Recommended Compensation Rate

Hourly Compensation

The University of Washington (UW) publishes a Self-Sufficiency Standard report every three years as a measure of income adequacy for different households across Washington State. Some state agencies currently use UW’s Self-Sufficiency Calculator to better understand how they can support clients. In the Self-Sufficiency Standard Dataset produced in 2023, UW determined the cost of living for one adult, one preschooler, and one school-age child (family of 3) in the most expensive county, King County-East, to be $120,192.67 annually or $56.91 per hour. 

Therefore, the recommended hourly rate for eligible class one workgroup members is $57 per hour.

 
Per 2SSB 5793, daily compensation is capped at $200 per day, however, there is no limit on the total number 
or value of compensation that can be issued to a workgroup member over multiple days, weeks, months or 
years. 
RCW 43.03.220 clearly states that "agencies exercising their authority to provide stipends and allowances 
under this section must follow the guidelines established by EQUITY pursuant to RCW 43.03.270.” This means 
that agencies must follow the recommended hourly rate for compensation, using it as a baseline. Specifically, 
they should pay at least $57 per hour and not compensate any amount below this. 

Agencies can pay eligible workgroup members more than the recommended hourly rate. However, the Lived Experience Fund will not be 
able to cover the additional cost (the funding only covers the recommended hourly rate).
 

Non-Hourly Compensation

Whenever possible, payments should be calculated based on the amount of time an eligible member spent performing their duties. However, in certain cases, a lump-sum payment may be more appropriate than hourly payments. Here are some examples of when it may be appropriate to issue a single, lump-sum payment, rather than tracking members’ hours to calculate payment amounts. 

● An ad hoc workgroup is created by an agency to serve a short-term goal.
     ○ Example: An ad hoc committee is formed to provide feedback on a new website feature that an 
agency is testing out. The group isn’t planning on having any meetings but will discuss their feedback over email. The workgroup manager estimates that it would take approximately 1 hour for an average person to review the website and an additional 1.5 hours to engage in discussion over email. The agency would then offer a payment of $142.50 (2.5 hours X $57 per hour) to each eligible ad hoc workgroup member. The eligible members do not have to track their time or submit an invoice showing each minute or hour of work, and they are all paid the same amount based on the workgroup manager’s reasonable estimate.
● An existing workgroup asks members to do a one-time task on top of their normal workgroup participation.
     ○ Example: The Chair of an existing workgroup decides to form a subcommittee to review a document and provide feedback via a survey. They estimate that it will take one hour to read the document and respond to the survey, so every member who completes the survey receives an additional $57 for that work.

Note: Payment incentives for one-time public engagement that are not part of membership and ongoing 
participation in a Class One Workgroup are not beholden to these guidelines. For example, if an agency issues 
a large, public survey, and the target populations to fill out that survey are not members of a workgroup but just 
part of the general public, they are not required to meet the recommended rates established above.

Note: If a workgroup member receives $600 or more in a calendar year (per workgroup), the Internal Revenue 
Service (IRS) requires a 1099-MISC form to be sent. See legal considerations section for more information.

Compensation for One-Time Engagement Activities

At times, workgroup managers may need to create temporary, ad hoc workgroups for one-time engagement opportunities. These could include activities like surveys, interviews, feedback requests, or even short-term subcommittees of a larger workgroup. These engagements are typically low-intensity and don’t require a long-term commitment from participants.

Why Use One-Time Engagements?

One-time engagements are less demanding on participants compared to on-going, full-time workgroups. They require less time, fewer preparations, and lower levels of responsibility. These types of engagements are great when agencies already have a workgroup but want to do broader community engagement strategies to learn from more perspectives. For example, if an agency is conducting a survey, they might need feedback from 50,100, or even hundreds of participants.

Because these activities require less effort and commitment from the participants, it’s appropriate to offer slightly lower compensation rates compared to full workgroup involvement.

Compensation for One-Time Engagements

Providing compensation helps encourage participation and shows that agencies (overall government) value the time and input of the community members. Typically, general-purpose gift cards (those that can be used anywhere, not just at specific stores) are used for payment, but they aren’t the only option. This is because asking a participant to apply for a statewide vendor number just for a small payment can be unnecessary.

Recommended Compensation Rates:
The suggested rates for one-time engagement activities are based on the duration of the engagement. If the activity is unsupervised, such as completing a survey or reviewing a document for feedback, workgroup managers should estimate how long it would take the average participant to complete the task. Then, pay all participants the same amount based on that estimate. Here are the suggested rates:
• For activities up to and including 30 minutes = $25.00
• For activities up to and including 1 hour = $50.00
• For activities up to and including 2 hours = $100.00
• For activities up to and over 4 hours = $200.00

These rates strike a balance between offering a fair compensation for participants’ time while also being realistic within budget constraints. If workgroup managers are planning to survey a large number of community members (e.g., 300 participants), keeping these rates manageable ensures fair compensation without going over budget.

Flexibility for Adjustments

If needed, agencies can adjust the compensation to a higher rate, such as $57 per hour, especially if it is determined that the effort involved justifies it. However, it's important to keep in mind that for large-scale surveys or one-time activities, the rates need to be realistic given budget constraints and the nature of the task.
 

Ultimately, the goal is to provide fair compensation while balancing the budget and ensuring that workgroup 
managers can co-create with community members.