Is giving plasma Haram if you are paid? Even if you are paid for your time and not for your fluids?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

All the Muslim scholars agreed that the poured out blood is impure and benefiting from it is forbidden. Imam al-Qurtubi said: “All the Muslim scholars have agreed upon that using blood is forbidden and it is impure. So, eating it or benefiting from it is forbidden too. Allah Says (what means): {He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allaah.} [Quran 2: 173]

Allah also Says (what means): {Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and….} [Quran 5: 3]

However, it is permissible to use blood if there is any dire necessity, such as saving the life of a patient, or for treatment and the like. The evidence for this is the verse in which Allah Says (what means): {… while He has explained to you in detail what is forbidden to you, except under compulsion of necessity? } [Quran 6: 119]

Ibn ‘Aabideen wrote: “Drinking urine and blood and eating dead animals for the purpose of cure are permissible actions for an ill-person provided a Muslim doctor advises to use them while there is no other alternate lawful medicine.”

Abdur Razzaq narrated in his Musannaf that a person came to ‘Ataa’ and informed him that he was advised to drink the blood of his own liver to get cured from a pain in his body. ‘Ataa’ permitted him to do so. Thereupon Ibn Juraij said: “Allah made it forbidden.” He [‘Ataa’] said: “It is a necessity”, then Ibn Juraij said: “It would be permissible if he is certain of cure by drinking it, but he is not certain of it.”

Moreover, donating blood is permissible if the donator does not face any harm. It is also permissible to receive the blood from a Muslim or a non-Muslim to save the lives of Muslims or non-Muslims whose lives are protected in the Sharee’ah.

However, selling blood is forbidden and there is no disagreement among the scholars concerning this ruling. Allah forbade it so the prohibition is general and it includes all kinds of beneficial use. Therefore, selling the blood is also forbidden since it is a kind of beneficial use. The Prophet said: "May Allah curse the Jews, for Allah made the fat (of animals) forbidden for them, yet they melted it and sold it and ate its price." The Prophet disapproved of the act of the Jews; this means that anything that is forbidden in the Sharee’ah, selling it or using it is also forbidden except if there is any other text that proves otherwise.

Moreover, Abu Daawood reported that the Prophet said: "When Allah forbids eating something, He also forbids its price." Imam An-Nawawi classified it as sound in his book Al-Majmoo'.

Moreover, there is a Hadeeth which exclusively forbids the price of blood; Abu Juhayfah reported that “The Prophet forbade taking the price of blood, the price of a dog, the earnings of a prostitute, and he cursed the one who took or gave Riba (interest and/or usury), and the lady who tattooed others or got herself tattooed, and the picture-maker.” [Al-Bukhari]

Imam Ibn Hajar said: “There is a disagreement in defining the meaning of ‘price of blood’. It is said that it means the wages of cupping; the other opinion is that it means the prohibition of selling blood as selling dead animal and pig is forbidden. The Muslim scholars agreed in a consensus that selling blood and taking its price is forbidden.”

However, if a person who is in a dire need of blood and does not find any donator, then it is allowed for him to purchase blood since what is forbidden can be committed at the time of forceful need.

Finally, it is forbidden for you to sell the blood whether you benefit from it or give its price in charity to the poor, Mujahideen and the like.

On the other hand, presenting a gift to a donator only to encourage him while he was not looking up for it, and while it is not the price of blood, then we hope that there is no harm in doing so.

Also one should not donate his blood except for a Muslim or a non-Muslim whose life is protected in the Sharee’ah provided there is a dire need for blood to use it beneficially, since it is originally forbidden to benefit from it.

Allah Knows best.