Answer simple questions online, get paid in cash or, if you prefer, in gift cards. I know many physicians who earn cash rewards totaling hundreds of dollars every year this way, and some who earn thousands with these paid medical surveys.
The pay may not be huge, but it’s never a bad thing to have beer money (or wine money… hard seltzer money?) for answering a simple questionnaire if and when you find yourself with a little time to kill in your day.
The pandemic has negatively impacted the salaries of employees across many industries, including healthcare. It never hurts to have a side hustle, especially one that can be done in your pajamas.
When you share your valued opinion, you not only earn cash but also participate in market research that may help shape how medications and medical devices are produced or marketed, potentially leading to product or process improvement.
Finally, this income is considered 1099 income, and that can be a big deal.
If you’ve wanted to have a business that allows you to open a solo 401(k) or a business credit card, earning a little extra income this way means you’ve got your own little survey-answering business. It’s truly one of the easiest ways for healthcare professionals to make money online.
Grab an EIN in 60 seconds, and get to work!
If you’d like to get started right now, here are some of the top paid medical survey companies:
- All Global Circle [$50 Bonus]
- MD For Lives [$20 Bonus]
- Incrowd
- OpinionSite
- ZoomRx
Support Our Charitable Mission With Each Registration!
In the vein of being fully transparent, this site does referral fees from survey companies. We may or may not be compensated depending on the type of healthcare professional, demographics, specialty, resident versus attending, etc…
Those referral fees from using our affiliate links help support our charitable mission.
Note that many surveys are not just for physicians, but also for dentists, pharmacists, NPs, PAs, CRNAs, and other healthcare professionals. All of the top sites are completely free to join, and you can unsubscribe or opt out from any one of them if it turns out not to be a good fit.
Top Medical Survey Sites
The following is a brief review of some of the best healthcare survey companies. All are looking for medical professionals like you who are interested in earning a little extra cash for your time and expertise.
All Global Circle
All Global Circle is an international company that specializes in engaging healthcare professionals in market research activities that informs the healthcare industry. All Global Circle is set up to provide a clear and efficient means of communication between the pharmaceutical industry, the research industry, and those professionals who are using new developments and end products daily.
Reasons to join All Global Circle (AGC) include:
- Not only can you earn money participating in their surveys but also if there are no surveys for you to participate in during your first 90 days as a member, they’ll give you a loyalty bonus.
- You share your professional opinions and insights by taking their surveys but you also receive a synopsis of the results to see how your opinions align with your colleagues. All identities are kept anonymous and confidential.
- Join AGC through the Physician on FIRE link and receive a bonus of $50 or equivalent in your country’s currency.
Registration is limited to healthcare professionals in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. All professionals and specialties are welcome and will receive paid survey opportunities, and they are particularly interested in oncologists, neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, and pulmonologists.
Physicians must be an active member of the panel for at least 90 days and have logged into their account at least twice each month. Physicians who are sent a request to participate in a survey and do not respond will not receive the loyalty bonus. To receive your bonuses, you have to complete those two steps. Once you are confirmed in the All Global Circle database, you will receive instructions on how to claim your bonuses. Bonuses are for new, confirmed members only. Register today!
OpinionSite
OpinionSite has been around for most, if not all, of my career, and I’ve completed numerous surveys for them over the years.
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
Many health professionals will qualify; you do not have to be a physician to receive paid survey opportunities.
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.
InCrowd
InCrowd stands out to me for two reasons.
One, they offer lightning-quick microsurveys, often only a handful of questions that can be completed on your phone in a few minutes. In fact, 70% of their surveys are completed on a mobile device.
Two, they are the one survey company featured here that I’ve personally used. I wasn’t aware of many of these companies until after I had retired from medicine, and saying you cared for 0 patients last month isn’t going to land you many surveys.
InCrowd boasts an average survey completion time of just over 3 minutes, with 30,000 healthcare professionals having answered over 3 million questions to date. The following professions qualify:
- Active Physician
- Pharmacist
- Nurse Practitioner (NP)
- Nurse (BSN, LPN, RN, CNA)
- Physician Assistant
- Hospital Administrator
- Psychology
- Optometry
- Pharmacy Staff
- Managed Care
- Dentistry
- Practice Managers
- Dental Hygienists
- Medical Resident or Fellow
- Veterinarian
- Genetic Counselor
Like the others, registration is straightforward and shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
Curizon
Curizon, a division of Toluna, describes themselves as the fastest growing Healthcare Panel around.
