{"id":3970,"date":"2026-08-03T19:51:35","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T19:51:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/?page_id=3970"},"modified":"2026-08-04T18:49:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T18:49:38","slug":"research-incentives","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/research-office\/award-management\/research-incentives\/","title":{"rendered":"Research Incentives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any payments made to human subjects as an incentive to participate in research should follow this process. There are separate processes for payments given directly by researchers to subjects and payments given through survey platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All research with human subjects, including the process for providing incentives to research subjects, must be approved by the NC State Institutional Review Board (IRB) before starting the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">General Guidance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Refer to this page each time you start a new study<\/strong>, because processes can change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Review the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1cC-u1Cy_zvqbNTHXqcCgtP37Ms-tgZs91mk3LwP585s\/edit?tab=t.0\">IRB guidance<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researchers must have IRB approval for the specific project for which research incentives will be provided before payments may be arranged or gift cards are purchased.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payment for research incentives can never be charged to state-appropriated funds. If funding authority allows, payments may be charged to F&amp;A, ledger 5, ledger 6, or ledger 7 accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Incentives can be distributed in cash, by physical or electronic gift card, or through an online platform such as Prolific.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researchers may request a cash advance or may use personal funds and seek reimbursement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reimbursements will be allowed for reasonable and customary payment amounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payments for research incentives cannot be charged to University P-Cards or Marketplace, per college policy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payments made to NC State employees may be taxable. This may have implications for tracking human subjects that may need to be discussed with the IRB.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Payments to non-US citizens may have tax consequences. Researchers must ask if human subjects are US or non-US citizens.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What kind of project are you leading?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will provide incentives directly to human subjects in the form of cash or gift card:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-text wp-block-ncst-buttons\">\n    \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-button\">\n      <a\n        class=\"ncst-block__button-link btn\"\n        href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1tYyO6kU-nXL7WvcDJWC5MQLdmrzL2GRKQ98oZLnvbtM\/edit?tab=t.0\"\n        data-ncst-lightbox=\"false\"\n                      >\n                  <span class=\"text\">Provide incentives directly<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n              <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I will make payments through a third-party survey platform (like Prolific):<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"is-text wp-block-ncst-buttons\">\n    \n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-button\">\n      <a\n        class=\"ncst-block__button-link btn\"\n        href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1rjAUWlz_2aKsbpFmWqmO66TmaqnXRJobVH7SlwJENfo\/edit?tab=t.0\"\n        data-ncst-lightbox=\"false\"\n                      >\n                  <span class=\"text\">Make payments via third-party<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n              <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-custombg-two-background-color wp-block-ncst-button-spotlight\">\n    <div class=\"button-spotlight__container\">\n          <div class=\"button-spotlight__icon-container ncst-icon\">\n                <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M18.4893 5.5683V14.1192H7.8482L6.18555 16.0191V17.1117H16.589L21.007 22.0997V17.1117H23.9999V5.5683H18.4893Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M7.45828 13.4438H17.8617V1.90033H0V13.4438H2.99297V18.4317L7.45828 13.4438ZM13.3486 6.12799C13.6399 6.12789 13.9247 6.21419 14.167 6.37597C14.4092 6.53775 14.5981 6.76774 14.7096 7.03685C14.8212 7.30597 14.8504 7.60211 14.7936 7.88784C14.7369 8.17357 14.5966 8.43605 14.3907 8.64207C14.1847 8.84809 13.9223 8.98841 13.6366 9.04528C13.3509 9.10214 13.0547 9.073 12.7855 8.96155C12.5164 8.85009 12.2864 8.66131 12.1245 8.4191C11.9626 8.17688 11.8762 7.89211 11.8762 7.6008C11.8762 7.21027 12.0314 6.83572 12.3075 6.55953C12.5836 6.28334 12.9581 6.12811 13.3486 6.12799ZM8.93062 6.12799C9.22194 6.12789 9.50674 6.21419 9.749 6.37597C9.99127 6.53775 10.1801 6.76774 10.2917 7.03685C10.4032 7.30597 10.4324 7.60211 10.3757 7.88784C10.3189 8.17357 