The fact that you can take paid surveys online and earn some extra money is pretty common knowledge these days. However, what is not common knowledge is how much you actually get paid. Sure, there are websites and ads that say you can earn $150 an hour, but can you really? Here’s what you can realistically expect to earn from legitimate survey companies, how often you can earn, and what factors influence your qualification to take a survey in the first place.

1. Be paid. Can you really earn $150 an hour? The short answer is yes. In fact, you can earn more than that, but there is a problem. What they don’t tell you, when they say you can make that kind of money, is that those types of surveys, usually paid studies or focus groups, are looking for fewer participants than general online surveys. They are also looking for those who fit into a more particular demographic. Not many people will qualify to take the highest paying studies, and many never get picked out of sheer bad timing or bad luck.
2. Average remuneration. Survey companies vary in what they offer as compensation for your time. For companies that pay cash, you can expect to earn between $1 and $8 per survey and take between 5 and 30 minutes of your time. Some surveys take longer, some take less than estimated, and some surveys may pay more or less. In general, however, the $1-8 range is where the bulk of the surveys are, with more surveys in the lower range than in the upper range.
3. Frequency and Qualification. The best paid surveys and paid studies are not very frequent. You should consider them a bonus. Lower paying surveys, on the other hand, can be taken several times a day if you are registered with a good number of research panels. One way to find the best paying surveys is to check your favorite survey website (it should be free) to see if they have a blog where they post paid surveys and focus groups they’ve found. Paid surveys come from the survey companies themselves, but are often published to find very specific types of people. Then, they ask you to complete a short pre-qualification survey. General and everyday surveys should already have been pre-qualified for you when you filled out your profile information with the individual survey companies.

In addition to actual compensation, another frequently asked question is, “If surveys only pay a dollar, why should I take them?” Sometimes it only takes a few minutes of your time and the survey money adds up fast. There is no other place where you can earn money just by sitting on your couch, relaxing and giving input on your own schedule. Also, you don’t have to take the lower paying surveys if you don’t want to. That’s the beauty of being a poll panelist. If you don’t think the tradeoff is worth it, just don’t do it. Wait until you see something that interests you, and then do it. You’d be surprised how much extra money you can earn each month.