Pay Models on Handshake AI Projects

Each Handshake AI project has its own pay structure. Pay may be based on hours worked, tasks completed, or a combination of both. This allows pay to reflect the time, effort, and review required for the work on that project, rather than applying the same approach to every type of work. 

This article explains the four pay types you may experience, what determines each type of earning, and how to check which one applies to your project.

Note: These are general, high-level explanations of how each pay model works. Your actual pay is always governed by your project agreement and what is configured on your project dashboard. If anything here ever seems to conflict with the information available there, your project dashboard is the source of truth.

"Ready to Deliver (RTD)" means a task has moved all the way through your project's review process and is approved to go to the client. It is a specific status that will appear on your task or project dashboard. Review timelines vary by project and by how much revision a task needs, so the time between submitting a task and reaching RTD, including when you get paid for it, can vary. Check your project’s Learning Hub or project dashboard for more specific guidance on your project’s typical review timeline.

Important: Your project's pay type is set when the project is configured. If you aren't sure which one applies to you, check the Handshake AI platform or your project’s Learning Hub. You can also decide whether to take on a given project based on whether its pay model works for you.

Pay per Hour (Hourly)

You're paid an hourly rate for the time you log working on tasks. Your earnings for the week are the hours you logged on tasks you submitted that week, multiplied by your hourly rate for your role on that project. There's no per-task component — pay is tied to logged time, not to whether a task later passes review.

Every hourly project has a maximum time cap per task (sometimes called average handling time, or AHT) — this means you're only paid up to that cap per task, regardless of how long it actually took. You can find your project's cap on your project dashboard.

Your rate is set per project and per role. If you work on more than one project, each one has its own rate. Handshake may introduce weekly hourly caps as discretion. 

Pay per Task (PPT)

There's no hourly component on a PPT project. You earn a set amount for each task that gets accepted by the client, rather than being paid for the time you spend on it.

You earn the pay-per task amount when your task reaches the Ready to Deliver stage. This means it has moved through review and is ready to go to the customer. It is not earned the moment you submit the task. 

Per-task earnings reflect work that's cleared multiple levels of review — your task may get sent back for revisions along the way. Because that review process takes time, per-task pay is calculated and paid out separately from weekly hourly pay. Tasks that never reach Ready to Deliver don't earn the per-task amount. Many fellows end up earning more under this model if they are able to complete the task more quickly than expected. 

Hybrid

Hybrid combines the two models above: it has both an hourly component and a per-task earning.

• You're paid your hourly rate the same way as on a Pay per Hour project.
• On top of that, you earn a per-task amount once your task reaches Ready to Deliver.

A Hybrid project gives you predictable hourly earnings, plus additional earnings tied to completed, review-passed work. Like the Hourly pay model, Hybrid projects will likely have an hourly cap to complete your task. 

Progressive Pay per Task

Progressive Pay per Task has no hourly component. Like standard Pay per Task, you earn per task — but instead of earning the full amount at one single point, you earn it in stages as your task moves through each review stage.

You start earning as soon as you submit. Each stage your task moves through adds to what you've earned on it:

1. You submit the task — you earn an amount right away.
2. The task passes R1 review — you earn an additional amount.
3. The task passes R2 review — you earn an additional amount.
4. The task reaches Ready to Deliver — you earn the final, largest amount.

That's what makes it "progressive": the same per-task model, just released in stages as your work moves through each checkpoint instead of all at once at the end.

The specific amount at each stage is set per project — check your project dashboard or Learning Hub for the rates that apply to you.

Where to review your earnings

Your earnings for each pay week, including base pay, incentives, referral pay, and adjustments, appear on the Handshake AI pay dashboard. To learn how to find it and what each section shows, refer to The Handshake AI pay dashboard and how pay works.

Other things to know about pay

Pay models above cover task-based earnings. Separately, some projects also offer onboarding pay, bonuses/incentives, or referral pay — those work differently. 

• Onboarding and assessment pay. Some projects offer pay for completing onboarding steps or assessments. Check your project’s Learning Hub or dashboard to confirm if this applies to you, when it’s paid, and why.
• Other incentives and bonuses. Some projects offer bonuses or incentives beyond standard task pay, configured per project.
• Referral pay. You can earn pay for referring others to the Handshake AI Fellowship. Learn more in Referring someone to the Handshake AI Fellowship.
• Changes to project pay. Pay terms on a project can change over time. If this happens, we’ll communicate the update and the reason for it in advance.
• Project removal or account status changes. If you're removed from a project or your account status changes, this can affect pay you've earned or expect to earn. (NEED TO CONFIRM IF WE PROVIDE THIS IN THE EMAIL?)
• AI Skills Studio is not paid work. Completing Skills Studio missions isn’t compensated for, but it’s a way to build skills and experience that can help you land more projects and complete them more successfully.