Compensation Policy

To receive compensation for completing a study on Biome, research partners must:

• Have a verified Biome research partner account with a completed profile
• Have been formally approved by the researcher for the study
• Have completed all required tasks and submissions by the study end date
• Meet the compliance threshold specified by the researcher (typically 80%+)
• Have a valid payout method on file (bank transfer, PayPal, or wallet address)

Partial completion may result in prorated compensation at the researcher's discretion. All eligibility decisions are subject to Biome's dispute resolution process.

Once a study is marked as completed and the researcher confirms research partner completion, Biome processes compensation within 14 business days.

For crypto payouts (USDC, ETH, or other supported tokens), transfers are typically processed within 3 business days. For bank transfers and PayPal, allow up to 14 business days depending on your country and banking institution.

You will receive an in-platform notification when your compensation is initiated. If you have not received your compensation after 14 business days, please contact support.

Biome offers payout methods that may include bank transfer, supported digital payout methods, and, where available, crypto payouts. Payout method availability depends on recipient country, provider support, compliance review, and study configuration.

Payout timing is not guaranteed and may vary based on payout method, provider processing, banking delays, compliance checks, and recipient account issues.

If currency conversion is required, the payout provider may apply its own exchange rate, spread, and fees. Biome does not guarantee mid-market exchange rates.

Biome's platform fee is charged to researchers under Biome's researcher pricing terms. Biome does not currently deduct its platform fee directly from the research partner reward listed on the study page.

Third-party payout, conversion, banking, PayPal, or blockchain/network fees may still apply and may reduce the final amount received by the research partner.

A small research partner payout processing fee applies: 0.5% of the total payout amount.

Note: Payment structure is not the current implementation priority. All payout UI and policy text is written to accommodate upcoming payment integration work.

Researchers must deposit the full compensation pool (total_bounty_pool) plus the 2.5% platform fee before their study can be listed as "Recruiting" on Biome.

Deposits are held in escrow by Biome until study completion. Funds are not released to Biome until after research partners are confirmed as completed.

If a study is cancelled by the researcher before any research partners complete, a full refund (minus a 1% administration fee) is issued within 14 business days.

Once a research partner submits a compensation request, there is a 7-day review window during which the researcher may flag a compliance issue.

After the 7-day window, the compensation is locked and processed. Withdrawal requests cannot be cancelled once processing has begun.

Research partners who withdraw from a study before completion forfeit their right to compensation. Partial completion payouts are at the researcher's sole discretion.

If you believe your compensation is incorrect or has been incorrectly withheld, you may open a dispute through the Biome platform within 30 days of the study end date.

Biome will review the dispute and make a binding determination within 14 business days. Both parties will be notified of the outcome. Biome's decision is final in cases of compliance disputes.

To open a dispute, go to your research partner dashboard and select the relevant study, then click "Report an issue."

Biome uses device fingerprinting, duplicate detection, and behavioural analysis to detect fraudulent participation. Accounts found to be submitting false data, participating under multiple identities, or otherwise defrauding researchers will be permanently banned and any pending compensation forfeited.

Biome reserves the right to withhold compensation pending fraud investigation. If fraud is not confirmed, the compensation is released within 5 business days of investigation completion.

For compensation-related queries, contact Biome at:

payouts@biome.to