Other allowances
Alongside allowances for business travel, commuting and relocation, there are also a number of smaller allowances for which you may qualify. Find out more about the meal allowance, emergency response team allowance, computer glasses allowance and the trade union contribution.
Reimbursement of computer glasses
You can submit a request for reimbursement of computer glasses via the Service Portal, under ‘My staff movements’, ‘Computer glasses’. You will receive the allowance with your salary.
Request via Service Portal1. Meal allowance
You may be eligible for a meal allowance during business meetings and trips or if you work overtime. If you pay for a meal during a business meeting, you may submit an expense claim for this. However, you are expected to exercise reasonable judgment. You can submit expense claims for meals through Self Service.
Different rules apply to expense claims for meals during business trips. Find our more on the business travel page.
If you work at least two hours overtime and the University does not provide a meal, you are eligible for an overtime meal allowance of up to €30,74. You can find more information on the webpage about Bonuses and allowances.
2. University emergency response team allowance
If you are a member of the University emergency response team, you bear extra responsibility alongside the responsibility in your regular post. You attend a couple of (emergency response) exercises and will receive a gross annual allowance for this. This can be as high as € 320, if you attend a minimum of 6 exercises. Furthermore, you may be eligible for the following additional allowances:
- If you wear breathing apparatus, you receive an extra gross allowance of € 135 per year.
- If you are the team leader of the emergency response team, you receive an extra gross allowance of € 120 per year.
- If you have been a member of the emergency response team for five years without interruption, you will receive an extra gross allowance of € 220 per year.
3. Computer glasses
If you use a screen for at least two hours per day and have difficulty seeing the screen despite wearing regular glasses or lenses, you may be eligible for an allowance for computer glasses and the cost of an eye examination by an optician.
Conditions
- The optician's examination must focus on the eyes in relation to computer work. Normal eye correction devices will not be reimbursed.
- The display screen glasses must be purchased from an optician.
- You receive a maximum of € 375 (including VAT) towards to the cost of computer glasses.
- You must submit an original invoice from the optician, which states that it is for display screen glasses. The invoice from the optician states the costs of the eye examination, the costs of the frame and the glasses.
- The invoice must be from the year in which the declaration is requested.
- Does an eye examination by an optician show that you need new display screen glasses sooner (than after three years)? Then you can - if the optician thinks it is required - within three years, reapply for reimbursement of both the computer glasses and the eye examination.
University doctor
You will only need to visit the University doctor if your application exceeds the maximum of € 375, in which case you must take the results of your last eye examination with you to your appointment. The University doctor will need to provide a written statement confirming that these specific computer glasses are essential. Enclose the doctor’s statement with your claim.
For instructions about requesting the allowance please read this Knowledge Item.
4. Trade union contribution (Trade Union Month)
In the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) of Dutch Universities 2023-2024, the unions and employers agreed that September will in future be Trade Union Month. An allowance is attached to this agreement. If you join one of the unions that are part of the CAO in September, the university will pay the first six months of your membership fees, up to a maximum of 100 euros.
Conditions for trade union contribution:
- You became a member in the month of September (please note: in 2023 only, the discount offer also applies to employees who became a union member in August)
- This is the first time you have become a member of the union
- You are a member for at least one year
- Your application is completed and signed by the FSSC by 15 November at the latest
If you want to apply for the contribution to your union membership fees, please complete this form. You can find more information and instructions on how to apply in the helpdesk portal.
Please note: this is a different scheme from the allowance via the Terms of Employment Individual Choices Model, where the union contribution is offset against your holiday or end-of-year bonus. If you make use of both schemes, the amount of the allowance will be deducted from the amount to be offset from the individual choice model.
Allowances
Allowances for PhD candidates
The rules on allowances apply to all PhD candidates with a university appointment, including Contract-PhD candidates. If certain allowances also apply to external PhD candidates, this will be stated below.
Travel and training costs (only for PhD candidates with a University appointment and Contract-PhD candidates)
- For appointed PhD candidates, PhD Fellows and Contract PhD candidates, costs up to a maximum of €5,000 can be reimbursed by the institute where he or she is appointed. The exact amount may vary depending on the needs and nature of the research. Costs may apply to accommodation expenses, courses, conferences, study days and study trips, membership of scientific organisations, and a maximum of €1,000 for the purchase of scientific literature. Before costs can be claimed via SelfService, permission first needs to be obtained from the Scientific Director (or Head of Department) and the supervisors.
Translation costs
- No specific arrangement for PhD candidates exists.
- Departments and institutes may provide funds to their PhD candidates (including external PhD candidates) to cover costs which cannot be paid from the travel and training budget. Often supervisors use their own contract-funded resources (third flow of funds) to cover such costs, certainly if the PhD candidate has made a contribution towards contract-funded research or teaching.
Lay-out costs PhD dissertation in Meijers series
- Up to now, the arrangement was that if a PhD dissertation (or some other book) is part of the Meijers series (following a decision by the Programme Coordinator with most involvement), the Graduate School will pay for the lay-out costs up to a maximum of €2,500. This also applies to a dissertation by an external PhD candidate. The maximum amount is based on the lay-out costs of a dissertation which falls within the 100,000 word limit contained in Article 13(7) of the Leiden University PhD Regulations.
- If this limit is exceeded, the additional cost will be charged to the department/institute where the supervisor is employed. You need to have permission of your departemental director in advance.
External PhD candidates will be expected to pay the additional cost.
Printing costs PhD dissertation
- The cost for printing will be paid by the Graduate School up to a maximum of €1,150. This arrangement applies irrespective of whether the book is published in the Meijers series or not, and irrespective of the type of PhD candidate. An invoice can be claimed up to a maximum amount of €1,650. These printing costs will be covered in part by the Leiden University Libraries (€500) and in part by the department of research (maximum €1,150).
To qualify for the Leiden University Libraries reimbursement you should fill out appendix B and send it to the Library (see also information on submitting PhD dissertation). If the invoice is more than € 500 you can claim the remaining amount up to a maximum of €1,150 from the department of research. PhD candidates with a university appointment can do this in SelfService. All other PhD candidates can do this using a digital form (including the invoice). To find out which sap number you should use, please send an email. - If printing costs are higher, the additional cost will be paid by the PhD candidate.
Other
- Funding from LUF. As a rule, only PhD candidates and students can apply to LUF for funding for a conference abroad or for more expensive trips abroad. The exact conditions differ per 'grant type' and can be found on the LUF website.
- Funding from the Graduate School for activities for PhD candidates. The Graduate School has a budget (€4,250) to pay for PhD drinks and meetings etc. The PhD Representative initiates these activities and the budget is administered by the head of research affairs. Funding is also available to promote the integration of self-funded PhD candidates.
- Agreements about remuneration for any other costs related to a PhD defence, such as the reception etc., are the full responsibility of the institutes.