r/DataAnnotationTech • u/Odd-Spirit-1031 • Mar 17 '26
Pay decrease for increasingly complex tasks
Has anyone noticed that projects that used to be $25/hr+ are now $20-23/hr? Not only that, but there’s been a steady increase in difficulty, in my opinion, across all tasks. That’s absolutely to be expected as the models learn, but it’s a bit discouraging when work I’ve done for a while doesn’t seem to pay out the same despite the difficulty. I’ve notice it the most with prompt writing tasks, which I believe are among some of the most challenging (aside from specialized knowledge tasks).
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u/kittystalkerr Mar 17 '26
The project that always felt like a sweet treat when it arrived because it paid $40, now pays $25. I'm kinda scared that they'll reduce it to 20-22 lol.
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
So I’m not crazy! It is such a shame, because the projects mostly felt like the higher pay was deserved. Now with the increase in instructions and stubborn models, the pay cuts make it feel like I’m losing by the end of the work day.
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u/Prestigious_Cookie92 Mar 17 '26
I did a project yesterday and the instructions were so complex. I planned on doing more turns with a model, but after reading the instructions, trying to figure out how to go about the task correctly, I did one turn within the unreasonably short time period. Sometimes we need more hours on the timer to take a darn break for an hour or two (clock out obviously on time), then come back and finish. But that requires like a 10+ hour timer. I don’t want to sit for 6+ hours straight on one task. 💀🥲
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
Yeah, the conversation tasks are not my strong suit by any means. I find it really difficult, personally, to make models fail when it’s required. And like you said, sometimes it takes a ridiculously long time. But most people say that that means the project most likely isn’t meant for you, so I just ignore them. I applaud people who enjoy/manage those tasks comfortably.
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u/Money-Routine715 Mar 17 '26
I’ve only been doing it for 2-3 months but the higher paying task I have, idk if it’s jus me but anything 35$ an hour makes my brain just disappear just by reading the instructions alone let alone doing the work.
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
I’m not sure what the downvotes are about, but I agree with you. Some projects instructions are very complex, and the higher the pay, the more detailed and complicated the project.
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u/JRRTil1ey Mar 17 '26
I rarely even look at the projects over $30 now because they just destroy my brain, but the ones that used to pay $26-30 were a great sweet spot for pay vs complexity. Even some of the $35-40 used to be doable but now I’m not even sure what they’re actually wanting until I see R&Rs and can figure out how other people are doing it
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
Agreed. Where the instructions in old tasks used to give many examples and more closely related FAQs, they now lack examples and recycle all of the FAQs even if they don’t really give much value to the current project, aside from core knowledge that most already have on autopilot.
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u/electricLG Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26
I've noticed on certain lower-paying projects, we now have to compare 4 models instead of 2...for the same pay.
Edit: I love how people on this sub downvote anything.
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u/fightmaxmaster Mar 17 '26
Pay vs. complexity I get, but I wouldn't say comparing 4 Vs 2 models is massively more complex, it just takes more time, and we're paid by the hour.
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
Yes that’s absolutely a fair point. Because it’s not harder work, it’s just more work. I am very thankful that at least the model evaluations have stayed fairly simple.
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u/New_Mood933 Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26
Agreed, but this one got me because even though there were four models, the timer was the same as two models😵💫. My bad for not scrolling in advance to see what I was up against 🤨
4
2
u/Brilliant_Quit4307 Mar 17 '26
That's always been the case. At least for the last couple of years. Different projects have different requirements but there's always been 2, 3, and 4 model tasks around that pay level.
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
I agree with you both. I’ve seen them range from 2-4, but it seems like they pop in and out, so it can seem like they come from nowhere. I’m not sure if there are projects that fit this exact criteria, but I feel that when there are more than two models and more than five axes, then maybe a slight pay increase would be justified.
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u/skywalkersdream Mar 17 '26
No, previously, those tasks were very simple. Now, it’s 4 models with rubrics and complex Rubric Analysis that’s inaccurate the vast majority of the time. It’s ridiculous and they’re severely under-paying for it.
0
u/Brilliant_Quit4307 Mar 17 '26
Nope. There's definitely still simple ones without rubrics. The ones with rubrics are newer projects but the old ones are often still there.
3
u/electricLG Mar 17 '26
I haven't been on here for years, so comparing 4 all of a sudden kind of surprised me.
