Research clinicPay shown on listings
Altasciences
Altasciences’ Los Angeles–area participant site. All current studies run at its Cypress clinic, serving Los Angeles and Orange County.
Cypress, CA
up to $32,450
top listing seen Oct 24, 2026
Paid clinical research, explained
Get paid for medical studies.
Real studies. Real compensation.
Find paid clinical research opportunities across the country. See what studies advertise, explore research companies, and learn how to participate.
Independent guide, not a recruiter. Pay, eligibility and schedules vary by study. No guaranteed acceptance or compensation.
Illustrative study compensationNot a guarantee
$12,000
Modeled on a real listing: ICON in Salt Lake City, UT advertised up to $12,000 for 6 overnight stays (Oct 24, 2026). The people pictured are not study participants.
- up to $32,450Altasciences · Cypress, CA
- up to $30,000ICON · Salt Lake City, UT
- up to $26,300Pharmaron · Baltimore, MD
- up to $12,000ICON · Salt Lake City, UT
- up to $10,500ICON · Lenexa, KS
- up to $10,300QPS Missouri · Springfield, MO
- up to $5,800ICON · Lenexa, KS
- up to $5,750Pharmaron · Baltimore, MD
- up to $5,250QPS Missouri · Springfield, MO
- up to $2,850ICON · San Antonio, TX
Advertised maximums seen on research company websites, Oct 24. Not current offers.
How much do paid studies offer?
Four compensation categories, not promises. Pay depends on how long you stay, the procedures and whether you finish. Check the real listings yourself: every example links to the company’s own page.
Real listings in this range · verified Oct 24, 2026
- up to $10,300QPS MissouriSpringfield, MO · return visits + at-home dosingCheck this listing ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- up to $10,500ICONLenexa, KS · 6 overnight staysCheck this listing ↗ (opens in a new tab)
- up to $12,000ICONSalt Lake City, UT · 6 overnight staysCheck this listing ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Amounts are the maximums companies advertised on Oct 24, 2026. You may not qualify, may be kept as an alternate, or may receive less if you don’t complete every visit.
Yes, some studies include a lot of downtime.
Depending on the study, participants may spend time resting, watching movies, reading, or listening to music between scheduled research procedures.
It isn’t a paid vacation. Studies set fixed schedules for dosing, meals, vitals and blood draws, and many restrict food, caffeine, exercise or visitors. Some involve uncomfortable procedures, and every study carries risk. Downtime varies widely, and you’re paid for your time and participation, not to sleep. Photos are illustrative.
Three steps. Each one takes time.
Researchers need volunteers to test new medicines. Compensation recognizes your time, travel and the procedures involved.
- 1
Find a study
Browse research companies and see what they advertise. Go to the company’s own site for current studies and pay.
- 2
Screen & consent
A screening visit checks whether the study fits you. You read an informed consent form covering procedures, risks and payment.
- 3
Participate & get paid
Complete the stay or visits. Payment usually follows completion, sometimes weeks later.
Free PDF · instant download
The Bored Studies Money Guide
Everything the directory has, plus worksheets, call scripts and the hard-won lessons that keep you from wasting a trip.
- Company links, organized by payout
- Compensation comparison worksheets
- Screening preparation tips
- Travel cost math
- Payment timeline
- Questions to ask
- Mistakes to avoid
- Firsthand insights
Companies that post the pay
All 23 companiesSee paid studies (opens in a new tab)
Research clinicPay shown on listings
ICON
Clinical research units that run studies with healthy volunteers. The Salt Lake City unit describes dorm-style, semi-private and private rooms and lounges for downtime.
Salt Lake City, UT · Lenexa, KS · San Antonio, TX
up to $30,000
top listing seen Oct 24, 2026
Research clinicPay shown on listings
Pharmaron
Pharmaron’s U.S. clinical unit in downtown Baltimore recruits healthy volunteers for inpatient studies lasting from a few days to about four weeks.
Baltimore, MD
up to $26,300
top listing seen Oct 24, 2026
Research clinicPay shown on listings
QPS Missouri
A Springfield, Missouri research unit running studies with overnight stays and outpatient return visits.
Springfield, MO
up to $10,300
top listing seen Oct 24, 2026
Bored Studies doesn’t run, endorse or recruit for these studies. Confirm everything on the company’s site.
First call to payday: ~3 months
Tap each stage. If you need money for an urgent bill, a study probably won’t pay out in time.
Around day
0
You call or apply
You find a study and contact the site. Early callers have a better chance of being picked to dose rather than kept as a backup.
Based on the guide author’s firsthand example. Timing varies widely between sites and studies.
Read the consent form. All of it.The money is real. So are the risks.
Investigational medicines are studied because their effects aren’t fully known. Ethics boards and regulators oversee research, but no study is risk-free.
Screening protects you
Health checks decide whether a study is appropriate for you.
Consent comes first
Procedures, risks, the payment schedule and what happens if you leave.
Ask about side effects
And who to call if something feels wrong after you go home.
You can always say no
Withdraw at any time. Ask how it affects payment.
From someone who’s done it
Lessons from the guide
Call early
“If you’re among the first to screen, you’re more likely to be selected to dose and actually receive the money.”
Careful with travel
“I wouldn’t recommend spending hundreds or thousands of dollars traveling for screenings only to be disqualified at the last second.”
Ask other participants
“Talking with people in the studies is a great way to figure out great places.”
Help other participants
Know of more trials we missed?
Do you know of more trials or research locations that aren’t on the site or in the PDF? Add them here. We check every submission against the company’s official website before adding it.
- ✦ Research clinics, phase 1 units, university study centers
- ✦ New locations for companies already listed
- ✦ Pages where a company publishes study pay
Questions, answered
Are paid clinical trials legit?
Yes. Many legitimate research companies pay volunteers for their time, travel and procedures. Legitimate studies are reviewed by an ethics board (an IRB), walk you through an informed consent document before anything happens, and never charge you to participate. Check the company’s official website, and look the study up on ClinicalTrials.gov when you can.
How much do paid studies really pay?
It varies a lot. Short outpatient studies may pay a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Studies with multi-week or repeated inpatient stays can advertise $20,000–$30,000+. Advertised amounts are usually maximums that assume you complete every visit.
Is it really that relaxing?
Some inpatient studies have plenty of downtime for TV, reading or music between procedures. But schedules are strict, many studies restrict food, caffeine or exercise, some procedures are uncomfortable, and every study carries risk.
How long does it take to get paid?
Often longer than people expect. Between scheduling a screening, waiting for confirmation, the study itself and the payment window, the guide’s author found the full cycle commonly took about three months. Studies aren’t a dependable fix for an urgent bill.
Do I have to be healthy?
Not always. Many early-phase studies want healthy volunteers; others need people with a specific condition. The research site decides who qualifies after screening.
Does Bored Studies run the studies?
No. Bored Studies is an independent guide. We don’t conduct trials, recruit for sponsors, screen participants or guarantee pay. We point you to research companies so you can contact them directly.
Is the Money Guide really free?
Yes. Enter your first name and email and you get the PDF immediately. Marketing emails are a separate, optional checkbox that starts unchecked.