Earn from paid research studies and user testing safely

Use this guide if you want to earn occasional extra money by giving your opinions in focus groups, interviews, product tests or website and app testing. Have a separate email address ready, your weekly availability and a rough idea of your background details, as studies screen for specific types of people. This is general information, not tax or financial advice.

Step by step

1. Know the types of study and what to expect

   Paid research includes in-person or online focus groups, one-to-one interviews, home product tests where you use and review an item, diary studies over several days, and user research sessions where you try a website or app while talking through your thoughts. Most studies use a screener questionnaire to find people matching a profile, so you will be turned down far more often than accepted, and work comes in irregularly. Incentives are usually paid by bank transfer or vouchers after you take part, and sometimes you keep a product. Treat it as occasional extra income, not a dependable wage, and paid clinical trials are a separate area with their own safety checks that this guide does not cover.