You can close your Prolific account at any time. Here's what to do, and what to expect if you have a balance or pending rewards.
How do I close my account?
First, if you have existing funds in your balance, you’ll need to cash these out before you can close your account. For help with cashing out, see How do I get paid on Prolific?
Please Note: This includes any pending amounts. If you have payments pending, wait until the researcher has reviewed the study. You can close your account only after these studies have been reviewed and you have cashed out your funds.
Once you're ready, log in, click your profile icon in the top right, then click "Account"
Scroll to the bottom of your Account page and click "Close" next to the close account option
Please Note: When you close your account, your relationship with Prolific ends and you'll no longer be able to access your account. We'll automatically delete most of your personal data 14 months after closure. If you'd like this done sooner, contact us using the chatbot icon in the bottom right of your screen with the subject "Data deletion request." See our Participant Privacy Notice, for full details.
What if my balance is below the minimum cashout amount, or I have pending rewards?
There's no self-serve way to close your account in this situation, you'll need to contact us using the chatbot icon in the bottom right of your screen. Here's what happens next:
We'll manually remove your minimum cashout threshold so you can withdraw any remaining balance, even if it's below the usual £6/$6 minimum
If your withdrawal method has a cooling-off period, you'll still need to wait this out, we can't expedite it
If you have pending rewards, you'll need to wait until the researcher reviews the study, or until it's automatically approved 22 days after submission, whichever comes first
If you'd rather not wait, you can choose to forfeit your remaining balance instead, and we'll proceed with closing your account right away.
Will my account be closed if it is inactive?
After 6 months of inactivity, you'll get an email warning that your account will be closed. A reminder follows at the 12-month mark. If you don't log in within 14 months of inactivity, your account is permanently closed and your data deleted. To keep your account active, log in within 8 months of that initial warning email.
Tip: To make sure you don't miss our emails, we recommend adding [email protected] to your safe senders list.
Will my account close if it’s permanently on hold?
If your account is on hold and you've appealed but we've confirmed it will remain restricted, your account won't automatically close. It stays open, but you won't be able to participate in studies. If you'd like to close it, follow the steps above.
Can I re-join after my account is closed or I delete my data?
No, you can't re-join Prolific once your account is closed, for any reason, including breaches of our Participant Terms or prolonged inactivity.
Account closure is final. We can't reinstate your account or help you create a new one. All accounts go through our standard verification checks, which detect and prevent duplicate accounts.