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Salary Caps

NIH and Other Public Health Service Agencies

NIH logo

Salary requests for any agency within the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) are capped. Congress adjusts the salary cap annually.

The following agencies constitute the U.S. Public Health Service:

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  • Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  • Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
  • Indian Health Service (IHS)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

The NIH provides a Salary Cap Summary that provides the current salary cap along with historical data.

Additional information can be found on the NIH's Salary Cap, Stipends, and Training Funds webpage.

National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation Logo

The National Science Foundation (NSF) limits the salary compensation requested in the proposal budget for senior personnel to no more than two months of their regular salary in any year. This limit includes salary compensation received from all NSF-funded grants.

Additional information about the NSF two-month rule may be found in the NSF PAPPG in the Salaries and Wages sub-section of the Budget and Budget Justification section.

Other Sponsors


Sponsors may impose a salary cap or other limitations. Please review sponsor information closely.

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