33 Best Side Jobs from Home to Make More Money

side jobs from home

Did you know that 93% of Americans with full-time jobs also have a side job?

While some people are fortunate enough to find their dream job, others are working a side job from home to help pay the bills.

And even if you’ve found the perfect career, it can help to work a side hustle to earn extra income in your free time.

The best side job for you depends on your goals and how much you want to work. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Why Start a Side Job From Home?

It may be called a side hustle, side gig, or even a side job from home. These are all things we do on the side from our primary job to earn extra income.

According to a study by Insuranks, 63% of those with a side job are looking to make a bit of extra cash, while 44% need a side gig just to make ends meet. On average, side hustlers make an extra $500 per month, which can certainly help balance any budget!

These side jobs can be easy, but they use your skills to make a little extra money. It can be anything from being a virtual assistant, virtual bookkeeper, writer, or even taking online surveys to add extra income to your household budget.

Looking for a few quick wins to make money fast?

Here are a couple of legit apps that pay you money just for signing up:

17 Best Side Jobs From Home

There are many appealing options for people to start on these side jobs. Here are a few of those side jobs that you can start making just a bit extra money. 

1. Online Surveys

Online surveys are by far the most common side job from home out there, with 95% of people saying they use survey apps to make extra money.

While you won’t get rich by taking surveys alone, it’s an easy way to get started and can be ideal for those with a little extra free time.

One secret is to find the most reputable survey sites that pay out the highest rates.

The great thing about surveys is you can earn some side income sitting in from the TV, standing in line at the grocery store, or anywhere you have a few spare minutes.

It doesn’t have to take too much brain power or skills to complete these surveys, making it such a great side job for people. 

If you want to make money with surveys, here are some legit companies to help you out:

  • Survey Junkie (150 point sign up bonus) – one of the biggest and most well-known survey sites and my #1 overall recommendation
  • Swagbucks ($5 sign up bonus)- make extra money completing surveys, shopping online, playing games, and other small tasks
  • Inbox Dollars ($5 sign up bonus)- another great survey app with several ways to earn extra money
  • Branded Surveys (100 point sign up bonus) – a great addition to Survey Junkie to earn even more

2. Cash Back Apps

We think of making money as doing tasks using our skills and time, but what if you can make money by spending the regular amount you usually pay?

Using cashback credit cards can help make some money back, but you can also use different cash back apps that can increase the amount of money you bring back home. The multipliers can be massive. 

If you are out and about shopping, take a look at these cashback apps to earn as you shop:

3. Freelance Writer

Writing can be a skill you picked up from writing blog posts, working on essays in school or other places that have enhanced your skills.

People need writers for content on websites, editorial pieces, and even for ebooks. So if you have skills in writing, it is time to put those skills to use.

You can make good money from freelance writing. On average you could expect to make 10 cents per word, which would be $100 for a 1,000 word article. If you write in a specific niche or master a skill like copywriting, you can make even  more. 

If you are new to writing, here are some places you can start to find gigs:

  • Upwork
  • Fiverr

4. Proofreading and Copy Editing

Some people are better at editing than they are at writing. It can be lucrative for many writers and content creators who look for others to edit and make their copy much more appealing to readers.

If you can grab a few clients that need a ton of articles edited, you can create a great side job from home to help make extra income. 

Click here for a free workshop on how to start your own proofreading business

5. Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant is someone that can complete tasks for an organization virtually. It can include administrative duties, bookkeeping, scheduling items, and social media management. 

A virtual assistant or VA can handle all these tasks for short. These jobs can be either part-time or even full-time. You may be invaluable to many people who hire you to do specific tasks and duties if you have skills. 

6. Virtual Bookkeeping

Bookkeepers come in all shapes and sizes, and one of the great things about the digital world is using your skills to market to others.

If you are a bookkeeper by day and want to make a bit of extra money, you can use those skills as a virtual bookkeeper. As a side job, you can use your day job skills to accomplish many tasks for online organizations that may need your skills.

If you want to learn more about whether a bookkeeping side hustle would be a good fit for you and how to go about learning the skills you need to be a great bookkeeper, I highly recommend my friend Ben’s FREE training series:

Click here for a series of free training videos on how to start your own bookkeeping business!

7. Graphic Designer

Do you have the creativity and skills to be a graphic designer? You can use these skills as a freelancer to earn extra income.

It can also be a great side job for those established graphic designers.

Companies need help with creating logos, designs, and many other projects that use a graphic designer. 

There are platforms in which you can offer these skills, such as:

  • Fiverr
  • Upwork

8. Online Tutor

If you are a teacher or have a skill you can teach, then becoming an online tutor can be a practical side job from home. Many students from all over the world are looking to enhance their skills, learn from someone that is qualified, or even have some one-on-one tutoring. 

These are jobs and skills that can be plentiful to help you earn some cash. This may be your path if you know you tutor kids, adults, and others. 

Here are some established places that you can search for online tutoring:

  • WyzAnt
  • Preply
  • Tutor.com

9. Teaching English Online

Many people from outside of English-speaking countries are looking for ways to help their skills to develop. English is a powerful language to help establish businesses and many other skills. 