They offer members the opportunity to share their expert opinions, with the survey data influencing the development of medical breakthroughs, new drugs, healthcare facilities, new treatment studies, and more.
Every completed survey results in a credit to your account, and you can request to be paid out in cash or your credit can be redeemed in gift certificates to many popular merchants including Amazon, Walmart, iTunes, Starbucks, and restaurants like Panera, Chili’s, and Cheesecake Factory.
Panel registration is open to:
- Physicians
- Pharmacists
- Managed Care Professionals
- Nurses
- Dentists
- Nutritionists
- Eye Care Professionals
- Veterinarians
Among physicians, all are welcome and will receive paid survey opportunities, and they are particularly interested in oncologists, neurologists, rheumatologists, cardiologists, gastroenterologists, and pulmonologists.
Curizon rewards one new member who signs up each month with a $250 bonus each month. Register here to join their survey panel and enter for the $250 drawing. This, of course, will be on top of any money earned from answering surveys in your leisure time.
You’ll be asked for your name, email, address, occupation, date of birth. Sharing your phone number and opting to receive surveys via text message is optional. The registration page looks like this.
ZoomRx
Like MD for Lives, ZoomRx has a survey platform ositioned for the digital age with an app for both Android and Apple phones. The app(s) can be downloaded here.
They pride themselves on being cellphone-friendly, giving you the ability to answer mobile surveys on-the-go.
They also have a charitable mission that I appreciate. You’ll have the option to donate a portion of your earnings to Watsi, whose mission it is to make healthcare accessible for everyone, and they’ll match them dollar for dollar.
MD For Lives
MD For Lives is a newer market research company, and they tell me they have more survey opportunities than they have doctors to complete them.
Registration is very straightforward and they have an optional MDforLives App that you can download for either Android or Apple. Right now, they are doing a $20 signup bonus.
They aim to be a company that offers more than paid surveys. They also offer CME and a medical blog. From their site:
“Our vision is to refine the healthcare sector by aiding the critical players in the healthcare industry to create next-gen products and services.
Creating evolving products needs research on various factors like—the demands in the market, target audience, issues to be addressed, and the complications encountered. That’s where we come in.
MDforLives conducts online market research on niche sections of healthcare. Our process is structured to obtain maximum responses as well as accurate results.
The nuclei of our process are:
-
- Interesting and hassle-free surveys
- Prompt and easy honoraria disbursement
- Top-notch CME initiative and blogs relevant to your field of study”
Surveys completed with MD for Lives will result in honoraria in the range of $50 to $500. Register here and receive a $20 sign up bonus.
Other Medical Survey Companies
Are the companies detailed above the only ones offering market research surveys for money?
Of course not! But they’re the only ones that have been willing to support our charitable mission thus far.
If you’ve already signed up with the aforementioned companies and would like even more opportunities, consider reaching out to any of the following healthcare survey companies, arranged from shortest name to longest:
GFK
GLG
m360
SERMO
eRewards
MedPanel
Medscape
PPMSuite
Sanofius
SurveyRx
Univadis
Epocrates
Medefield
MedSurvey
Guidepoint
Healthcasts
OpinionSite
Alpha Detail
C E Outcomes
Focus Insite
L&E Research
Survey Savvy
Focus Forward
SHC Universal
Syneos Health
Truth On Call
Clinical Voice
Boltz Research
Impact Network
Alpha Impact Rx
Doctor Directory
Vindale Research
Campbell Alliance
Inspired Opinions
Harris Poll Online
Reckner Healthcare
Brand Institute, Inc.
Presenting Medicine
Medical Advisory Board
Physicians Interactive
Schlesinger Associates
Adept Field Solutions
Physicians Round Table
Science Advisory Board
View My Health Records
Health Strategies Group
Pick Research Solutions
Healthcare Advisors Bureau
Physicians Advisory Council
Qessential Medical Market Research
Paid medical surveys can be a great way for healthcare providers to supplement their income. You might learn something in the process and your opinions may help shape the future of patient care.
