What does a paid survey or offer really pay per hour?
A reward shown as "$2 for 15 minutes" ignores the attempts that end in a screen-out. Enter your own numbers to see the expected pay per hour once wasted minutes and fees are counted.
How this is calculated
Each "attempt" means starting one survey or offer. There are two possible paths, and the calculator weights them by your chance of qualifying, written as p (the percentage divided by 100).
- Path 1, you qualify (probability p): you spend the stated minutes and earn the reward, less any payout fee.
- Path 2, you are screened out (probability 1 − p): you spend the wasted minutes and earn nothing.
The tool also shows the expected number of attempts per completion (1 ÷ p) and the expected minutes you spend per completed reward (expected minutes per attempt ÷ p). Those two lines show how a long-run average is built out of many attempts.
Assumptions, all visible: every attempt is independent, your qualifying chance stays the same across attempts, the reward and times are averages, there is no time between attempts (finding surveys, logging in, waiting for credits), and the fee is a flat percentage of the reward. Real life rarely matches all of these.
Three illustrations, not data
The rows below are made-up inputs chosen to show how the formula behaves. They are not measurements of any site and are not typical results. Use the buttons to load one into the calculator.
| Example | Inputs | Result |
|---|---|---|
| A: always qualifies | $1.00, 10 min, 100%, 0 min wasted, 0% fee | $1.00 per attempt over 10 minutes = $6.00 per hour |
| B: screen-outs bite | $2.00, 15 min, 50%, 3 min wasted, 0% fee | $1.00 per attempt over 9 minutes = about $6.67 per hour |
| C: small reward, low odds, fee | $0.50, 5 min, 20%, 1 min wasted, 5% fee | $0.095 per attempt over 1.8 minutes = about $3.17 per hour |
Why this calculation matters
Advertised rewards are quoted per completed task, and advertised times describe a task you finished. Neither number tells you what an hour of your attention is worth, because the hour also contains the attempts that went nowhere. A survey that pays $2 for 15 minutes looks like $8 an hour, yet in Example B above the same offer averages about $6.67 an hour once half of your attempts end early.
Seeing that gap lets you compare unlike things on one scale: a high-paying but hard-to-qualify survey against a low-paying but reliable one, or a payout method with a fee against one without. It also helps you notice when the cost of a payout fee matters more than a small difference in the reward.
Limitations and how to read the verdict
The result is only as good as your inputs, and the chance of qualifying is usually the least certain of them. Try a pessimistic and an optimistic value and compare. The calculator does not include the time you spend looking for offers, waiting for credits, contacting support for tracking problems, or waiting through payout holds, and it does not model reversals, when a partner later cancels a completion. Those can lower a real hourly rate further.
The verdict bands are simple reference points on the output, not benchmarks of any company or of what people typically earn. The US federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is used as one landmark only because it is a well-known number; it says nothing about taxes or your local minimum wage. Nothing here is a promise of earnings, and it is not financial or tax advice. See our earnings disclaimer.
For how balances and payouts work at ScrollEarn specifically, read how ScrollEarn payouts work, or plan your first cash-out with the payout planner. If a site looks too good to be true, try the rewards site checker.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my effective hourly rate lower than the reward divided by the stated time?
Because the stated time only covers a completed survey. If you sometimes get screened out, the minutes spent on those failed attempts earn nothing, so they lower the average pay per minute across all your attempts. Payout fees lower it further.
How do I estimate my chance of qualifying?
Use your own history: count how many attempts you started and how many you completed over a few weeks. Any number you guess up front is only a guess, so try a low and a high value and see how much the answer moves.
Does this calculator store or send my numbers?
No. The calculation runs in your browser with plain JavaScript. Nothing is sent to a server, and no cookies or local storage are used.
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