Will EDD reduce my benefits if I participate in paid research studies?
I recently got laid off from my IT job and I'm receiving regular UI benefits while I search for work. To make a little extra cash, I signed up for some paid research studies (mostly online surveys, but one in-person focus group that pays $150). I'm reporting all income on my bi-weekly certification, but I'm confused about how these payments affect my benefits. Are research study payments considered wages or something else? Will they reduce my weekly benefit amount? The EDD website isn't clear on this specific situation. I don't want to mess up my claim or get hit with an overpayment notice later.
30 comments
Join the conversation
Emma Johnson
yes they count as income u have 2 report it. I did some product testing last yr and got like $75 and EDD reduced my payment that week.
0 coins
Leila Haddad
•Thanks for sharing your experience. So they just reduced your payment for that specific week? Did you have to do anything special when reporting it, or just put it in as income?
0 coins
Ravi Patel
Yes, research study compensation is considered income and must be reported during certification. EDD reduces your weekly benefit amount based on a formula: for every dollar you earn, they deduct about $0.75 from your benefits (after the first $25 which is exempt). Important: report the income for the week you EARNED it, not when you got paid. For your $150 focus group, that would likely reduce your benefit by around $94 for that week only. Also, keep documentation of all your research study payments in case of an eligibility interview later.
0 coins
Leila Haddad
•This is super helpful, thank you! I didn't realize they exempt the first $25 - that's good to know. I'll definitely keep all documentation.
0 coins
Astrid Bergström
THE EDD SYSTEM IS RIDICULOUS!!! They count EVERYTHING as income but don't help when you really need it. I had a garage sale last year and some nosy neighbor must have reported me because EDD called asking about "unreported income"!!! How are we supposed to survive on these tiny benefit amounts with everything costing so much??
0 coins
Emma Johnson
•omg seriously? a garage sale?? that's insane. the system is totally broken
0 coins
PixelPrincess
•Just to clarify, occasional garage sales typically aren't considered reportable income for EDD purposes as they're usually selling personal items at a loss. However, if you're regularly buying and reselling items for profit, that would be different. The research studies OP is asking about definitely count as earned income though.
0 coins
Omar Farouk
When I got laid off in 2023, I did those medical research studies where they pay you like $500 to test some new medication. EDD counted it all and I got $0 for those weeks. The stupid part is I had to keep certifying even tho I got nothing just to keep my claim active. Make sure you don't skip certifying even if the research pay is more than your benefit amount.
0 coins
Leila Haddad
•Good point about continuing to certify - I wouldn't have thought of that. I'm mostly doing small surveys ($5-20) with just the one bigger focus group, so hopefully I'll still get something each week.
0 coins
Chloe Martin
I've been on Unemployment for 3 months. Had the same question when I started doordashing part-time. You definitely have to report all income, but the research studies might count as 1099 work which is different from W2. Did they give you any tax forms or mention how they're classifying the payments?
0 coins
Leila Haddad
•The consent form said they'll send a 1099 if I earn more than $600 this year. Most of these are small amounts though, so I probably won't hit that threshold. But I'll still report everything.
0 coins
Chloe Martin
•Yeah even if you don't get a 1099 you still have to report it. That's what messed me up because I thought under $600 didn't count, but EDD doesn't care about tax thresholds - they want ALL income reported.
0 coins
PixelPrincess
Just to add some clarification: Research study payments are considered self-employment income. When certifying, report them for the week you performed the work (not when paid). In question #2 of the certification, answer "Yes" to "Did you work or earn any money?" You'll need to report gross earnings (before taxes). Your weekly benefit will be reduced using this formula: Weekly Benefit - (Earnings - $25) × 0.75 = Adjusted Benefit Amount Example: If your weekly benefit is $450 and you earn $150 from a study: $450 - ($150 - $25) × 0.75 = $450 - $93.75 = $356.25 This means you'd still receive $356 that week.
0 coins
Diego Fernández
•thank you so much for breaking down the calculation like this!! helps me understand how this works for my situation too (I'm doing some online tutoring
0 coins
Omar Farouk
Has anyone been able to get thru to EDD to ask these types of questions? I have a similar situation but with Instacart work and I've been calling for DAYS with no luck. Always get the "we're experiencing high call volume" message and then it hangs up!
0 coins
Anastasia Kuznetsov
•I had the same issue trying to reach EDD about my partial earnings. After wasting days trying to get through, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) and actually got connected to an EDD rep in about 20 minutes. They have this system that navigates all the EDD phone menus and calls you when they get a representative. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km. So much better than spending all day redialing.
0 coins
Diego Fernández
i went through this last year! the small survey amounts didnt really impact my benefits much because of that formula the other person mentioned. but my advice is KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING in a spreadsheet - dates, amounts, which certification period they go in. i got so confused with dates and almost messed up my claim. better to be super organized from the start.
0 coins
Leila Haddad
•Good idea about the spreadsheet. I'll start one today to track everything. I'm already getting confused about which survey belongs to which certification period.
