Research - paying participant expenses and compensating for time: guidance

5. Deciding whether you should compensate participants for their time

To decide whether participants should be compensated for their time, consider the following questions:

1. Will participants already be paid while taking part (i.e. are they taking part within their work hours in a professional capacity)? If yes, compensation is not required.

2. If no, consider how much time and effort is required from participants:

a. If minimal time and effort is required, for example taking part is short and one-off, such as completing a survey, then compensation is optional but recommended (e.g. as an incentive beyond expenses, or as a thank you)

b. If taking part is a commitment to a clearly defined series of interactions or tasks over a set or time period e.g. a Citizens’ Assembly, series of co-design events, participants should be compensated at a standard rate proportionate to their level of involvement

c. If taking part is a commitment to undertaking a variety of activities on an ongoing basis alongside others who are being paid for similar input e.g. a long-term co-design process, participants should be compensated at a standard rate proportionate to their level of involvement

If the work is particularly sensitive and there is a view that forms of recognition other than payment may be more appropriate, discuss this with potential participants and key stakeholders. You may need to allow for different approaches for different participants.

The following sections of this guidance take you through the process of deciding on participant payment rates and methods, and a step by step process for making these payments.