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.
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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.
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Leila Haddad
AuthorThanks 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?
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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.
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Leila Haddad
AuthorThis 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.
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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??
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Emma Johnson
omg seriously? a garage sale?? that's insane. the system is totally broken
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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.
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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.
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Leila Haddad
AuthorGood 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.
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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?
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Leila Haddad
AuthorThe 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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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!
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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.
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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.
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Leila Haddad
AuthorGood 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.
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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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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