I thank you again for supporting our charitable mission with a free registration at any of the following. The more you sign up with, the more money-making opportunities you’ll receive:
- All Global Circle [$50 Bonus]
- MD For Lives [$20 Bonus]
- Incrowd
- OpinionSite
- ZoomRx
Earn 1099 Income in Your Spare Time
Fill out surveys, get paid, sounds easy enough. I’m not going to tell you it’s too good to be true, though. Let me describe and address the downsides I’ve heard (and sometimes experienced). Honesty is the best policy, after all!
“I can make more money per hour doing patient care.”
It may be lucrative to earn extra income from working extra shifts or longer hours, but the payout from these paid medical surveys can be several dollars per minute or hundreds of dollars per hour for a phone interview.
When I did them, it was between duties while at work. I couldn’t earn any more clinically with that time, but I could take 5 to 15 minutes to answer some multiple choice questions. Some surveys take even less time than that.
Also, do you want to increase your clinical time to make more money? Most physicians are putting all the clinical time in they want to and then some.
“I signed up but I hardly ever get survey opportunities.”
This can happen. Some specialties are more in demand than others. I recommend signing up with several websites to have more frequent survey opportunities. A half dozen of the top survey sites will be listed below.
“Survey respondents will be entered into a drawing for…”
No! Delete. Don’t waste your time. If they want your time and expertise, they can pay for it. A legit research survey company will pay for each and every completed survey.
Now if the drawing is simply for registering with them and they will also pay you for each and every online survey you complete, that’s a totally different story.
Negatives aside, I have found answering these surveys to be worth my time, especially when I’m in a position where I’ve got some spare time, anyway.
The benefit of a side business can be significant. If you want a solo 401(k) as a landing spot for a rollover IRA, allowing you to do the backdoor Roth annually, the larger benefit of answering surveys may be in the tax savings from the annual backdoor Roth.
“I always get screened out after answering a handful of questions.”
That happened to me a lot with one medical survey site that I won’t be featuring below. I don’t think they had my profile right and were sending me the wrong surverys. I stopped responding to their survey requests, and I will not subject you to that particular company.
It is true that some surveys have quotas based on specialty, location, hospital size, etc… You might answer a few survey questions to tease out that info and be told you don’t qualify.
That doesn’t make it a scam, but if it happens more than a couple of times with one company, move on.
Some companies, like InCrowd, might credit you a dollar when that happens — they’ve done so in my account before.
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Have you made some “beer money” or better from medical surveys?
I just read your article on medical surveys and I must say, it was an enlightening read. I also appreciate your tips on how to make medical surveys more effective. The advice to keep the questions short and to the point, and to avoid jargon and complex medical terminologies, are especially helpful. I can imagine how difficult it can be for patients to complete a survey when the questions are too technical or confusing.
Appreciate this list.
Just FYI – the MDforLives website is still (3 years after another commenter mentioned this) incredibly difficult to use. Slow, buggy, and very error prone. Even more frustrating, they did not let me register after going through the entire identity verification process despite threetries (and I qualify and do surveys on 7 other sites, so I do believe it’s an error in their site/process). I get greeted with a “Oops! This time it’s different! Our apologies!”
I would not recommend anyone sign up with MDforLives Especially since a commenter below in 2020 had the same issue, it doesn’t seem like they’ve fixed anything.
Glad to see M3 no longer makes the list. I’ve had poor technical issues where you get to the last screen after completing a survey, and it doesn’t log your completion, and they refuse to compensate you for the time you put in, or even acknowledge that it could be a system issue. Hasn’t happened often, but when it does it’s frustrating.
OpinionSite and Sermo have been the best, most consistent in my experience. Guidepoint has been solid, although I don’t have as much experience with them. InCrowd is different with the microsurveys, but also solid.
question: when they pay, do you actually get a 1099 form? Do you need to have a 1099 form to sign up for a my solo 401(k)?
They’re no different than any other company — if you’re paid more than $600 for your work, they’re obliged to provide you with a 1099. You do not need a 1099 to sign up for a solo 401(k). You’ll want a Tax ID number and that’s very simple to get.
Cheers!
-PoF
This is very interesting, if they paid in Bitcoin or Ethereum that would really be a bonus, and I’ll bet they would get hundreds more survey takers. Thanks for sharing, I had heard about this, but didn’t know which companies offered it. Thanks for those links!
