The Honorarium: A Compensation Compromise for Grant Writers

What is an honorarium?

An honorarium is a payment that says “thank you” to someone for providing a small service.  A price or fee is not really set for the service rendered. Honoraria are income and taxable.

Who receives an honorarium?

Honoraria are very common in the academic community, especially in the sciences.  Individual faculty members from other universities are invited to visit with and share their research findings with colleagues and students through regular, department seminars.  Such people usually receive an honorarium in addition to travel expenses.