How Much Can You Make Donating Plasma? - GoodRx (2024)

Plasma, also known as blood plasma, is the liquid portion of whole blood. Plasma, which is mostly water, makes up about 55% of your blood. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended in the plasma, accounting for the other approximately 45%.

Plasma serves four distinct functions in the body:

1. Helps sustain blood pressure and volume

2. Supplies proteins for blood clotting and immunity

3. Carries electrolytes to the muscles

4. Helps maintain pH balance to support cell function

The process of plasma collection is called plasmapheresis, which involves removing whole blood, separating out the plasma, then returning the blood cells and platelets to the body. (Some people have plasmapheresis to replace their plasma with a substitute that doesn’t contain antibodies that are making them sick, or therapeutic plasma exchange.) When extracted, plasma looks like a yellow-tinted liquid that’s close to the color of very weak tea.

Plasma-derived medicinal products are used to make treatments for severe liver disease, immune deficiencies, autoimmune conditions, and bleeding disorders such as hemophilia.

Most of the global plasma supply — about two-thirds — comes from the U.S., because it has the least restrictive regulations in the world.

Can you get paid to donate plasma?

Yes, one reason why the international plasma supply relies on the U.S. is that “donors” are compensated. While blood donation typically takes 10 minutes or less and is unpaid, the process of donating plasma takes longer and the donors are often paid.

The compensation is for the time donors spend during plasma collection. Donors typically receive payment via prepaid debit cards from commercial (for-profit) plasma centers. From check-in to recovery, giving plasma can take up to 2 hours the first time. After an initial donation, the process typically takes about 90 minutes, which includes screening and recovery.

Paid plasma — known as “source plasma” — is used to make medicinal products and for international export, but not for transfusions. Typically, you must successfully donate twice in 6 months to have your plasma tested and to become an official donor, or “qualified donor.”

Plasma for transfusions

Plasma transfusions help people who have experienced certain medical issues, such as trauma or burns. Transfused plasma can help boost blood volume and improve clotting. Convalescent plasma, a type of transfused plasma, comes from a person who has recovered from an infection like COVID-19 and can help other people with the virus get better.

Plasma for transfusions typically comes from nonprofit centers that do not pay donors.

How much money can you make donating plasma?

People giving plasma are typically paid $30 to $70 per donation. With incentives, you can make $400 or more a month. Certain high-frequency donors can make up to $1,000 a month.

The amount of money you can make donating plasma depends on the plasma center, how often your plasma is collected, and the compensation and incentives offered. There are more than 1,000 plasma centers in the U.S. The commercial chains with the largest U.S. footprint are:

• CSL Plasma

• BioLife Plasma Services, part of the Takeda Pharmaceuticals company

• Grifols Plasma, sometime branded as Talecris Plasma Resources or Biomat USA

• Octapharma Plasma

The compensation for your first donations as a new donor and when you become a “qualified donor” can be hundreds of dollars, because of incentives and bonuses. You can also get more money for referrals and regular visits. Centers often hold raffles and offer prizes, including cash, to keep people giving.

Plasma center payments and incentives

The chart below includes information about rates for plasma donation at the time of publication. You can contact a plasma center near you to get more information about payments and incentives.

U.S. Plasma Centers Sample Payments and Incentives

Tax implications

It’s important to note that plasma centers don’t report what they have paid you to the IRS because the amounts are typically below the reporting threshold for cash and electronic payments. But plasma earnings are considered taxable income that you are responsible for reporting on your taxes.

How often can you donate plasma?

Plasma reproduces quickly. With proper hydration, your plasma levels return to normal in 48 hours.

You’re not considered a qualified plasma donor until you do two donations — tested separately, but collected at the same center — within 6 months to make sure your blood products are safe to use. Once you’re cleared, you can give plasma two times in every 7-day period. That means you can make up to 104 donations every year.

At many nonprofit plasma centers, including the American Red Cross, you can give every 28 days, or up to 13 times a year.

While Type O-negative is the universal blood type for a whole blood donation, people who have Type AB blood (AB-positive and AB-negative) are considered the preferred group for plasma donations. This is because AB is the rarest blood type. AB plasma is compatible with all other blood types without concern about adverse reactions. If you have AB blood, you can help the most people by donating plasma.

Is it safe to donate plasma regularly?

Donating plasma can safely be done on a regular basis by many people. First-time donors are most likely to experience an adverse reaction. But you can experience temporary side effects with any plasma donation. Your symptoms may include:

• Fatigue

• Dizziness or lightheadedness

• Bruising or soreness at the needle site

• Dehydration

• Feeling of coldness from your blood being chilled during the collection process

• Citrate reaction

Citrate, an anti-clotting substance, can enter your bloodstream during the plasma collection process. A citrate reaction can temporarily drop calcium levels and cause chills or tingling in your fingers or toes.

Severe events related to plasma donation are rare. One possible long-term outcome of repeated plasma donations is a scar at the needle site, although this is also rare.

Plasma donor eligibility

To qualify to donate plasma, you must:

• Be age 18 or older

• Weigh at least 110 lbs

• Pass a medical exam

• Complete medical screening, including testing negative for hepatitis and HIV

• Not have gotten a tattoo or piercing in the last 4 months

Here’s what you can do to prepare to donate plasma:

• Get enough sleep the night before your donation.

• Eat a healthy snack or an iron-rich meal a few hours before your donation.

• Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

• Reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake.

• Gather your identification, proof of address, and proof of Social Security number to take with you to the plasma center.

• Keep in mind that certain medications and prescriptions can disqualify you from donating plasma.

Where to donate plasma

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides this plasma center locator tool to help you find a location near you.

Demographics of plasma centers and donors

A 2021 study established a link between the location of commercial plasma centers and disadvantaged communities. The researchers found that people who live in census tracts where plasma centers are located are more likely to have low incomes, and they are more likely to be Black or Hispanic.

A 2022 paper examining the financial impact of compensated plasma donations also found that paid plasma donors tend to be younger people with lower incomes. This study estimated that access to plasma centers helps U.S. households avoid $180 million to $230 million annually in high-interest, non-bank borrowing from payday loans and other installment lending.

Why do you get paid for plasma, but not blood?

Your whole blood, platelets, and plasma can be collected to help individuals or for use in creating medicinal products. But the FDA requires whole blood from paid donors to be labeled, and hospitals only use donated blood, according to the STAT news website.

Though legal, it’s not considered moral or ethical to pay for whole blood. As mentioned earlier, whole blood donation is also quick. Plasma donations take longer and people are compensated for their time and commitment to regularly giving plasma.