Hey mate. Great article. I was wondering if you know of any paid medical surveys which operate in Australia? I am having trouble finding them online.
Keep up the good work.
I wish I could help you there, but I don’t have any knowledge of Australian survey companies. I’d start by asking your colleagues to see if they have any leads for you.
Cheers!
-PoF
You can try this one:
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90247961/KQH-Panel-Recruitment
Physicians and pharmacists, Register with Incrowd for the opportunity to earn easy money with quick "microsurveys" tailored to your specialty.
Hello. If you open a business account just for medical surveys and file using schedule c and se. how much tax will you pay on the income from surveys. Is it 20% or you have to add your surveys income to your physician w2 income and income from surveys would be taxed at your effective tax bracket?
Also how difficult is it to open a business. Do you have to have a physical office and name for the business?
It’s 1099 income. No different than any other independent contractor work. How much you owe depends on how much you earn (your taxable income and marginal tax rate).
Note that you won’t receive a 1099 if you earn less than $600 from each company, so it would be on you to report that income to the IRS.
As far as calling it a business, you can easily get an EIN — see link above — all you need is a name and no, you don’t need a physical storefront.
Cheers!
-PoF
I’m not sure if anyone will see this at this point.
But does anyone know if this gets reported to the ‘open database’ (sunshine act)? I know it’s different than getting a free lunch, but I just want to avoid creating an issue for my career down the line …
Lots do, has not effected me so far (In practice 10 years)
Wait wait wait, whoa, that IS a big deal. You mean that 1099 income can be put into a tax advantaged account like a 401k…? That is a game changer fact, i will have to keep that in the back of my pocket later.
It’s true!
As a recently retired FF physician, 62 y.o , I would very much like to continue to do medical surveys but have recently found that when I answer 0 patients I get screened out.
Is there a web site/survey company that focuses on advertisements rather than one’s present clinical experience with a drug? I can remember doing many of these types of surveys in the past with pictures of 2 different ads that either looked slightly different or stated the same thing a little differently and one checked off which is more desirable as a marketing campaign.
Certainly retired physicians would have a lot of good input into this type and other surveys that don’t require direct patient care.
Any insight?
PS- I have come across your articles over the years and you have been an inspiration to me. I was brought up not to live beyond my means and to save for emergencies and retirement. I had a forced retirement due to a disability and fortunately was prepared. I hope more doctors heed your excellent advise!!
you can try this company:
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90247961/KQH-Panel-Recruitment
I have heard of Curizon before but was unsure that they were medical surveys as such. Great recommendations here as I am starting to get back into paid surveys
Hi, PoF, thanks for the recommendations and I just signed up. I will likely sign up for the others when I got enough spare time.
You can sign up for this one too, it is very good:
https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90247961/KQH-Panel-Recruitment
Hello PoF, thanks for all you do. After getting an EIN for medical surveys, will a tax return need to be filed annually? Or does it depend on the amount made? Thanks.
I knew there were survey websites who offer cash for answering questions but I had no idea there were survey websites that were specifically geared towards healthcare professionals. Learned something new today.
M3 Global registration form has changed from one you displayed. They now require the last four digits (which are the ones that individually identify the person) to register. No way am I providing my social security number to a survey company in this age of identity theft. Moreso, though they can ask, I wonder how that may skew their surveys in the sense of limiting surveys to those foolish enough to provide.
Hi, I love your site. I just signed up with Curizon. I am curious how I will receive the $250 bonus for registering through POF. It doesn’t mention anything in the rewards portion of my account. Thanks.
If you were selected (one new registrant per month wins the raffle), the money will appear in your Curizon account, and it will be available to be withdrawn.
Best,
-PoF
Any acupuncturists here who found any of the sites more open to them than others? I’ve signed up for a few but they just haven’t been relevant to me so far. I work in a multi-practitioner acupuncture practice, a traditional Western medical pain clinic, a chiropractor’s office, and some housecalls I do on the side.
Great suggestions! One caution to others looking to sign up – the MD for Lives site is very clunky/nonfunctional. The site’s registration links didn’t work for a few days, then they won’t complete your profile without some very specific info (I have never had to provide my medical license number or a medical education number on another site, or a headshot?) and of course links to upload that info also don’t work.
