11 Ways to Make Money From Home (Make up to $60/Hour)
We could all use some extra money. But none of us want to get a second job — we’re already exhausted from the first one. Or maybe you’re disabled, retired or a stay-at-home parent who needs a little extra money in the bank.
Whatever your situation, sometimes you just need a way to make money from home. We’ve looked at a lot of these opportunities, and these are the most legitimate ones we’ve found.
The best part? You can earn up to $60 an hour — and you don’t have to leave the house.
1. Earn up to $60/Hour Helping Small Business Owners
The job: Would you like the freedom to work remotely while helping others succeed? Those are the perks of working as a bookkeeper, says Ben Robinson, a certified public accountant and business owner who teaches others to become virtual bookkeepers through his online course, Bookkeeper Business Launch.
Requirements: You don’t have to have a CPA to be successful in this business. In fact, all you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems.
Average earnings: The average full-time bookkeeper earns nearly $40,000 per year (almost $19/hour), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But Robinson points out that as a freelancer or contractor, you can actually earn a higher hourly rate while working fewer hours. He says to aim for $60 an hour.
How to get started: Check out Bookkeeper Business Launch to see if the career is right for you.
2. Add $225 to Your Wallet Filling Out Surveys
The job: Research companies pay people through InboxDollars to fill out surveys about them. You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month.
Requirements: There are no special requirements to get started; just a willingness to watch fill out surveys.
Average earnings: It’s possible to earn up to $225 a month from home — without having to get another job. And unlike other sites, InboxDollars pays you in cash — no points or gift cards. It’s already paid its users more than $60 million.
How to get started: All you have to do is sign up (it takes about one minute).
3. Use This App to Get Free Prepaid Visa and MasterCards
The job: A free app called Fetch Rewards will turn your receipts into gift cards. It partners with tons of brands to give you points for every grocery receipt you share. Then you can exchange them for prepaid cards for Visa and MasterCard.
Requirements: All you have to do is send Fetch a photo of your receipt, and it does everything for you. No scanning barcodes or searching for offers — and you can use it with any grocery receipt.
Average earnings: When you download the app, use the code PENNY to earn a free bonus when you share your first receipt — you’ll be well on your way to your first gift card.
How to get started: Just download the free app and start sending it photos of your receipts.
4. Earn up to $22/Hour Tutoring Kids in China
The job: As an online tutor for VIPKID, you’ll provide one-on-one ESL tutoring to students in China. This is one of our favorite ways to earn extra money from home. You can earn good money; work on your own time — and you can do it all from home.
Requirements: You must have a bachelor’s degree and be willing to work at least 7.5 hours per week, mostly on weekday mornings and weekend evenings. You can tutor from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a stable internet connection. You don’t have to be an experienced educator: VIPKID will prepare you with an online training course that’ll show you how to teach the ESL materials. You’ll need a good quality headset and webcam, but mostly, VIPKID wants you to be enthusiastic and care about the work.
Average earnings: The base pay is between $7 and $9 per half-hour session, and with bonuses, the company says you can earn up to $22 an hour.
How to get started: Sign up at VIPKIDTeachers.com, then you’ll take an online training course and teach a mock class before you get started.
5. Earn Money to Invite People Over
The job: Look. We get it. Your home is your sanctuary. Your place to be alone. Some days, you don’t even want to have your own family over — let alone people you don’t know.
So, the idea of listing your place on Airbnb is daunting for a lot of folks. But if you’re willing to share your space with guests — even for just a few days — we’ve found it’s one of the best ways to earn extra income.
Requirements: Hosting laws vary from city to city. Please understand the rules and regulations applicable to your city and listing. You’ll want to do some research and make your space available during high-demand times in your area. Think: concerts, conventions and sporting events.
Be a good host and make sure your place is stocked with the toiletries you’d expect at a hotel — toilet paper, soap and towels.
It also helps to be personable. A lot of travelers turn to Airbnb for the personal touch they won’t find at commercial properties.
Average earnings: Use Airbnb’s price calculator to see how much money you could make in your area.
We talked to one woman, Tonya Peters, of Denver, Colorado. She wanted to list her basement apartment on Airbnb, but she says her husband, Miles Rugh, was skeptical at first. He wasn’t keen on welcoming strangers into their place.
