Amazon Mechanical Turk (Amazon MTurk) is an online marketplace for side hustle jobs that take the form of simple tasks that almost any human being can do. If you’re in search of a little extra income, this article will show you how much you can make on Amazon Mechanical Turk and the pros and cons of using the platform to make money.
We include a step-by-step guide on how to make money with Amazon Mechanical Turk. We also include information about how much Amazon Mechanical Turk pays for virtual human intelligence-based, as well as tips for earning more money on Amazon MTurk.
What Is Amazon Mechanical Turk?
Amazon Mechanical Turk, also known as Amazon MTurk, is a virtual crowdsourcing marketplace where business owners employ workers to remotely perform tasks that require human intelligence to perform. In other words, MTurk is a platform where businesses post tons of online tasks that an artificial intelligence machine cannot complete.
Amazon Mechanical Turk crowdsources thousands of human intelligence tasks (HITs). Some common tasks on the platform are audio file transcriptions, content moderation, content duplication, consumer product reviews, quick surveys, and photo identification.
How Does Amazon Mechanical Turk Work?
Amazon Mechanical Turk works by offering daily income to HIT workers on the Amazon MTurk site. It offers tasks related to data analysis, HIT content moderation, browser games, and content for websites. You can browse through thousands of HIT micro tasks and earn an hourly pay rate, which determines how much you can make on Amazon Mechanical Turk.
Businesses or requesters post HIT tasks on the MTurk worker website, where you can browse a list of HIT tasks and accept the tasks you qualify for. Once you have completed your tasks, requesters have thirty days to validate your HIT tasks. Once they’re verified, you will be eligible for your payment. You can choose to get paid through direct deposit or Amazon gift cards.
Amazon Mechanical Turk only allows you to do a certain number of HITs per day, but you can choose from well-paying HITs to earn a higher hourly income. Both US and non-US citizens have access to tasks offered on Amazon Mechanical Turk’s platform.
All HIT workers will need to go through an identity verification process that requires your social security number and other tax-related information. Your tax information will vary according to your country of citizenship and residence.
How Much Can You Actually Make on Amazon Mechanical Turk?
How much you can make on Amazon Mechanical Turk varies depending on your tasks and the time it takes to complete them. According to a 2018 academic study, Amazon Mechanical Turk pays between $1 and $6 per hour for a typical HIT task. The study also mentions that individual requesters pay an average of $11.58 per hour for higher-paying tasks.
However, the abundance of crowd-sourced jobs tends to generate a large quantity of low-paying tasks on the platform. If you are looking to earn above the federal minimum wage as a HIT crowdworker, the money you make with Amazon Mechanical Turk might not be appealing to you.
How Long Does It Take for MTurk to Make a Payment?
How long it takes for MTurk to transfer money into your account is a function of the speed with which a requester or business reviews and approves your work. Thirty days is the maximum time between submission and payment that MTurk permits, but it could happen much sooner. Once the money is transferred, you should allow one to three business days for processing.
The Pros and Cons of Working on Amazon Mechanical Turk
Like any job, working on the MTurk platform has its advantages and disadvantages. In terms of using the platform to improve your financial situation, you need to consider whether the low rates that Amazon Mechanical Turk pays are worth it for you. Below is a full rundown of the pros and cons of using MTurk to make money.
Pros of Working on Amazon Mechanical Turk
- You’ll have job flexibility. If you are in search of flexible job opportunities that do not require a long-term commitment, then short-term HIT tasks are for you. Requesters offer tasks that can take you five minutes to complete. These short tasks allow you to build your profile and eventually graduate to better-paying HITs.
- Remote jobs are plentiful. Amazon Mechanical Turk allows you to make side income through its HIT tasks from the comfort of your home. As you proceed to gain more HIT qualifications, you can start working on more advanced tasks.
- It’s a platform to apply your computer skills. If you are looking to practice and perfect your software and computer skills, Amazon Mechanical Turk’s tasks are a great way to get that practice. You can enhance your current computer skills and learn new tech skills, all while earning money on this platform.
- It’s a global platform and workplace. Another advantage of working on Amazon Mechanical Turk is its global availability. Whether you are an American citizen or a citizen of another country, you will have access to HIT tasks.
- It’s a great source of part-time jobs. For those looking for the best part-time jobs to earn a supplemental income, Amazon Mechanical Turk’s marketplace is worth looking into. The platform has tons of side jobs available at all times.
- You don’t need any formal education. Amazon Mechanical Turk’s HIT tasks are open to everyone. You do not need a degree of any kind to earn money on this platform.
Cons of Working on Amazon Mechanical Turk
- Pay rates are low. One of the biggest cons of working as a HIT crowdworker is the low amount that Amazon Mechanical Turk pays. This sentiment is echoed across many Amazon Mechanical Turk reviews on Indeed. The company earns a two out of five on the compensation and benefits rating scale. Several negative reviews mention getting HITs that pay less than one dollar.
- Competition is high. Amazon Mechanical Turk attracts tons of crowdworkers globally. This increases the competition for getting assigned a HIT. According to Indeed reviews, the work availability is extremely slow as a beginner HIT crowdworker, and you need to allocate a huge portion of your free time to gain access to more tasks.
- There’s no job security. Amazon Mechanical Turk HIT jobs can be a great source of extra income for those with full-time or part-time jobs. However, since the tasks are freelance in nature, there is not a lot of job security. You cannot count on a steady stream of income, and you won’t be able to rely on HITs to pay your monthly bills.
- Tasks are subject to a long period of review and approval. All HIT jobs are subject to requester approval and the requester has thirty days to approve your tasks. So, there is a possibility of not getting paid until well after your tasks have been submitted.
