Get Paid For Online Surveys

"Get paid for online surveys" is a phrase that screams out from the computer monitor screen and certainly is eye-catching for the person who is looking for extra income. But it sounds an awful lot like the "get paid for stuffing envelopes" invitation that also screams for attention, and that one promises up to a thousand dollars a day. The question is if either one of them are legitimate deals or not. Well, you can stick the tongue back in your mouth because the envelope thing is worse than the franchise that sells air conditioners to the citizens of Point Barrow, Alaska. Not a dime will be made from the stuffing scam, and in fact a person will lose money on that deal. But surprisingly enough, a person can get paid for online surveys that are filled out and returned. This legitimate Internet business will not provide a big income, but it will bring in a little extra each month, and who doesn't need that?

Almost five hundred million dollars was spent last year worldwide on research into the viability and marketability of products. When the economy is tougher globally, this figure will go up because companies cannot afford to make mistakes before putting products on the shelf. So companies will willingly pay for the opinions and comments of potential customers. Once a person has signed up for participation, the surveys begin to land in one's email inbox. But one person may get more survey invitations than another and the reason is demographic.

To get paid for online surveys, a person must provide age, education, sometimes occupation, and whatever other information that is demanded. This data enters a central data bank and the companies creating the questionnaires then decide which entrants fit the profile for its survey. It makes no sense that a tampon company would survey sixty year old men any more than surveying twenty year old women for, shall we say, diapers for the bladder challenged senior adult. But there are ample opportunities for various age groups to be included in many of the same surveys. Sometimes Christians are accused of judging others and that might be true at times. But Jesus said on several occasions that one can tell if someone genuinely is a follower of Hs and here is one of His statements on the matter: "For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. A good man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Mark 6:43, 45)

Some people who naturally fit into a highly sought after demographic have the opportunity to get paid for online surveys at a higher level than others. Stay at home moms are a highly sought after group of survey takers. She has the ear of every person in her family, and knows their likes and dislikes. She becomes a very valuable source of a wide spectrum of age groups from her own experience. So if a person decides to do this the money earned will vary. But whatever amount it is, there will not be enough to buy that new house or sports car that you have been eyeing. The average monthly income is around five hundred dollars, or the equivalent in merchandise.

Oh yeah, it's not always cash that a person earns when wanting to get paid for online surveys. Often instead of money, gift certificates for merchandise at large national chain department stores are substituted. This isn't a bad thing, especially around Christmas, but a person should be aware of the possibility ahead of time. One of the things that a person should be aware of is the issues surrounding any kind of job where money is not taken out ahead of time for taxes. Basically, a person who will get paid for online surveys is working as a self-employed contractor and is subject to about 25-30% tax on anything earned or merchandise provided online. Discipline will have to be exercised to take out the tax money when cashing checks from their questionnaire work. 

In most online scams, a person will be asked to pay money for materials, supplies or training that never pans out. Millions of dollars are lost by consumers every year who fall for the get rich quick claims that so many websites tout. In the case of those seeking to get paid for online surveys, there is a small processing fee required by survey clearing houses. This should not discourage the candidate seeking to get paid for online surveys. It may even be deductable as a business expense, but care should be taken to check with a tax expert before claiming it on a return. 

Surveys can vary in length from company to company. Some are five questions in length and take three minutes to fill out while others are more than twenty questions and may actually require more than a yes or no answer. This may include the requirement of writing a paragraph. Survey companies have ways of telling if a survey is just quickly gone through and the answers not genuinely considered. In those cases, the survey takers are taken off the "often used" lists and the opportunity to make money shrinks dramatically.