0 coins
Emma Johnson
im confused about somethin - if we earn money do we report it for the week we did the work or the week we got paid? cuz sometimes these research places take like a month to send payment
0 coins
Ravi Patel
•You report income for the week you performed the work, not when you received payment. This is a common point of confusion. For example, if you did a research study on April 5th, but don't get paid until May 1st, you should report that income for the certification period that includes April 5th.
0 coins
Leila Haddad
Thank you everyone for all the helpful information! I've learned that: 1) I definitely need to report all research study income, 2) Report it for the week I did the work, not when I get paid, 3) The first $25 per week is exempt, and then benefits are reduced by about 75% of the remaining amount, 4) Keep certifying even if my income temporarily reduces my benefits to $0, and 5) I should keep detailed records of all earnings. I'm going to create a spreadsheet to track everything like someone suggested. This has been incredibly helpful - much clearer than anything on the EDD website!
0 coins
Ravi Patel
•Perfect summary! One last tip: If you ever have uncertainty about how to report something specific, document your decision-making process and save any relevant communications. This way, if EDD ever questions something, you can demonstrate good faith efforts to comply with the rules.
0 coins
Mia Alvarez
This is such a great thread! I'm in a similar situation - just started UI benefits after getting laid off from my marketing job. I've been doing some freelance graphic design work here and there, and this conversation really cleared up my confusion about reporting. The calculation breakdown that @PixelPrincess provided is gold - I'm definitely saving that for reference. It's reassuring to know that small amounts of income won't completely wipe out benefits thanks to that $25 exemption. Going to start that spreadsheet tracking system right away!
0 coins
Ethan Moore
•Welcome to the UI club! 😅 Freelance graphic design work definitely follows the same rules as the research studies we've been discussing. Just make sure you're reporting it as self-employment income for the week you do the work, not when the client pays you. That can be tricky with freelance since payment timing varies so much. The spreadsheet tracking system has been a lifesaver for me - I include columns for date of work, client/project, amount earned, and which certification period it falls into. Good luck with your job search!
0 coins
Vince Eh
I'm also newly unemployed (tech layoffs hit my company last month) and have been wondering about this exact scenario! I signed up for a few user research studies through UserTesting and similar platforms. The income reporting rules seem pretty straightforward based on everyone's explanations here, but I'm curious - has anyone had issues with EDD questioning whether this type of work affects your "able and available" status? I'm worried they might think I'm not actively job searching if I'm spending time on research studies, even though it's just a few hours here and there.
0 coins
Zoe Stavros
•Great question about the "able and available" requirement! I haven't had any issues with EDD questioning this, and I don't think you should worry too much. User research studies are typically very flexible - you can do them around your job search schedule, and they're usually just a few hours per week at most. The key is making sure you're still actively job searching and available to accept work during normal business hours. As long as you're applying to jobs, attending interviews when offered, and not turning down work opportunities because of research studies, you should be fine. I've been doing both for months without any problems. Just keep documenting your job search activities like you normally would!
0 coins
Kaiya Rivera
I'm dealing with a similar situation right now! Just got laid off from my software engineering job and started doing UX research studies while job hunting. Based on everything discussed here, it sounds like the reporting requirements are pretty clear, but I'm wondering about one specific scenario - what if you sign up for a longitudinal study that pays you monthly over several months, but you only do the actual "work" (surveys, interviews, etc.) sporadically throughout that period? Do you report the income when you receive the monthly payment, or try to allocate it across the specific weeks when you actually participated in study activities? Some of these studies have weird payment structures where they pay you a "participation fee" upfront and then "completion bonuses" later.
0 coins
Abigail Patel
•That's a tricky situation with the longitudinal studies! Based on what I've learned from this thread, the general rule is to report income for the week you actually perform the work, not when you get paid. For your scenario, I'd suggest allocating the payments across the weeks when you actually do the study activities (surveys, interviews, etc.) rather than reporting it all in the weeks you receive payments. So if you get $200 monthly but did activities in weeks 1, 3, and 4 of that month, try to estimate how much "work" you did each week and report accordingly. Keep detailed records of when you participate and what the payments are for - this documentation will be crucial if EDD ever questions it. The participation fees and completion bonuses make it more complex, but the core principle remains the same: income gets reported when the work is performed, not when payment is received.
0 coins
Anderson Prospero
I've been on UI for about 6 weeks now and doing some paid user research studies too. One thing I learned the hard way - make sure you screenshot or save the study details when you sign up, especially the dates and payment amounts. I had one study where the company took forever to send payment details and I couldn't remember exactly when I did the work vs when they sent follow-up surveys. EDD wants precision on the dates, so having that backup documentation saved me during my eligibility interview last month. Also, if you're doing studies through platforms like UserTesting or Respondent, they usually have good record-keeping in your account dashboard that you can reference later.
0 coins
Aisha Hussain
•This is such valuable advice about documentation! I just started my UI claim this week and hadn't thought about screenshotting study details. That's going straight into my tracking system. Quick question - when you had your eligibility interview, did they ask for specific documentation about the research study payments, or was it more general questions about your work search activities? I want to make sure I'm prepared with the right paperwork if I get called for an interview.
0 coins