All of the other sites are more functional and have fewer barriers to entry – would recommend starting with those first!
Thank you for the feedback, Dr. Amble. I know they’ve had some technical difficulties, and I hope they can get those squared away.
Best,
-PoF
I never really thought about it, but then this year and realized I had made 350 bucks by answering surveys. I had many paid surveys from MEDSCAPE SURVEYS ranging from 10-15 dollars. By keeping my linked in profile updated, and indicating I am open to online work, I’ve been approached by a few focus groups that paid well. This post is an EXCELLENT resource, never heard of these survey groups, appreciate you taking the time to do this. Thank you, thank you o mighty PoF.
Thank you for posting this article. It has been very useful. 5 Stars. By Gregg L. Friedman MD
Great post, do I need to open an llc to
Do this if I’m a w2?
You do not need an LLC for this.
If you are planning to use the survey income as justification for opening a solo 401(k), obtaining an EIN is a good idea, and it takes one minute, but you definitely do not need to start an LLC.
Best,
-PoF
Great post! I’m a physical therapist and run a practice. Any survey sites that you know of that can work for us? Thanks in advance.
Bryan
You can join w/o going through his affiliate links. If companies pay him, that is less for you.
Wrong, Tex.
They don’t pay you, the reader, anything to sign up. They pay you to take surveys.
This site does get a referral fee, but it doesn’t come out of anything the reader would have gotten otherwise. However, they do sometimes give a bonus if you DO use the links. Curizon has been awarding one reader referred by me with a $250 bonus each month.
The only “benefit” of not using the links here is that nothing goes to charity. So if you’re philosophically opposed to charitable giving, fee free to circumvent the links here.
Best,
-PoF
Do you know many people who do this for the purpose of opening a solo 401k? Is the work worth that since the amount you can put away is small?
Often, the advantage of being able to open a solo 401(k) isn’t how much you’re able to contribute on the employEE or employER side (assuming small income from something like surveys) but to be able to roll over a large tax-deferred IRA balance into it, allowing for the Backdoor Roth annually without pro rata rule interfering.
Best,
-PoF
So your suggesting rolling excess money from a traditional personal IRA into your business solo 401k which helps avoid the prorata rule but also gives you another tax deferred investment account? Am i understanding that correctly and is there a limit to the rollover from the traditional IRA.
Yes, you are understanding that correctly. It’s explained in further detail in the linked post.
There is no limit to the amount you can rollover. There are limits on how much you can contribute from side gig income, though. But you could earn $100 from surveys and roll $1 Million into a solo 401(k) if you wanted to (and had the money!).
Best,
-PoF
I do Guidepoint calls relatively frequently. I get about an offer a day. Probably get selected 10% which doesn’t seem like much but when I get selected it’s a 1 hour call for $500. Roughly every couple weeks. They also have “quick surveys” that take 30 seconds and pay $25. I do 1-2 a week of those usually between patient rooms. Trick is it’s limited to first few responders but I’m always looking at my email anyway Since I’m addicted to my phone. I make a few thousand a year but it’s also nice that it allows me to do a small SEP that I immediately role into my roth to allow me to do a little more than my normal Backdoor Roth. I do SEP because for this small amount it was easier than a separate 401k.
I have been with Curizon for a few months and it is rather slow. I think I have $15 in the queue and I cannot redeem until I get to $25. I signed up for a couple more companies today. Hopefully they have more to do. Either way I am glad you and your charitable mission get the referral bonus.
Thanks for organizing this.
Thank you for the support! One more survey from Curizon should get you over the hump to get paid.
Now’s the time to start dreaming about what you’ll do with the incredible windfall! 😉
Cheers!
-PoF
Thanks for the recommendations! I’ve already signed up for one and will likely sign up for another.
Thanks a bunch, Katie!
Hey Lief, just tried signing up of MDforLives and wasn’t able to sign up not sure if their site is not working. I got hung up on the trying to verify me as a doc, and I gave my hospital e-mail, uploaded my medical license, and tried use my Linkedin account but did not get any message that I was verified and I get error messages trying to login. May want to let them know and I hope you get credit for me clicking the link thanks!