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You can also download this Easy Read as a PDF.
Easy Read
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This is an Easy Read version of some information. It may not include all of the information but it will tell you about the important parts. |
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This Easy Read booklet uses easier words and pictures. Some people may still want help to read it. |
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Some words are in bold – this means the writing is thicker and darker. |
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Sometimes if a bold word is hard to understand, we will explain what it means. |
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Underlined words show links to websites and email addresses. You can click on these links on a computer. |
What is in this booklet
Being offered payment
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People should be offered payment for helping health and social care research. |
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If you help with research, you may be offered payment in cash or bank transfer.
Bank transfer is where the money is paid into your bank account. |
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Some organisations may give you vouchers or gifts for your help. |
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You may need to pay tax on the money you receive.
Tax is money you have to pay to the government. |
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Whether you need to pay tax depends on how much money you get from other places. |
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You are in charge of making sure you pay the right amount of tax. |
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The money you receive from helping with research may affect your benefits.
Benefits is money the government gives to some people to help pay for the things they need to live. |
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You need to find out how your benefits might be affected before agreeing to help researchers. |
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If you get benefits you can ask to be paid less money for helping with research. |
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If you get benefits you can also ask not to get paid at all. |
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Guidance on the NIHR website has more information about how this money could affect your benefits. |
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If you have to pay money to help with research, like paying to travel, this is called expenses.
Expenses are money you have paid out to come to a meeting or any other activity related to helping research. |
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If you spend money on expenses you must keep the receipt. |
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You can help with research if you are self-employed.
Self-employed means you work for yourself, not a company. |
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When you are self-employed, if you earn up to or less than £1,000 in one year in total, including helping with research, you do not need to pay tax. |
Your job status
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Sometimes before helping with research, you may need to find out your job status . |
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This is so we can work out how to pay you for your time. |
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If you help with paid health research, this usually does not mean that you have a job with the research project.
If you need help finding your job status you can go to these websites: |
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The citizen’s advice website |
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The NIdirect government services website |
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If you are not sure about your job status then please talk to the organisation doing the health research about it. |
| These activities do not usually count as a job: | |
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Going to meetings and events, like drop-in sessions and open days. |
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Reading documents, like application forms and information sheets. |
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Activities and projects that take place over a short amount of time. |
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Helping with research that keeps going for a long time like taking part in groups or committees is not a job. |
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A committee is a group of people which makes decisions for an organisation. |
This Easy Read booklet was produced by easy-read-online.co.uk
The booklet includes images licensed from Photosymbols & Shutterstock.
If you feel any of the information on this page needs amending or would like to request the deletion of this page, please contact us at publicpartnerships@nihr.ac.uk