Financial Information

Direct Deposit

The Office of Finance & Treasury strongly encourages all visitors to enroll in direct deposit. To enroll in direct deposit, visit HR Self Service. Select the "personal information" tile for address changes and the "payroll" tile to enroll in direct deposit.

If you are an international scholar, we recommend opening up your U.S. bank account within the first few days of your arrival and updating your HR Self-Service payroll record with your banking details. 

To update your payroll record with your banking details, please log-in to HR Self-Service (go to the Princeton Human Resources page , click on “Quick Links” and select “HR Self-Service”). Then, choose the “Payroll” tile, and then the “Direct Deposit” tile, where you can enter your U.S. banking details. 

For faculty and staff who are not enrolled in direct deposit, paychecks will be mailed on payday to their home/local address on file. Please make sure this address is up-to-date in the self service portal.

Payroll

Princeton salary is paid monthly on the last business day of each month. For specific questions about your payroll, please contact the Princeton Payroll Services team at [email protected].

Relocation Allowance

Fellows, visiting research scholars, and postdocs receive reimbursement (after their start date) for moving expenses up to a maximum set in their offer letter for their moves to Princeton. Please retain your receipts associated with moving expenses for reimbursement. Note that relocation expenses are taxable. Moving costs incurred and reimbursed are added to the individual’s taxable gross income, and taxes are withheld based on the W4 on file. Depending on the amount, subsequent taxation is spread over multiple months to lessen the tax implication from one payment. 

Expenses normally reimbursed include:

  • One pre-move visit, including meals, tips, lodging, taxis or rental car not to exceed three calendar days (includable in taxable income)
  • Transportation charges for one continuous move of household items and personal effects from the current domicile to the Princeton area (includable in taxable income)
  • Container costs for household items, including book cartons, wardrobes, linen cartons, dish packs, mattress carton, and corrugated cartons for mirrors and pictures (includable in taxable income)
  • Packing charges for breakable items such as dishes, glassware, lamps, mirrors, and pictures and for mattresses and box springs (includable in taxable income)
  • For family members, reasonable and customary expenses for transportation to the new location, including lodging not to exceed three calendar days (includable in taxable income)

Expenses not normally reimbursed are:

  • Charges for moving laboratory equipment, office equipment, houseplants, pianos, perishable food, firewood, boats, building materials, domestic and non-domestic animals, and automobiles
  • Packing and unpacking of normal household goods — with the exception of breakable items, mattresses, and box springs
  • Purchase of furniture
  • Cleaning expenses
  • Expedited service
  • Costs for replacing household items not transported to the Princeton area
  • Temporary or interim lodging or accommodations
  • Temporary storage of household items or vehicles

To request moving reimbursement, download, complete and sign the Moving Expense Form and forward to Jennifer, along with any receipts. Please include any explanations if needed.  

Research Expense Account

Your research account is available for any expenses incurred from July 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026.  Any research travel must conclude by June 30.  The deadline for submission of reimbursements/substantiation of expenses is June 15.

Please note that the following guidelines are provided for information purposes only. NCGG and the University's administration (the Office of Finance and Treasury and the Office of the Dean of Faculty) reserve the right to deny any expense reimbursement requests they feel do not align with the University’s guidelines, policies, and procedures.

During your fellowship year, you will be issued a Princeton Travel & Expense Card. Concur is Princeton’s system for booking travel arrangements and seeking expense reimbursements/substantiating expenses charged to your university travel and expense card. When you use your Travel and Expense Card, your charges are automatically uploaded to your My Concur  page and are ready to be substantiated on an expense report. Using the Princeton Travel and Expense Card reduces manual entries and the need to spend cash out of pocket.

Receipts are required for expenses of $50 or more. Photograph or scan these receipts and attach them to your expense report in Concur.  Receipts for expenses less than $50 are not required. 

NCGG asks that you submit a Concur report for any expenses you have incurred the previous month. All expenses must be substantiated via a Concur expense report within 45 days of being incurred. You will be reminded to submit an expense report each month.  You will receive an email with instructions for setting up your Concur profile and NCGG will provide a Concur expense report demo session.

For detailed information about using your NCGG research account see Research Account/Expense Guidelines.

Non-U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents

Any non-U.S. citizen/permanent resident who is at our institution and receiving payments from Princeton is subject to tax withholding. If the individual is from a country that has a tax treaty exemption, then he/she must apply for the treaty and must have a U.S. issued Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). More information on applying for a Social Security Number can be found on the Davis International Center website . IRS Publication 901 contains information regarding tax treaties. If you want information about withholding, you can reference IRS Publication 515 .

U.S. tax law requires the University to withhold income tax on payments received in the United States. You will receive information from the office of Non-Resident Tax Compliance at Princeton University regarding the Sprintax Calculus system and you will be required to enter your visa information in the Sprintax Calculus system within 10 days of arriving on campus. The signed Sprintax Calculus forms must be provided to Non-Resident Tax Compliance and Reporting Team (NTCR) located at 701 Carnegie Center, Ste 442A at least one month prior to the date of payment so that the correct tax withholding can be made; failure to do so may result in the maximum rate of tax withholding. The maximum tax rate that may be withheld from your stipend payment is 30%.

If Sprintax Calculus has determined that you are eligible to claim a tax treaty benefit at an exempted or reduced tax rate and you have not provided your signed Form W-8BEN(Link is external) or 8233(Link downloads document), then you will not be able to claim a tax treaty benefit. If not already on file, the completed forms must be submitted to the Non-Resident Tax Compliance and Reporting Team (NTCR) located at 701 Carnegie Center, Ste 442A. 

You can also find information on the Office of Finance & Treasury website and specific questions may be directed to our office of Non-Resident Tax Compliance at [email protected].