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Research Subject Payments

Research projects involving research participants often offer compensation as a method of recruitment and as a token of gratitude for participation. 

Research payments must be purchased by the department and are not eligible for reimbursement. 

Request research subject payment

To request research subject payment, please email hcdefiz@uw.edu with the following information: 

  1. Subject line: Research Subject Payment – payment type (e.g., Tango, USBank VISA card, Zelle, etc.)
  2. List of first and last name(s), and email address(es) of research participant(s) 
  3. Amount of compensation 
  4. Work tag and budget approval (e.g., award letter, email from faculty/PI/supervisor, etc.)
  5. Any additional information required by the payment type, see payment options below. 

Research participant compensation

HCDE can compensate research participants through the following methods.

Note: As of July 1, 2025, Amazon Gift Cards will no longer be used for participant compensation, as they are not considered a best practice. However, Amazon remains available as a reward option through Tango Reward Cards (see below).

US Bank VISA Cards

  • An anonymous, one-time load VISA card that can be used anywhere VISA is accepted. 
  • Note: This is a physical card that will need to be picked-up at the HCDE front desk in Sieg 428 and distributed by the requester. 

Tango Reward Cards

  • An eGift card (a link) where the participant can choose to purchase their gift from a variety of vendors online. Internet access is required by the research participant to redeem their gift card.
  • Important: Tango requires that recipients open the links within 7 days, but there is no expiration as soon as the participants open their links. Please mention this to your participants.

Zelle

  • Zelle provides quick electronic payments to a participant’s bank account without providing sensitive bank information. Participants will need to opt-in for Zelle through their bank or by downloading the app once and are eligible to receive digital payments in the future (often in minutes).
  • Note: Domestic only, US bank account required. We will need the recipients full legal name, phone number, and address to process. 

Check 

  • We will need the recipients phone number and mailing address.
  • Select one of the following for each recipient:
    • Student  
    • Domestic 

Wire

For foreign nationals only; tax id not required; 30% tax withholding +3% wire transfer fee. 

  • We will need the recipients phone number and mailing address.
  • Select one of the following for each recipient.
    • Foreign national
    • Student – foreign  

Prolific

Each individual research project utilizing Prolific requires a unique contract through UW Procurement. Below is the process for a PI to establish a contract:  

  • Review the Prolific User Policy on MyCoE and complete the Prolific User Agreement. Each person who uses Prolific in your group* needs to complete this agreement. It is the responsibility of the unit’s Grant Manager(s) to ensure they are registered, and the paperwork kept on file.
  • The PI works with the HCDE fiscal team to request a contract in Workday Finance. 
    • Notes on Contract Request:
      • Indicate in the notes of the request that it is assigned to Lynn Magill as the buyer.  
      • Complete the attached Prolific Project Summary Template and attach to the Contract Request in Workday Finance.  
      • Workday Finance has not yet released a job aid for the Contract Request business process. When this is available it will detail the workflow steps to complete within the Workday Finance environment.
      • Once approved, PI and team members* who have completed the Prolific User Agreement can use Prolific using a departmental ProCard.

*Current Restriction on Student Usage of Prolific: Students are not allowed to use the system directly since a Data Processing Agreement is not in place, and the UW has not yet negotiated terms that protect student data. Alternatively, the UW Privacy Office suggests using a shared account.

Mechanical Turk 

  • Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT, MTurk) is a crowdsourcing digital marketplace that enables individuals and businesses (known as Requesters) to coordinate the use of human intelligence to perform tasks that computers are currently unable to perform. 
  • To request assistance with MTurk, please review the University’s Amazon Mechanical Turk Policy in its entirety. Email hcdefiz@uw.edu with your intent to utilize MTurk and the HCDE fiscal team will be able to assist you with next steps.