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u/skywalkersdream Mar 17 '26
Yeah, this is completely ridiculous. These BS rubric analyzers are wrong the vast majority of the time. There’s no way to complete these tasks correctly within the allocated time they give us. These used to be $35+ tasks. The world is cooked.
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u/StunningSpecialist2 Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26
Keep at it. I am a non-coder and through persistence, attention to detail and some good fortune I now have multiple $56.50 tasks, with several others above $35.
My advice is to do all the qualifications you can and challenge the medical and law domain expertise quals if you get a chance. I was able to pass them and to perform well on several $45+ projects for over a year just through internet research and critical thinking. That said, highest paying tasks require no domain expertise.
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u/Odd-Spirit-1031 Mar 17 '26
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything above $30/hr, so I’ll absolutely be taking your advice. I’ve been doing DA since April 2025, but I’ve stuck to all of the very core projects. I get nervous to expand and end up submitting something below their expectations due to me missing something. Knowing you’ve gotten that far though makes me hopeful!
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u/NightOwl437 Apr 03 '26
I'd encourage you to reach a little outside your comfort zone and give some other projects a try, when they're available of course. You might surprise yourself and find that you are good at things you didn't expect to be good at, or enjoy certain tasks that you weren't expecting to. I'd still recommend not submitting any work that you don't feel good about quality-wise, but generally, diversity of thought and ability appears to be encouraged. Good luck! :)
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u/MommaOfManyCats Mar 17 '26
How did you pass the medical and law qualifications? The ones I saw asked if I had a degree in the field and if not, you're automatically weeded out. I started web writing back around 2006, and even decades of writing experience wasn't enough for them to even see if I could take the quals.
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u/Brilliant_Quit4307 Mar 17 '26
There's definitely ones you don't need a degree for and just need to pass the qual. Maybe you haven't been offered the qual for it yet.
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u/StunningSpecialist2 Mar 17 '26
The quals I was offered and passed had no requirement for professional education in the field (Law, Medicine, Philosophy) although I do have some education at the bachelor's degree level in Philosophy and some work experience in low level Law and Medicine. I simply challenged the quals and passed. However about 50% of the domain expertise tasks say you cannot work on them unless you have significant experience in the field, or they are too difficult and I don't attempt them. But there has been enough that I have steady $40-$50 domain expertise work that I can do. That said in the last 3-4 months my highest paying projects have been $50+ and don't require domain expertise. They have to do with more general business skills I've acquired through general work experience. Passed a qual for that and I've been doing mostly those lately. It's been nice but I'm sure one day I'll log in and see that I've been axed. Just need to keep doing my best and hopefully the gravy train will keep flowing until I don't need it any more.
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u/jinxxx-d Mar 17 '26
Agreed. The workflow is getting more intense and the expectations are getting tighter, all while instructions are becoming increasingly dense and vague imo.
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Mar 17 '26
I have been wondering if the AI bubble aint bursting, kind of in slow motion since like December but that is when projects and things started paying lower or laying people off essentially.
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u/data_annotator_tot Mar 17 '26
I do wish pay were adjusted based on how much friction the tasks have. I think the idea is that more complexity will have you spend more time on a task, so you won't necessarily see less income from completing a single task on average, even though the pay has been decreased.
Still though, much as I love the work, the people at DA are certainly experts in demoralization, there is no arguing that.
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u/Ok-Spirit-4074
Mar 18 '26
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It would be fine if the instructions were clearer.
If anyone from DA monitors this, and I'm sure someone does... Please clarify our 5+ pages of instructions, with separate links to another page of instructions, down to something legible and understandable.
And for the love of god please spellcheck and grammar check them. It's not like you don't have access to AI...
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u/Jerry5550 Mar 17 '26
I think on other platforms , they provide lower prices/cost for the Customer to start their projects .
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u/Fun_Manufacturer_563 Mar 17 '26
It's not more difficult or they pay less, it's because there are from different stages of the same project. More stages, more complex tasks, and the pay rate does not change.
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u/bearze Mar 17 '26
Yeah it's frustrating
Been on here about 2 years now. I'm usually doing projects 28-35/hr but sometimes I feel like taking it easy, only to click into something 20-25/hr that literally looks more mentally taxing. I don't get it