That’s a valid question. And with any valid tax question, you won’t find an easy answer. But here’s the closest you’re going to get: 1. Let’s file rule #1 under “better to be safe than sorry.” The IRS asks everyone to claim every bit of money they make. You have to pay taxes on it. This includes the five bucks you got for helping your friend move. The IRS says yes, you need to claim that! 2. Let’s call rule #2 the “not-so-safe, but more regularly used” approach.  This approach suggests one of two things. Either you have to report it as taxable if you make more than $99 per survey, or if you don't make that much, you do not need to pay taxes. The second is if you get paid more than $600 by a survey panel in one year, then that panel will send you a 1099 tax form, and you have to claim that income.