If you are a teacher or are fluent in English, you can pick up the skills for teaching English. A TEFL or TESOL degree can help create payment even better, but there are plenty of places where you can search for online English teaching jobs. 

Here are a few places to take a look at:

  • VIPKid
  • iTutor
  • Preply

10. Social Media Manager

Do you know how to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok? Then you may have the skills to be a social media manager. Many online entities or even other organizations look for people or VAs to help manage their social media accounts. 

These organizations need individuals to run the accounts and create engagement. Social media can help drive traffic and put their organization out there to help generate more business. 

Being a Social Media Manager can be a great side job from home. It can be done from your phone or computer.

So start using your social media skills to make some side cash!

11. Pet Sitter

People love their pets, and finding a good pet sitter is hard. So, pet owners often have to board their pets.

It is not that easy on all pets, but if you like dogs and cats and are an effective pet sitter, you make quite a bit of money. 

It can be as easy as bringing dogs home, playing with them for the weekend, and returning them. That can be a great way to make some extra cash. 

You can find jobs from friends, referrals, or search apps like these:

  • Rover
  • PetBacker
  • WagWalking

12. Start a Blog

Starting a blog can be one of those side jobs from home that may make you leave your full-time career. Plenty of people are making high incomes from writing on a blog. 

It can be challenging, time-consuming, and take some skills, but as you start to get it to roll, that money will begin to come in. Then you can use some of your other developed skills, like content creation, writing, and graphic design, to earn even more money.

The blog you are reading right now started as a side gig. If you want to learn a little more about the first two years of my blogging journey, read on:

13. Flip Items On eBay and Amazon

Many people shop at thrift stores, garage sales, and discount stores, looking for great deals on items they can flip.

There are many items in these stores that you can find and then sell on eBay or Amazon for a profit. If you have skills in finding exceptional items on sale, you can use them to flip those items as a side job. 

In a side hustle interview, Nathan talked about how he made his first $2,000 flipping items on eBay. That was when he first got started, and now he makes several hundred dollars a month. He tells the story of how he got a box of “junk” for free and turned it into over $700!

14. Be a Delivery Driver

This side job may be something other than one that is done from home, but you can easily make some extra money by being a delivery driver for apps like Instacart or Doordash.

People will pay you to go pick up food for them. If you are willing to shop and drive for people, this could be a perfect side job from home that can help make some extra cash for you. 

Don’t want to do the deliveries? You can even rent out your own car through a service like HyreCar to other people looking to drive for one of the ridesharing services.

15. Babysitting

While many people think of babysitting as a job for teenagers, you can do the same thing as an adult. If you like kids or have done babysitting in the past, here is a chance to earn some extra money. 

Babysitting can be lucrative. After your day job, you can go and play with kids for a couple of nights and make anywhere between $15-20 an hour. There are sites and apps online that can help you find jobs and make it happen. 

16. Sports Refereeing

People that like sports may not opt for coaching, but there can be many chances to referee sports games. Youth play various sports like soccer, baseball, basketball, or even football. These sports need referees. 

A side job like sports refereeing can help put extra income into your investments and help make ends meet. It is a great way to make extra money, stay healthy, and have an activity on the nights or weekends to help make a side income. So take a sport you like and learn the rules. 

17. Sell Photos

Are you into photography? Do you like taking pictures? Making money online with your photos can be simple.

There are plenty of places where you can sell your photographs and earn extra income. 

You can start by submitting pictures to various sites such as:

  • Shutterstock
  • iStock
  • Alamy
  • Getty Images

16 More Side Job Ideas:

Still looking for that perfect fit? Here’s a quick list of 16 more side jobs you can do from home.

  • Amazon FBA
  • Rent a Spare Room on Airbnb
  • Website designer
  • SEO consultant
  • Mystery shopper
  • Customer service representative
  • Transcriber
  • Event planner
  • Translator
  • Medical coder
  • Website tester
  • Travel planner
  • Resume writer
  • Real estate agent/investor
  • Mobile notary
  • House cleaner

Start Your Side Job Today

The economy is in flux, and having a side job from home can be the key to bringing in some extra cash.

There are numerous ways to make money online; such as using your unique skills, bookkeeping and even monetizing your hobbies, can bring in more money.

This list of side jobs from home is a great starting point for helping you create numerous opportunities to get paid.

Steve Cummings is the founder of the personal finance blog The Frugal Expat. As a traveler and expat, he has learned a lot about how to save money, live frugally, and invest for the future. His mission is to help people in saving, investing, and reaching financial independence.

Andrew Herrig is a finance expert and money nerd and the founder of Wealthy Nickel, where he writes about personal finance, side hustles, and entrepreneurship. As an avid real estate investor and owner of multiple businesses, he has a passion for helping others build wealth and shares his own family’s journey on his blog.

Andrew holds a Masters of Science in Economics from the University of Texas at Dallas and a Bachelors of Science in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked as a financial analyst and accountant in many aspects of the financial world.

Andrew’s expert financial advice has been featured on CNBC, Entrepreneur, Fox News, GOBankingRates, MSN, and more.

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