25.68/hour (www.livingwageforfamilies.ca; 2024).
  RA wages and stipends should meet living wage requirements.

Refer to the HR Research Personnel Initiative for more information; and see Employing Grant-Funded Research Assistants.  

Teaching "Buy Outs"

Some funding agencies provide salary replacement funds to protect research time and "buy out" teaching responsibilities;  the standard cost of one regular course buy-out in FASS is $20K, corresponding to 12% of the annual average salary in FASS plus benefits.    

The current Collective Agreement (CA) specifies that: "Under certain circumstances, and subject to the approval of the Chair or equivalent and the Dean, faculty members may “buy out” teaching responsibilities when the source of funds is an external research grant or contract, and where the benefits of the buyout to the faculty member’s research program outweigh the effects on the unit’s teaching program and its students. A faculty member normally may not buy out more than one course in any academic year, or not more than one quarter of the actual teaching assigned during any six-year period or any period of eligible years leading to a study leave." [p.33]

Additional Budget Information: