By Dr. Jim Dahle, WCI FounderIt's a simple proposition. You have valuable knowledge and can always use a little extra money. Various companies want that knowledge and are willing to pay for it. Why not get the two parties together and make a deal that causes them both to be better off? You can take surveys for money. You can make money taking online surveys. Online surveys for cash. Got it?
Recommended Paid Physician Survey Companies
So, which companies should you try out? Here are the ones we recommend. Note that we have an affiliate relationship with each of these companies. If you sign up with them, we get paid a few bucks. Thank you for going through these links to support the mission of The White Coat Investor. You also sometimes get a special deal by going through these links that you can't get by going directly to the company.
#1 Sermo
Sermo is the largest global healthcare professional network, connecting more than 1.3 million HCPs across 96+ specialties. With high-paying opportunities focused on current medical topics like innovative treatments, medical device reviews and AI, members can earn over $15,000.
Last year, Sermo paid $20 million to members and offers flexible payment options including direct deposit, PayPal, gift cards or charity donation. Members conveniently complete surveys using the simple, mobile-friendly interface or interviews.
For physicians, Sermo also provides a social community for patient case collaboration, CME opportunities, medical news, lifestyle discussions, and the world's largest searchable database of drug ratings from verified doctors.
#2 Incrowd
InCrowd’s 5-10 minute MicroSurveys use a mobile-first approach, giving physicians an easy way to participate in paid research on diverse healthcare topics. It’s medical research designed for physician schedules. Incrowd will take people from all of these fields:
- Active Physician
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Nurse (BSN, LPN, RN, CNA)
- Physician Assistant
- Hospital Administrator
- Psychology
- Optometry
- Pharmacists and Staff
- Managed Care
- Dentistry
- Practice Managers
- Dental Hygienists
- Medical Resident or Fellow
- Veterinarian
- Genetic Counselor
Incrowd pays via Paypal or Tango (gift cards). It pays for surveys every time your balance reaches $25 and for interviews within 24 hours.
#3 Zoom Rx
ZoomRx surveys are quick, easy and tailored to your specialty. If you need to step away for a second you can automatically pick up where you left off the next time you log in. You can choose PayPal as your payment method and get paid instantly. Or they offer payment by check.
#4 m-panels
Join m-panels to share your local medical expertise and receive a $25 welcome bonus.
m-panels is a specialized panel of healthcare professionals in America and Canada. We enhance patient outcomes and support local communities through customized and market-specific surveys and medical studies.
Our platform enables physicians to make a meaningful impact by sharing their expertise and local medical insights in our studies, while getting compensated.
In collaboration with M3 Global Research and All Global Circle, you can receive a $40 or $60 welcome bonus instead of $25 if you register with two or three panels. Welcome bonus applies for physicians with selected specialties. More details on the registration page below.
#5 All Global Circle
Register with All Global Circle to help drive meaningful change and receive a $25 welcome bonus.
All Global Circle is an established panel of healthcare professionals from the world’s leading and most influential markets, including America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain.
As a panel member, you’ll get access to tailored and rewarding online surveys and medical studies for physicians. Your participation in our studies influences healthcare outcomes in these selected regions.
In collaboration with M3 Global Research and m-panels, you can receive a $40 or $60 welcome bonus instead of $25 if you register with two or three panels. Welcome bonus applies for physicians with selected specialties. More details on the registration page below.
#6 Enos Answers
ENOS is a widely-respected healthcare panel with exclusive healthcare providers, modeled on a simple premise: The provider experience comes first.
Panel members are paid instantly via Venmo, Paypal, or paper check—no delays, no redemption thresholds, no red tape. And unlike similar companies, ENOS always pays for your time. Even if you’re ineligible for a survey after completing screener questions, they still send you $5.
ENOS is committed to a friendly user experience, so they’re selective about the quality and length of their surveys. And if you ever have concerns, their help desk offers highly-personalized assistance in under 24 hours.
Joining ENOS is quick and easy. Sign up with your email and NPI number to receive invites to exclusive, tailored surveys—with the topic, time, and payment clearly stated. Start sharing your expertise and ideas to improve patient outcomes and impact future developments in your field!
#7 M3 Global Research
Become an M3 member to impact future healthcare developments and receive a $25 welcome bonus.
M3 Global Research is a multinational panel, representing millions of verified healthcare professionals across 18 markets in America, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and throughout Europe, including smaller regions such as the Nordics.
We offer paid market research studies for physicians across a wide range of medical specialties. Our online surveys, digital interviews, and focus groups are compensated, anonymous, and help decision-makers address global healthcare needs.
In collaboration with All Global Circle and m-panels, you can receive a $40 or $60 welcome bonus instead of $25 if you register with two or three panels. Welcome bonus applies for physicians with selected specialties. More details on the registration page below.
#8 Opinion Site
Join OpinionSite to share your expert feedback on new products, patient treatment trends and issues impacting the everyday lives of healthcare professionals. Participate in a wide array of engaging surveys and interviews. Your personal information and privacy are fully protected at all times. Digital payment tools provide a quick and easy way to redeem the rewards you earn for participating in research. It takes less than 5 minutes to join and once your membership is approved they will begin matching you with the meaningful medical research that fits your interests, with invites being sent to your inbox whenever a new research opportunity matches your profile.
OpinionSite accepts:
- Active Physician
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Nurse (BSN, LPN, RN, CNA)
- Physician Assistant
- Hospital Administrator
- Psychology
- Optometry
- Pharmacists and Staff
- Managed Care
- Dentistry
- Practice Managers
- Dental Hygienists
- Medical Resident or Fellow
- Veterinarian
- Genetic Counselor
- Technician, Technologist, and Imaging
OpinionSite accepts healthcare professionals in the US, Canada, UK, and EU.
#9 MDforLives
MDforLives extends a sincere invitation to the entire physician community and healthcare professionals to join their global platform. At MDforLives, they deeply value your clinical expertise and believe your insights are essential in shaping the future of healthcare. Their platform enables you to participate in scientifically grounded surveys and research studies that directly influence medical advancements and patient care solutions. In return for your time and contributions, they offer honoraria and the flexibility to engage at your convenience—always with full confidentiality and in compliance with HIPAA and GDPR standards. Whether you are a general practitioner, specialist, surgeon, resident, or researcher, your voice matters, by joining MDforLives, you become part of a global network of medical professionals committed to improving healthcare outcomes worldwide. They invite you to explore this opportunity and help drive meaningful change in the industry.
Sign Up for MDforLives Today!
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Why Doctors Should Take Paid Surveys
Why would someone want to become a paid survey-taker? There are a fair number of reasons besides the obvious.
#1 Take Surveys for Money
A surprising number of doctors are looking for a side gig. Multiple streams of income are a good thing. Taking surveys isn't ever going to overtake your clinical practice as your main source of income, but you can make a surprising amount of money doing them as a physician, especially compared to non-physician online survey companies.
#2 Start a Business and Get a Solo 401(k)
Here's another big reason people want to do surveys. If you are an employee at your practice, one big advantage of taking surveys is that you get some self-employment (1099) income. Since you and your employer are completely unrelated employers, that means you can start an individual or solo 401(k). Yes, that's right, you can have more than one 401(k). Assuming you're maxing out the 401(k) at your main gig, you can contribute 20% of what you make doing surveys into the solo 401(k). You can also roll traditional, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAs into it, allowing you to do a Backdoor Roth IRA. Be sure to treat the enterprise as a real business. Get an Employee Identification Number and a separate business bank account. Treat its finances separately from your own. Report the income and put any expenses on Schedule C and SE each year.
#3 Make a Difference
These companies really do want to know what you think, so much so that they're willing to pay you for your knowledge and opinion. This influences the products they come out with, how they market those products, and perhaps even what they charge for those products. Most of the time we're talking about medications here, but there are certainly surveys about other products.
#4 Learn About New Products
Let's not kid ourselves. These companies also want to get the word out about their new medications and other products, and they want to develop brand recognition. Why shouldn't you get paid for them to advertise to you? Plus, you'll be up to speed on the latest and greatest.
How Much Can You Make Taking Physician Online Surveys?
It depends on how many surveys you take, how much each survey pays, and how quickly you can take them. No matter how many companies you sign up for, you're not going to get enough surveys that you can spend all day just taking surveys. You have to take them as they come. But it's pretty easy to knock them out during some downtime during the day, while watching TV, while helping with homework in the evening, or while commuting on public transit.
The companies generally send you a check 4-6 weeks after the study or survey is complete. Hourly rates while actually taking the survey range from $60-$300 per hour, although most surveys won't take an hour. If you really make an effort at this, it would not be terribly difficult to make $1,000-$2,000 per month on surveys. In at least one case, WCI columnist Rikki Racela made $30,000 in a year by taking surveys. An extra $10,000-$20,000 might not be much for a super-efficient and busy plastic surgeon, but it's enough to move the needle for lots of doctors and it is life-changing money for a resident or fellow.
What About the Screen-Outs on Medical Surveys?
One of the biggest complaints of doctors who have tried surveys is that they often get five or 10 questions into the survey only to learn that they will not be paid to take it. They are “screened out.” This can be particularly annoying as it often feels like they already got your opinion and valuable advice just in the screen-out questions and didn't bother compensating you for it. There are a few ways to work around this.
#1 Play the Game
With some experience, you can often figure out what the company is looking for and make sure you screen in, rather than out. Obviously, you don't want to compromise your integrity for $100, but there is some gamesmanship here in the gray areas.
#2 Take a Lot of Surveys Knowing the Screen-Outs Will Happen
You can also view the screen-outs simply as part of the job. Even if you're screened out of 3/4 of the surveys, is it still worth your time? If so, then quit beating yourself up about screen-outs.
#3 Let Market Forces Adjust
These companies know that survey-takers hate being screened out. So they have an incentive to minimize the screen-outs, too. If one company screens you out more than the others, quit taking their surveys and take the ones from companies that don't screen you out. If not enough docs are willing to even try their surveys, it may force these companies to pay you something less than the full survey price when they screen you out. Some companies already do this outside the physician survey space, although they're only paying 5-25 cents for screenouts.
#4 Fill Out Your Profile Completely and Carefully
Many sites allow you to fill out a profile. They use this profile to decide which surveys to send you. The more completely you fill it out, the fewer surveys you will get but also the fewer screen-outs you will get. That means that a much higher percentage of the surveys you do take will go all the way.
#5 Take the Survey Soon
Most companies hiring a survey company only want a certain number of responses. There may be quotas for each type of group—50 emergency docs, 50 family docs, and 50 internists for instance. The sooner you take the survey, the more likely you are to get in before they get their required number of responses.
#6 Read Questions Thoroughly and Don't Rush
Believe it or not, there are people who just click through surveys as quickly as possible to try to get paid. Obviously, the data from those survey-takers is worthless. So the companies actually screen out people who go too fast. Especially if you miss a question such as, “The answer to this question is B. Please select B,” that has been specifically inserted to catch people doing that and screen them out. If the survey is supposed to take 20 minutes, don't finish it in two.
#7 Stick to Short Surveys
Shorter surveys tend to have fewer qualifying questions and may even pay more on an hourly basis.
Does Your Medical Specialty Matter for Online Surveys?
Unfortunately, yes. Years ago when I looked into doing surveys, I discovered that my opinion as an emergency doctor was worth dramatically less than that of an endocrinologist, rheumatologist, neurologist, or dermatologist. Why? Because my main prescriptions are on the Walmart $4 list. If you're prescribing $10,000+ a month biologics, your opinion is a whole lot more valuable than mine! Don't get me wrong, there are surveys for every specialty, but some definitely have an advantage.
What About the Sunshine Act?
Many doctors would prefer their names not appear in the public database of the Sunshine Act, which requires pharmaceutical companies and medical device makers to report all payments and gifts made to physicians. Payments to physicians for participating in pharmaceutical and medical device marketing research are typically made by research companies, instead of manufacturer-sponsors. Those payments are, in most cases, excluded from reporting under the Sunshine Act law.
Do I Have to Pay Taxes on Online Survey Income?
Yes, all earned income is taxable, even if the compensation comes via gift cards. The companies aren't required to send you and the IRS a tax form unless you earn $600+ in a year, but you're required to report it all as income.
Ready to Get Started Taking Surveys?
So, what should you do if you're serious about this? Should you form a company before doing medical surveys?
#1 Get an EIN
The first thing I would do is get an Employer Identification Number (EIN). You don't have to do so. You can simply use your own personal Social Security number. You'll automatically have a sole proprietorship and file a Schedule C for this new business. However, if you want to open a Solo 401(k) to shelter 20% of your survey income, you will need an EIN so you might as well get it now. It's fast and free from the IRS. Seriously, it's super easy. Like 30 seconds easy.
#2 Open a Business Bank Account and Paypal
Next, open a business bank account at your bank or credit union. Get a Paypal account, too, for your new business. Link them together. Route all income and expenses for this business through those accounts. You don't have to do this, but it will make your accounting MUCH easier at tax time.
#3 Sign-Up with All the Companies Above
Which company to sign up with? Sign up with all of them. Why not? It's free and easy. You can sign up with all five in less time than it takes to open a bank account. As time goes on, you will likely find you get more surveys from some than others. That's OK. No harm done. Be sure to use the WCI links above for special deals and to support our mission.
#4 Return and Give Feedback Below in the Comments
After you gain experience working with these companies, come back and tell your fellow white coat investors about it. Maybe you can inspire another doc to begin doing their own side hustle without having to actually spend much time doing it.
If you are already doing surveys, share your experience. Which companies do you like best and why? Which do you not like so much? What other companies should we add to the list? Which ones pay the most and the quickest? Which are least likely to screen you out?
[EDITOR'S NOTE: If you have specific issues with any of the companies listed here, reach out to [email protected]. We typically can help you get these resolved in a timely manner.]
I tried opening a solo 401k at MySolo401k and they told me I could not because of my existing 401k at my practice. Was this a misunderstanding?
You may not be permitted to have a second 401(k). Read the rules here:
https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/multiple-401k-rules/
I’ve been reading through the comments and saw one that talked about mostly getting gift cards. If you’re getting gift cards, do you report those come tax time?
I’m only asking because I was looking into doing the surveys to make extra money to save for trips and other miscellaneous things, so I could use my physician income to put more towards saving/investing/retirement to keep things simple since I’m just starting out and learning about finances. So I know that if it’s cash/check payments I’m supposed to report it regardless of the amount (based on reading through the comments, which thank you WCI for all of your advice on your blog and in your books), I just didn’t know if that applied to gift cards as well.
Yes, you probably need to pay taxes on the value of those too since you’re being paid in compensation for work you’re doing. It’s not really a “gift” in a tax sense from these companies to you.
I get a lot of my survey “money” in the form of amazon gift cards, and the survey company will send you a 1099 definitely if it’s above $600 (it’s required), but the survey companies I dealth with still send a 1099 even if I make only $20 in amazon money! It seems most, if not all companies seem to send a 1099 regardless of amount, making it easy for you to keep track of 1099 income, even if it’s in the form of gift cards.
and despite being taxed on amazon or other gift cards, you can still take about 20% of that and put in your solo401k! As they say, money, in whatever form, is fungible.
I’m getting a few invites to do surveys on MDforLives but I can’t seem to click on anything on the survey. Did anyone else have this issue as well? I contacted them for help but no response…
At least you got farther than me! I tried registering and it kept saying that I am already registered, but when I try logging in to do surveys the website kept telling me I had to register. tried resolving it every so often for the past 2 years and still hasn’t been resolved. seems MDforLives it not as reliable in their surveys.
Frustrating. I’ve reached out to MD For Lives to see what can be done.
I just tried accessing the links to sign up for these survey websites and several of them seem to be broken (e.g. I enter my information and then the webpage just keeps processing, never finishes). Are these companies still active, or are there others that are more current?
Hi Nicole, they should all be active and current. Which companies are not working for you? Let me know and I can see if I can help.
Hi Cindy, thanks for your reply. The ones that are not working are:
– MD For Lives: I’m able to receive an email with a numerical code called “OTP”, then when I enter the OTP and try to verify it on their website, the page just keeps processing and never stops
– All Global Circle: I was able to “confirm subscription” but then there’s no way to sign in or do anything else
– ZoomRX: when i open the hyperlink I can enter an email address and password to create an account but can’t click on the green “JOIN” button – my cursor turns into a stop sign when I hover over the button
– Opinion Site: when I enter my email address and click “Register Now” a message in red text appears saying “You account has been disabled” – though it hasn’t even let me make an account
Thanks for any help you can provide!
Thanks. I’ve just emailed you Nicole. If others are having similar issues please email me at [email protected].
I have been doing some medical surveys, moreso over the last year. I was going to set up an EIN through the IRS website and set up a small 401k for this. Then I wondered how this interplays with my other side work. I already do 2 other small volume medical related side gigs. Way back, at the advice of my accountant, I set up a Sep-IRA. Currently that has about $28K of investments. Since then though, I have not been able to do a back door Roth IRA under my name (we do under my wife’s).
Should I still set up the EIN and Solo 401K for the medical survey work? Or do I just treat it like my other side work and use my SEP-IRA?
Should I consider converting my SEP-IRA into a Solo 401k?
We are MFJ and current at the high end of the 32% marginal rate.
Thank you.
Set it up for all of your side gigs. The IRS views them all as one business. Then roll the SEP-IRA in there. Just make contributions to the solo 401(k) going forward.
And what the form of payment does the Spherix Global Insights have?
They do check.
I see, thank you!
Anyone know what DocDelta is? I got an email that I am getting a 1099 from them but I don’t recognize the name and don’t think I ever did a survey for them.
Docdelta is associated with surveys from “TDGHealth” I believe. I think TDGHealth makes the surveys but Docdelta is the company that TDGHealth hires to handle the payments. I don’t work for these companies but I think this is how it works.
Thank you for all you do for at WCI. My experience is that once retired, the time spent trying to qualify to take a survey is time wasted. 42 years in practice but have not been able to take even one. Does anyone know a company that is an exception?
Many thanks!
Sorry they want current practicing docs that might know some of the newer drugs that are out or are coming out. Maybe come out of retirement for a little bit so that you can qualify for the surveys again!
I think part of it is also they just want to market to you and marketing to a non practicing doc is probably a waste of money.
If you complete surveys as a side gig, can you expense certain home office related expenses for tax deductions, such as computer?
Yes! technically you can only deduct the portion you use for your business. for me, I have plenty of laptops/devices running around in my house so it turns out my $700 dell laptop I took the entire cost as a deduction when I bought it for my business.
Hello – Before beginning the surveys, I would like to confirm if the additional income will affect my eligibility for PSLF. I don’t think it will since I still work for a qualifying organization, but I want to double-check. Thank you.
No, but it could increase your IDR payments and/or reduce your SAVE subsidy.
Hi, can you clarify, in the whitecoatinvestor article “Financial Planning for Physicians Working as 1099 Independent Contractors” s” specifically #10 PSLF Implications of Being a Self-Employed Physician” says that “This program is NOT AVAILABLE to the self-employed, even if they contract with a 501(c)(3) hospital. “. So it doesn’t affect my qualifications for PSLF if I use my SSN and does affect it if use an EIN? Or it affects it regardless? I just want to make sure I do not inadvertently disqualify myself from PSLF.
You’re qualifying based on your full-time employee job at a 501(c)3. It doesn’t matter what you do the rest of the time whether that’s picking your nose or doing work for which you are paid on a 1099. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you get paid for that 1099 work via a SSN or an EIN. You’ll need the EIN if you want to do a solo 401(k0 for that 1099 work though.
Thank you for this article! I am a fourth-year medical student who is getting ready to start my residency in July. I have been doing education/teaching/tutoring on the side for the past ten years. I always file a Schedule C for that each year and use my own SSN for the business. I have a few questions.