10.1787 8.43605 9.97269 8.64207C9.76674 8.84809 9.50431 8.98841 9.2186 9.04528C8.93289 9.10214 8.63673 9.073 8.36758 8.96155C8.09843 8.85009 7.86838 8.66131 7.70653 8.4191C7.54467 8.17688 7.45828 7.89211 7.45828 7.6008C7.45828 7.21027 7.61339 6.83572 7.88949 6.55953C8.1656 6.28334 8.54009 6.12811 8.93062 6.12799ZM4.46531 6.12799C4.75663 6.12789 5.04143 6.21419 5.28369 6.37597C5.52596 6.53775 5.7148 6.76774 5.82635 7.03685C5.93789 7.30597 5.96713 7.60211 5.91035 7.88784C5.85357 8.17357 5.71334 8.43605 5.50738 8.64207C5.30142 8.84809 5.039 8.98841 4.75328 9.04528C4.46757 9.10214 4.17142 9.073 3.90227 8.96155C3.63312 8.85009 3.40307 8.66131 3.24121 8.4191C3.07936 8.17688 2.99297 7.89211 2.99297 7.6008C2.99297 7.21027 3.14808 6.83572 3.42418 6.55953C3.70028 6.28334 4.07478 6.12811 4.46531 6.12799Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg>\n\n      <\/div>\n        <div class='button-spotlight__content-container'>\n      <h2 class=\"button-spotlight__heading\">Questions?<\/h2>\n              <p class=\"button-spotlight__support\">Contact Missy Thomas in the college research office.<\/p>\n            \n<div class=\"is-style-secondary wp-block-ncst-button\">\n      <a\n        class=\"ncst-block__button-link btn\"\n        href=\"mailto:mgseate@ncsu.edu\"\n        data-ncst-lightbox=\"false\"\n                      >\n                  <span class=\"text\">Email Missy Thomas<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n              <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"ncst-fancy-paragraph-fifty is-text wp-block-ncst-fancy-paragraph\">\n      \n<div class=\"text-only wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-fp-accompaniment\">\n    \n<div class=\"has-custombg-one-text-color wp-block-ncst-fp-icon\">\n      <div class=\"ncst-fact has-custombg-one-text-color\">\n                            <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n  \n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n\n<div class=\"is-text wp-block-ncst-accordion\" >\n    <div class=\"accordion isLinked\" id=\"ncst-accordion-p7n290\">\n          \n<details class=\"wp-block-ncst-accordion-item\" name=\"p7n290\"  >\n      <summary class=\"accordion-item__header\">\n        <span class=\"accordion-item__expansion-indicator\">\n          <span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span>\n        <\/span>\n                  <h2 class=\"accordion-item__label h6\">How are confidentiality and privacy concerns related to compensation handled?<\/h2>\n              <\/summary>\n      <p>\n        \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All research projects must have IRB approval before providing research incentives to human subjects. The IRB protocol should communicate how the researcher will handle confidentiality and privacy in general and related to compensation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NC State is a public university subject to the NC Public Records Law and in some cases the Freedom of Information Act. It is thus possible that payment records could be required to be shared in some circumstances. To that end, the NC State IRB urges researchers to collect the minimum information necessary and to store the information needed for compensation separately from the research data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In rare circumstances, NC State researchers complete research activities with human subjects who could be put at increased risk due to their association with the research project. In these cases, if the IRB determines that collecting or providing identifiable information to anyone outside the research team increases the risks to human subjects, the IRB office will provide an official letter stating that the IRB prohibits the sharing of this information.<\/p>\n\n\n      <\/p>\n  <\/details>\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-ncst-accordion-item\" name=\"p7n290\"  >\n      <summary class=\"accordion-item__header\">\n        <span class=\"accordion-item__expansion-indicator\">\n          <span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span>\n        <\/span>\n                  <h2 class=\"accordion-item__label h6\">Do we collect personal information from human subjects?<\/h2>\n              <\/summary>\n      <p>\n        \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When payments totaling $2,000 or more are made to the same person in a calendar year, the researcher must have the human subjects registered in PaymentWorks so that the university can collect information in order to issue a Form 1099. However, the 1099 will not indicate that the human subject was a research subject.<\/p>\n\n\n      <\/p>\n  <\/details>\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-ncst-accordion-item\" name=\"p7n290\"  >\n      <summary class=\"accordion-item__header\">\n        <span class=\"accordion-item__expansion-indicator\">\n          <span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span>\n        <\/span>\n                  <h2 class=\"accordion-item__label h6\">Can I hold a drawing as a research incentive?<\/h2>\n              <\/summary>\n      <p>\n        \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Random drawings may be allowable with IRB approval. Do not use the terms \u201clottery\u201d or \u201craffle,\u201d as these terms suggest that the human subjects pay into a fund in exchange for a chance to get a larger payout. In contrast, a \u201cdrawing\u201d requires no money from the human subject.