Does EDD count plasma donation or medical trial money as income? Need to know ASAP

plasma donatins dont count as income i did it for like 6 months while on ui last year. never reported it and had no problems

There's actually a specific rule about this. Plasma donation payments are technically considered "compensation for a service" not "income from employment" by the IRS. However, EDD has a broader definition of reportable income during certification. For plasma donations: Most people don't report this because it's considered selling a biological product, not performing work. The money is for your time and the inconvenience, not wages. For medical trials: This is more complicated. The compensation is for your participation in research, not employment, but the amounts are typically larger and usually reported on a 1099. I would recommend reporting this during certification to be safe. Either way, document everything in case of an audit later. Keep receipts from the plasma center and any paperwork from medical trials.

my cousin did medical trials while on unemployment and he just didnt report it cuz they pay in cash sometimes and EDD doesnt know about it unless you tell them lol

I went through something similar last year and called EDD for clarification. Took me FOREVER to get through to someone (kept getting the "we're experiencing high call volume" message for days). When I finally spoke to a rep, they told me that technically ANY income received during a certification period should be reported, regardless of source. For plasma donation, they said it should be reported as "other income" on your certification. Same for research studies. However, the rep also mentioned that these types of payments fall into a gray area because you're not technically employed or performing work services. If you want an official answer directly from EDD, I'd recommend using Claimyr to get through to an agent quickly. I found it at claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. It helped me get through to clarify my situation rather than guessing what to do.

I'm so confused right now! I was about to start donating plasma tomorrow! Does this mean i'll lose my unemployment benefits?? I NEED that money for rent but I also can't afford to lose ANY of my weekly benefit amount. This is so stressful!

To add some clarity here: 1) EDD uses a specific formula for deductions when you report income: They disregard the greater of $25 or 25% of your earnings. The remainder is deducted from your weekly benefit amount. 2) For plasma donation: The official EDD stance is that compensation received should be reported, but in practice, many donation centers classify these payments as "reimbursement for time/travel" rather than income. 3) For medical trials: These typically issue 1099 forms at year-end for tax purposes, which creates a document trail that could be problematic if you don't report it during certification. The safest approach is always to report both, but understand that if you report plasma donation earnings, you'll still receive most of your benefits due to the partial earnings formula EDD uses.

THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO KEEP US BROKE!!! Why should we have to report selling OUR OWN BODILY FLUIDS just to survive??? This is exactly why I hate dealing with EDD - they make it impossible to get ahead when you're struggling. Can't work, can't not work, can't even sell your own plasma without them taking a cut. SMH

After seeing all the discussion, here's what I recommend: 1. For plasma donation: If you're doing this occasionally, the amounts are relatively small, and many people consider this in a grey area. If you report it, use the "other income" option during certification. 2. For medical trials: Definitely report this. The amounts are larger, and research facilities issue tax documents. 3. Remember EDD's partial income formula: They ignore the greater of $25 or 25% of your income before reducing your benefits. So reporting small amounts won't dramatically impact your benefit payment. 4. Document everything regardless of what you decide: Keep receipts, payment records, and any tax forms you receive. The safest approach is always full disclosure during certification, but many claimants make their own risk assessment regarding plasma donation specifically.

Just wanted to share my experience as someone who's been on both sides of this. I did plasma donation for about 4 months while on UI and chose to report it every time. Yes, it reduced my weekly benefit slightly, but I never had any issues or audits. The peace of mind was worth it for me - I sleep better knowing I'm fully compliant. Plus with the partial earnings formula, I was still coming out ahead financially. Made about $160/week from plasma, they ignored the first $40 (25% of $160), so only $120 was deducted from my $400 WBA. Still got $280 in UI plus the $160 from plasma = $440 total vs just $400 if I hadn't done anything. My advice: report it, keep good records, and don't stress about it. The system is actually designed to encourage people to earn some income while on benefits, not punish them for it.