You’ve heard that you can donate plasma for money, and maybe you’ve thought of doing it. But you likely have questions.
If you’re thinking of donating plasma, you can feel great about yourself. It’s a worthwhile endeavor that can help a lot of people. Keep reading for answers to those questions.
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What Is Plasma?
More than half of your blood is comprised of plasma, a yellow-hued substance that carries water, salt and enzymes. Think of it as a train in the body, taking nutrients, hormones and proteins wherever they need to go. Plasma also carries cells’ waste products and all parts of the blood through your circulatory system.
As the Red Cross website says, “blood plasma donations are used for slightly more specific purposes than a general blood donation. The most common uses of plasma donations include individuals who have experienced a severe trauma, burn or shock, adults or children with cancer, and people with liver or clotting factor disorders.”
Plasma is also used in medical research.
“There is a critical and ongoing need for human plasma to produce life-saving medicines for people with rare diseases,” says Rachpal Malhotra, the head of plasma donor safety at CSL Plasma, one of the world’s largest plasma collectors.
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“Human plasma is used to produce therapies that treat diseases such as primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, hemophilia and other bleeding and neurological disorders,” Malhotra says.
What Does Plasma Donation Involve?
Donating plasma is a longer process than donating blood, which is why plasma donations generally involve compensation. It takes about 90 minutes to donate plasma, and you should expect to be there for at least two hours because it includes a screening process and a rest period post-donation.
The human body contains about three liters of plasma, and donations typically run from 635 to 800 milliliters. You can donate plasma more frequently than blood — you just have to wait two days between donations — which is why your plasma can be profitable.
You must give plasma twice for it to be effective, so plasma centers usually encourage you to donate twice a week.
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How Much Do You Get for Donating Plasma?
How much you’ll make for donating plasma will vary, depending on what part of the country you’re in and which plasma center you’re using. Some of the bigger plasma donation centers include CSL Plasma, BioLife Plasma Services and Grifols Plasma.
Durin Hendricks is a public relations associate in Washington, D.C., who donated plasma a couple years ago after graduating from college. Hendricks, who went to a BioLife Plasma Service center, earned about $100 per donation.
Katie Rasure is a travel blogger in Little Rock, Arkansas, and a regular plasma donor at a Grifols Plasma center.
“I started donating in college so I could get some extra money to afford things I wanted, so I didn’t have to work. It was something my friends and I all did. I was afraid of needles before, but the money was a good enough incentive for me to give donating plasma a try,” Rasure says.
Rasure says that the local plasma center she uses allows people to go twice a week to donate, and that you can earn up to $800 in the first month.
She makes around $80 to $110 a week when she donates twice a week. She gets paid via on a debit card that’s loaded automatically after each donation.
“The process is actually very simple,” Rasure says. “The longest it takes is the first day when you are required to fill out paperwork, get a free physical, test your blood and blood pressure, and then finally donate your plasma. The whole process can take anywhere from two hours to four hours.”
If you’re donating around the holidays, Rasure says it might take a little longer since more people tend to give plasma around then because “everyone wants to make some extra money for Christmas.”
Are There Risks to Donating Plasma?
Donating plasma is safe if you’re a healthy adult, but there are some risks to consider.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates plasma collection in the United States, some donors “can experience fatigue, bleeding, or dehydration. Additionally, you may feel dizzy or lightheaded. While not typical, fainting can also occur. It’s rare, but more serious infections or reactions can occur, which can be treated.”
Rasure warns that your arm might hurt slightly from having to pump the blood into the machine, and that “when you get the liquids pumped into your body after the whole process is over so you can be rehydrated, it can make you very cold, so everyone brings some sort of blanket or jacket for that.”
She adds that any bruising may last up to a week, and if you’re a regular donor, “you do get a very small circular scar where they put the needle in your arm.”
Hendricks says he would have donated more than three times but experienced a side effect that kind of soured the experience.
“I was about 15 or so minutes into my plasma donation when I felt like my feet were first falling asleep, which had not happened before, then it shifted from just feeling like they were asleep to feeling like I was being attacked from the inside out,” Hendricks says. “Looking back on it, I felt like I was in a horror movie with something inside my feet crawling around.”
Hendricks alerted a technician, who halted process, and he hasn’t donated since.
What Else Should I Know About Plasma Donations?
“To donate at a CSL Plasma collection center, donors must be in good health, between the ages of 18 to 74, weigh at least 110 pounds, have no tattoos or piercings within the last four months, meet our eligibility and screening requirements and have valid identification and a permanent address,” Malhotra says.
Other places may have slightly different requirements, but the details Malhotra pointed out are pretty standard.
Remember that although it’s referred to as “donating plasma,” you are technically selling it since you’re being paid for it.
That means you should “remember to report your earnings on your tax return,” says Jeremy Babener, a tax attorney and the president of Structured Consulting in Portland, Oregon.
“If you receive more than $600, you’ll get a 1099,” Babener says. He adds that some people have tried taking the IRS to court, arguing that earnings from plasma aren’t taxable. “They lost,” he says.
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What to Know About Donating Plasma for Money originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 11/14/23: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
