300-29: Honoraria

This policy outlines circumstances in which payment of honoraria is appropriate and defines eligibility for payment.

A. Appropriate Use of Honorarium Payments

• Types of activities for which honoraria may be paid include:
• a special lecture or short series of such lectures;
• conducting a seminar or workshop of no more than two-weeks duration;
• serving as guest speaker at a commencement exercise or other similar function;
• appraisal of a manuscript for the University Press, or an article to be submitted to a professional publication;
• exceptional requests for distinguished teaching or special service.
• Payments for independent consultants, faculty consultants, performance fees, and professional services are non-honorarium transactions.
• Additional compensation for summer session teaching, University Extension teaching or correspondence courses, or extramurally-funded research are non-honorarium transactions. These activities are covered by the Academic Personnel Manual external site (opens in a new window) , Sections 661 external site (opens in a new window) , 662 external site (opens in a new window) , 663 external site (opens in a new window) , and 667 external site (opens in a new window) .

B. Eligibility for Payment

• In general, University faculty and full-time academic appointees are not eligible to receive additional compensation for activities related to their recognized University duties. Faculty may receive honoraria for (1) seminars, lectures, or campus-sponsored program reviews when these activities occur on other University campuses (2) concerts, or other creative work, or for University-sponsored conferences and panels occurring on any campus of the University. An honorarium may be subject to negotiation in each case but may not exceed an amount stipulated periodically by the Provost and Senior Vice Provost—Academic Affairs. Staff employees may not receive honorarium payments.
• Honoraria may be paid to foreign visitors in accordance with University policies on payments to foreign visitors. Such payments depend on visa classification and are subject to restrictions.

C. Method of Payment

• Honorarium payments to UC faculty shall be initiated by a Payroll Additional Pay Form.
• Payments to non-University employees shall be authorized on a Non-Payroll Check Request Form.

D. Allowable Rates

• The maximum rate for honorarium payments is $1,500 per event.
• Honorarium payments above the maximum must be approved by the Vice Provost—Academic Affairs. State funds (19900) may not be used for honoraria above the maximum rate.

Contact responsible office with any questions.

• Academic Personnel Manual external site (opens in a new window) , Office of the President:
  Additional Compensation/General external site (opens in a new window) (Section 660); Additional Compensation/Lectures and Similar Service external site (opens in a new window) (Section 666)
• Policy on Payments to Foreign Visitors, UCSF Accounting Office, 10/3/96
• Supplementary Guidelines to Administrative Policy 300-29, Office of the Vice Provost— Academic Affairs
• University of California Accounting Manual external site (opens in a new window) , Office of the President:
  Honorarium Payments external site (opens in a new window) (PDF Document) (Section D-371-35); Taxes: Federal Taxation of Aliens external site (opens in a new window) (PDF document) (Section T-182-22)