- The process to qualify for higher-paying tasks is long. It can take you a long time to qualify for higher-paying human intelligence jobs. You will need to complete tons of low-paying HIT jobs to qualify for more substantial tasks and hourly rates.
How to Become an Amazon Mechanical Turk HIT Crowdworker
Now that you know the pros and cons of being an Amazon Mechanical Turk HIT crowdworker, read below to find out how to become one. Below is a step-by-step guide for how to sign up on MTurk as a freelance worker.
1. Create an Account on the Amazon Mechanical Turk Website
To get started on MTurk, the first step is to sign up on the Worker page. To activate your account, you will need to include your full legal name, your email address, and your country of residence, and then create a secure password.
You will also need to add your billing address and banking account information to start getting paid for your tasks. Once you provide all the required information, Amazon will approve or decline your account within three business days.
2. Apply for the Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) Available on the Platform
Once you’ve completed your MTurk sign-up, you’re ready to apply for the human intelligence tasks available on the platform. Be sure to add your educational qualifications or other technical skills to your profile to qualify for more jobs.
Keep in mind that your hourly pay rate and task pay rate can be less than $1 as a starting crowdworker. If you have some free time, be sure to dedicate it to doing more human intelligence tasks. That way, you will become eligible for higher-paying jobs. Depending on your HIT requester and the task, your job might take anywhere from five minutes to over an hour to complete.
3. Submit Your HITs for Approval
Once you have completed your HIT, you will submit it for the requester’s approval prior to getting paid. Amazon provides the requesters with up to thirty days to approve each HIT submission. Once your task is approved, you can get paid via direct deposit or through an Amazon gift card.
How to Make More Money on Amazon Mechanical Turk
With thousands of tasks to choose from, Amazon Mechanical Turk gives you plenty of options to earn extra cash. Read below to find tips on the best ways to make money with Amazon Mechanical Turk as a human intelligence task (HIT) crowdworker.
Use a Reliable Browser Extension and a Fast-Paced Internet Connection
Amazon Mechanical Turk is a remote job marketplace that offers virtual human intelligence and data analysis tasks that require a decent Internet speed and connection. For a more effective HIT session, you should add the Mechanical Turk Suite extension, which is available on Chrome. A fast-paced Internet connection will allow you to do HITs at a faster pace.
Enhance Your Computer Skills and Do Sample Tasks
This next tip applies to Amazon Mechanical Turk novices. You should enhance your basic computer skills, which will allow you to do better work. Some of the most popular HITs on Amazon Mechanical Turk are simple computer-based tasks involving data analysis, data processing, content duplication, or image identification.
You can improve your transcription and data entry skills by reading online content related to them. Another way to increase your eligibility for higher-paying HIT jobs is to do plenty of lower-paying tasks first. This requires dedicating time and patience to building your portfolio. You can fill out surveys and do sample tests to improve your qualifications.
Submit Your Tasks on Time and Gain a High HIT Approval Rate
Another tip to maximizing the money you make with Amazon Mechanical Turk is to build your profile metrics. You can do this by submitting your tasks on time. If you gain a high task approval rate from requesters, you will qualify for more tasks. You can reach the Masters Qualification level on your profile by completing over 5,000 approved tasks. This will increase your profile acceptance rate.
Check Your Amazon MTurk Worker Page Daily
One way to ensure getting access to regular tasks and start earning more money is to do more tasks. As the marketplace does not automatically allocate jobs for its crowdworkers, you should check the page for new HIT job postings on a daily basis. The key to moving up to higher-paying tasks on Amazon Mechanical Turk is to be patient and active on the platform.
Gain a Variety of Technical Skills to Be Eligible for More Tasks
Along with basic computer skills, having a variety of technical skills related to data science and content moderation will improve your candidacy. If you already have these qualifications, add them to your profile.
If you are still working your way to mastering technical skills, a great way to attain them is by doing diverse tech jobs on the platform. Depending on your payment preferences and schedule, you can do data processing, data duplication, or survey jobs to enhance your profile.
Is Working on Amazon Mechanical Turk Worth It?
Amazon Mechanical Turk is worth your time if you are looking for supplemental income. It is also worth it for those looking to enhance their computer, data processing, and data analysis skills.
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This platform isn’t a replacement for a substantial and sustainable source of income. Most human intelligence tasks range between $1 to $6 per task. Since the platform offers freelance tasks, it does not guarantee a regular stream of income to its crowdworkers. The job marketplace also receives a lot of negative reviews on popular job search platforms.
Since how much you can make on Amazon Mechanical Turk is limited, the platform is only worth it for those with full-time jobs. If you have a sustainable and reliable source of income and some free time, then this platform is a great way to increase your opportunities for side income.
Making Money on Amazon Mechanical Turk FAQ
Yes, Amazon Mechanical Turk is a legitimate site that is owned by Amazon. It is a legitimate crowdsourcing job platform that allows businesses to post human intelligence tasks (HITs) and hire crowdworkers to complete them.
Everyone is eligible to work on Amazon Mechanical Turk. The job marketplace offers tasks globally to both American and non-American citizens. The only eligibility requirement to work for Amazon Mechanical Turk is that you be eighteen years or older and have valid identification.
No. As a beginner crowdworker, you typically won’t earn good money on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Most human intelligence tasks usually pay less than $6 per task and, as someone new to MTurk, you will only qualify for jobs in that range. However, as you enhance your profile by completing more tasks, you will qualify for higher-paying HIT jobs.
Amazon Mechanical Turk is a crowdsourcing platform for human intelligence tasks (HITs), which are what Amazon MTurk jobs are called. A HIT could be a survey, a content moderation task, a data processing or data analysis job, or a transcription gig.
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