<\/p>\n\n\n      <\/p>\n  <\/details>\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-ncst-accordion-item\" name=\"p7n290\"  >\n      <summary class=\"accordion-item__header\">\n        <span class=\"accordion-item__expansion-indicator\">\n          <span class=\"ncst-plus-minus-toggle\"><\/span>\n        <\/span>\n                  <h2 class=\"accordion-item__label h6\">How much can I pay as an incentive?<\/h2>\n              <\/summary>\n      <p>\n        \n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Incentive payments should be reasonable and customary, should not be so large as to be coercive, and should be based in sound and defensible research practices.<\/p>\n\n\n      <\/p>\n  <\/details>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-resource-links\">\n      \n<div class=\"has-custombg-nine-text-color wp-block-ncst-single-resource-link\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/research.ncsu.edu\/administration\/compliance\/research-compliance\/irb\/\" class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__url\" >\n    <span class=\"ncst-icon\">\n            <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M3.34541 10.8478H1.0415V11.7117H3.34541V10.8478Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M22.9585 10.8478H20.7024V11.7117H22.9585V10.8478Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M14.0061 19.3922H13.5599V18.0338H12.1344V19.7231H11.6877V18.0338H10.2669V19.3922H9.82066V18.0338H8.48145V19.9922L9.86379 20.6592V21.24H14.0497V20.6592L15.4321 19.9922V18.0338H14.0061V19.3922Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M9.86401 23.333H10.6656L11.064 24H12.85L13.2479 23.333H14.05V22.7522H9.86401V23.333Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M14.0495 21.6862H9.86401V22.3102H14.0495V21.6862Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M12.0239 4.22859C10.6225 4.22552 9.25662 4.66994 8.12531 5.49713C6.99399 6.32432 6.1563 7.49108 5.73424 8.82748C5.31217 10.1639 5.32777 11.6001 5.77876 12.927C6.22975 14.254 7.09258 15.4023 8.24159 16.2047H8.21768L8.48159 17.5781H15.4322L15.8306 16.2052C16.6962 15.5984 17.4032 14.7924 17.8918 13.8551C18.3805 12.9178 18.6366 11.8767 18.6385 10.8197C18.6172 9.07418 17.9127 7.40651 16.6762 6.17435C15.4397 4.94219 13.7695 4.24367 12.0239 4.22859Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M19.6524 2.61715L18.0139 4.23685L18.6213 4.85123L20.2597 3.23153L19.6524 2.61715Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M12.5277 0H11.6638V2.30391H12.5277V0Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M4.35442 2.61456L3.74707 3.22894L5.38553 4.84864L5.99288 4.23426L4.35442 2.61456Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg>\n\n    <\/span>\n    <div class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__content\">\n              <h3 class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__heading\">NC State IRB<\/h3>\n                <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"has-custombg-nine-text-color wp-block-ncst-single-resource-link\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/policies.ncsu.edu\/policy\/pol-05-15-03\/\" class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__url\" >\n    <span class=\"ncst-icon\">\n            <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M0 12.8573H0.857344V18H2.57156V12.8573H4.28578V18H6V12.8573H7.71422V18H9.42844V12.8573H11.1427V18H12.8573V12.8573H14.5716V18H16.2858V12.8573H18V18H19.7142V12.8573H21.4284V18H23.1427V12.8573H24V12H0V12.8573Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M24 18.8573H0V20.5716H24V18.8573Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M16.2857 6H15.4283C15.0561 5.25912 14.455 4.65798 13.7141 4.28578V3.42844H10.2857V4.28578C9.54313 4.65567 8.94135 5.25746 8.57145 6H7.71411V6.85734H16.2857V6Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><path d=\"M17.1427 9.42844V7.71422H6.85734V9.42844H0V11.1427H24V9.42844H17.1427Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg>\n\n    <\/span>\n    <div class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__content\">\n              <h3 class=\"ncst-single-resource-link__heading\">POL 05.15.03 Non-Salary and Deferred Compensation<\/h3>\n                <\/div>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n    <\/div>\n  \n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction Any payments made to human subjects as an incentive to participate in research should follow this process. There are separate processes for payments given directly by researchers to subjects and payments given through survey platforms. All research with human subjects, including the process for providing incentives to research subjects, must be approved by the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23605,"featured_media":0,"parent":120,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"pageIntro\":\"Updated: Aug. 4, 2026\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3970","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23605"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3970"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3981,"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3970\/revisions\/3981"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chass.ncsu.edu\/intranet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}