Paid research for Ukrainians in Germany: platforms, tax and the Jobcenter

Which platforms are available from Germany

As of 11 September 2026, the official platform lists look like this.

German is a real advantage

If you have learned German, it works in your favour. UserTesting supports testing in German, and fluent German is enough to apply, even without English. TestingTime works mainly in Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and its site is available in German.

TestingTime says people in its core markets receive the most invitations, and Germany is one of them. It also runs in-person studies, which it says pay the most.

Documents and phone number

Prolific requires an ID issued by your country of residence: that country’s passport, a residence permit card, a visa page with your photo or an EU ID card. A Ukrainian passport will not work for verification in Germany. The phone number must carry the German code, and VOIP numbers are not accepted. Prolific specifically suggests that people with German numbers who cannot verify try adding an extra "0" before the number.

TestingTime only asks you to verify your identity when you are about to be selected for a study whose client requires it. Verification runs through Veriff, and a residence permit is accepted there too.

User Interviews requires you to verify a mobile number by text to activate your account; landline, Wi-Fi and VOIP numbers do not work. If it says the number is already in use, you most likely have an old account under another email address: try signing in to it rather than creating a new one.

How to get paid

Germany has all the usual EU payout methods. uTest offers a direct bank transfer in local currency via Wise, and Germany is on its country list. Clickworker pays EU countries via SEPA from 10 euros weekly. TestingTime pays to PayPal or to a bank account by IBAN about 10 business days after you request it.

Most studies pay through PayPal. Prolific requires your PayPal account to match your country of residence: if you have moved, update PayPal first and then the country in your profile.

How much you can earn

TestingTime says participants earn 40 euros per study on average, and studies usually last 30 to 90 minutes. User Interviews quotes an average of over $45, and in our catalogue a typical study pays $40. The amounts are similar; the difference is the number of invitations. In Germany you get more of them than from Ukraine, because several platforms are open to you at once.

Still, this is not full-time work. TestingTime says earnings will not be enough to live on, because invitations arrive irregularly. Count on extra income that depends on your profile, language and city.

Taxes: when you pay in Germany

People who have a residence or their habitual abode in Germany have unlimited tax liability there. The law treats a continuous stay of more than six months as a habitual abode, ignoring short interruptions. So most Ukrainians who have lived in Germany for more than half a year are German tax residents.

The platforms withhold no tax: UserTesting and Prolific state that reporting is the participant’s responsibility. Rates are progressive, and income up to the basic tax-free allowance is not taxed: in 2026 that is 12,348 euros of taxable income a year.

Thresholds for small amounts

German income tax law has two thresholds that often matter for small side earnings. Which one applies to you depends on how the tax office classifies your income, so treat them as pointers rather than a finished answer.

• 256 euros: income from services that does not belong to any other income category is not taxable if it is less than 256 euros in a calendar year; this is a threshold, not an allowance, so at 256 euros or more the whole amount is taxable
• 410 euros: if you are employed and tax is withheld from your wages, and your other income without withholding totals no more than 410 euros a year, it does not trigger a mandatory tax return
• if you take part in studies regularly and earn noticeable sums, the tax office may treat it as a business or self-employed activity, and different rules apply

How the thresholds work: examples

Three simplified situations to show the logic of the thresholds. They do not replace advice: the final classification is up to the tax office.

• you are employed, tax is withheld from your wages, and you earned 300 euros from studies in the year: that is under 410 euros, so this income does not trigger a mandatory return
• you are not employed and earned 200 euros in the year that the tax office treats as service income: that is under 256 euros, so it is not taxed
• the same, but 300 euros: the 256-euro threshold is exceeded, and the whole amount is taxable, not just the 44 euros above it

Bürgergeld and Grundsicherung: tell the Jobcenter

If you receive social benefits, the law requires you to report any change relevant to the benefit without delay. Extra income is exactly such a change.

For income from work, the basic income support law disregards part of what you earn: 100 euros a month, then 20% of the part between 100 and 520 euros, 30% of the part between 520 and 1,000 euros, and 10% of the part between 1,000 and 1,200 euros, or up to 1,500 euros if you have a child under 18. Whether the Jobcenter applies these rules to research pay is its decision, so report the income in advance and ask.

Where to ask

For tax questions, go to your Finanzamt or a Lohnsteuerhilfeverein, an association that helps employees with tax returns for a membership fee. For complex cases, for example if you also have business income, see a tax adviser (Steuerberater).

For Bürgergeld, only your own Jobcenter can answer. Ask how the income will be counted before your first payout from a platform, not after.