1. Would there be any worthwhile benefit for me to set up an EIN for the education/tutoring/mentorship- I receive 1099’s for this work and my income from the business usually does not exceed 9k? If so, should I wait until after I start residency or can I go ahead and set that up now?
2. I am interested in doing medical surveys on the side, as instructed in this article. However, I’m worried as a resident, I’d get screened out of a lot of surveys. Would this be a worthwhile endeavor to start doing now, or should I wait until I’m an attending? If I decide to start this, should I make a second, separate EIN for this work, and keep that separate from the education/tutoring/mentorship described in question 1? Could I route both of these side gigs to the same business PayPal account, or should I have separate bank accounts for these?
1. You would need an EIN to open a solo 401(k).
2. Only one way to find out. Obviously a rheum attending is going to get a lot more surveys than an EM resident. I think you can use the same EIN/business/paypal/bank account.
Hey Ashish I agree with Jim you need the EIN to setup a solo 401k. Whether it’s worth it to do it now depends on if you have no med school debt and you filled up your Roth IRA and you’re gonna be able to max out your retirement accounts during residency. If you don’t even have the funds to max out your work retirement account during residency as well as max out your Roth IRA, I think you can hold off on the solo 401(k), as you won’t have enough money to even contribute to a solo401k if you’re not even filling up the employee part of your work retirement account and your Roth IRA.
As for surveys you never know until you try! You can use the same EIN as you do with tutoring.
Is the survey honorarium reportable under sunshine act?
Most surveys have the disclaimer however has any one had survey honorarium reported ever in the past?
I’ve done a ton of surveys and it doesn’t seem I have been reported to Openpayments when I look myself up. that being said it just means I probably was not identified as Rikki Racela. I’m not sure how they would find your identity on online surveys given they are anonymous. The phone/zoom interviews I guess it is possible given now the interviewers hear your voice and at times see you on camera where an interviewer might randomly know who you are, though very unlikely. Usually the phone and zoom interviewers the company makes sure your name is not posted but renames you as “guest” or just uses your initials.
If the survey company doesn’t report you, I don’t think anyone would. Technically the drug company isn’t paying you directly so maybe that’s how it is justified.
I have been doing survey’s for a few years and usually make around 8k/year. In the past I have just used my SSN. I’ve never created a EIN or done any solo 401k but I am interested.
Already this year I have made 5k and expect to make another 5k by the end of the year . If I create the EIN now will I be able to count the whole 10k I made during the whole year toward my solo 401k or will I only be able to contribue 20% of the amount I made after making the EIN?
2nd question, those that made EINs do you have to go back into all the survey accounts and ask them to swap out your SSN for your EIN?
Thanks!
you should be able to count the whole 10K you made the entire calendar year in making the calculation. As for the 2nd question, you should go back to the survey accounts and ask them to swap out the SSN for the EIN on the W9, but don’t feel bad if you missed a few companies. Just let your accountant or if you DIY your taxes make sure to document that any income under your SSN was for your side gig business.
A doc asked me if these were worth doing if you were already retired. I told him I didn’t know and suggested he try and report back. He did. Bottom line: Probably not worth it if you’re not seeing patients or old enough to be standard retirement age. Here is his report:
A while back I had asked if there was any info on surveys being available to retired doctors and you suggested that I try this out myself to find out and report back.
So, here is what I found:
In Crowd- I applied and was told to wait for an approval which I never got, so I assume NO.
Opinion Site- The application will not accept a birthdate before 1959, so I guess this is a roundabout way of saying one is too old.
MDforLives- I could not progress beyond the initial application which did ask for a birthdate. I suppose this is another NO for a retired doc.
ZoomRx- I was able to apply and be accepted, but as far as I can tell, I only received one survey invite on the phone by text and it was not in my field of interest and I did not participate.
I have not received another.
Sermo- They accepted me, and they are by far the most engaging, but there are two sorts of surveys, the quick ones netting 2 to 5 dollars each, and longer ones, up to $75 or so.
But bigger surveys those ask things like how many patients a week I see, and I answer honestly and I get ejected. While they send me lots of little questions, I have not participated in those much.
Certainly none of this has resulted in a significant addition to income.