Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)

Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing platform where workers complete small online tasks called Human Intelligence Tasks, or HITs.

These tasks are created by businesses, researchers, and other organizations that need people to handle work that computers cannot do well on their own. Common tasks include data checks, surveys, image classification, content review, transcription, research, and other forms of data processing.

You create a Worker account, browse available HITs, choose tasks that interest you, complete them according to the instructions, and submit your work. The requester then reviews the submission and decides whether to approve it.

The amount paid for each task is set by the requester. Some HITs pay only a few cents, while others pay more for tasks that require greater effort, research, or specialist skills.

This means your actual hourly earnings can vary a lot. Choosing better-paying HITs and building a strong approval record can make the platform more useful than accepting every task you see.

Accuracy matters on MTurk. Requesters can reject work that does not meet their requirements, and your history of approved work can affect which tasks you qualify for.

You can also receive bonuses from requesters. These are extra payments given at the requester’s discretion, often for work they consider especially good.

Payment becomes available after a requester approves your HIT. New workers have an initial holding period of at least 10 days from the first submitted HIT before they can transfer available rewards.

Payment options depend on your location. US workers can transfer earnings to a US bank account or Amazon.com gift card, while eligible international workers can use an Amazon.com gift card or, where available, transfer funds to a US bank account.

There is an important current issue with MTurk. Amazon has announced that Mechanical Turk will permanently close on September 30, 2026. Workers should make sure their payment details and transfer schedule are set up before the closure.