Finally, though, he agreed to give it a try. Now, three years later, the couple has hosted too many guests to count. And the extra income has been a great for them. They plan to use it for some home renovations they’ve been wanting.
“He’s definitely changed his tune,” says Peters, now an Airbnb Superhost. “And he loves having the extra income.”
How to get started: Sign up to be a host on Airbnb’s website. It will walk you through the steps to get started and point out anything you need to know in your area.
6. Make Your Own Schedule as a Data-Entry Clerk
The job: Data entry can be a great way to make some money from your own home without needing any specialized skills.
Requirements: Typically, all you need is a computer and internet connection. No previous experience required.
Average earnings: Vary
How to get started: Fire up a pot of coffee and find online data-entry jobs through these freelancing sites: Clickworker.com, Diondatasolutions.net and Thesmartcrowd.lionbridge.com.
7. Work for Amazon Without Leaving Home
The job: Amazon is a huge company that sometimes hires seasonal or permanent work-from-home customer service associates.
Requirements: You should have a high school diploma or equivalent and a year or more of exposure in a service environment. You should also be able to type, speak on the phone and navigate a computer.
Average earnings: It varies. Jobs start at $10 per hour.
How to get started: Check out Amazon’s remote jobs page.
8. Earn up to $20/Hour With This Flexible Online Teaching Gig
The job: Right now, Education First, an international tutoring program, is looking for tutors who’ll teach English online to kids ages 5 to 10. You can work from home, pick your schedule and make up to $20 an hour. Not bad, right?
Requirements: You’ll need a bachelor’s degree to qualify and, if you’re hired, a 40-hour TEFL certificate. (You can take these courses online; we recommend finding one through Groupon to score a deal!)
Average earnings: You can make up to $20 an hour, and you’ll also get plenty of opportunities to earn more money. For example, you’ll earn a surge bonus if you teach classes between 6 and 8 a.m. on weekdays or 9 and 10:30 p.m. on weekends. Plus, once you teach 200 classes, you’ll get a $100 bonus.
How to get started: Applying online is simple; just fill out some basic information (it takes less than a minute) to start the process. You’ll then receive an email requesting a copy of your resume. The Education First crew will review it and get back to you with next steps. Good luck!
9. Earn $12/Hour Doing Random Google Searches
The job: Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing use complicated algorithms to determine the results you see — and they don’t always get it right.
That’s where humans can intervene as search engine evaluators. It’s your job to analyze search results and judge them based on quality, relevance and usefulness.
Requirements: No special requirements to start.
Average earnings: You can earn around $12 an hour evaluating search results.
How to get started: We suggest you start by looking at Lionbridge job openings. The tech company is often hiring, so even if you don’t see any openings now, keep checking back
10. Use Your Type-A Skills as a Virtual Assistant
The job: If you have a knack for organization and communication, you just might make the perfect virtual assistant.
Requirements: These days, you don’t have to be the busy corporate assistant you see in old movies or on TV. You can work right from your couch.
Average earnings: Pay varies, but folks will pay you to help schedule their days, answer emails, update their website, run social media accounts and book travel accommodations — all from the comfort of your couch.
How to get started: To find open virtual assistant jobs, peruse listings on sites like ZipRecruiter, AngelList, Indeed and FlexJobs.
11. Get Paid When Your Neighbor’s Dog Spends the Night
The job: What if there were a way to make some extra money from home and get your puppy fix at the same time? Rover is a website that connects neighbors who need a dog sitter with people who love having an extra dog (or two) spend the night. If you’re willing to house a dog for a few nights, you could make some easy extra money.
Requirements: It takes a little effort upfront, though (Rover wants to filter out all the Cruella de Vils of the world). You’ll create a Rover profile where you’ll answer questions about your experience with puppers and set your availability and prices.
Average earnings: The average Rover sitter earns $450 a month, but we spoke with stay-at-home mom Bryn Wied, who quickly started earning upwards of $500.
“Within two months, I was turning away business,” says Wied, who dog sits in California. “Within three months, I raised my prices to what everyone else was charging.”
How to get started: Create your Rover profile, answer a few questions, and then dog owners will reach out to you. Before you know it, you’ll be snuggled up with all the neighborhood dogs — and making extra money.
