Let’s face it, there are a lot work at home opportunities out there these days. Some are good, some are bad and others are downright scams. So how do you sift through the nonsense and find legit ways to work at home? Well, you don’t. Because I’ve done it for you, that means you don’t have to waste your time searching. Below is a list of 30 legitimate ways to work at home that you can start today and actually make money.
I’ve been working at home for a decade full-time, and over a decade doing freelance on the side. Some of the ideas on this list are things I’ve personally done and made money. Others on the list are things people I personally know have done and made money.
Benefits of a Work at Home Job
There are so many benefits of a work at home job, or even a side gig. Working at home allows you to be flexible with your time which means you can have more time for family, friends and living your precious life.
Working at home can also mean more money. In some cases it can even mean earning passive or residual income to supplement or replace your current income. You can earn as much or as little as you want when you work from home as a freelancer or contractor.
You can save money on gas for the morning commute, on buying office clothes and potentially save money by not eating out with colleagues.
The benefits of working at home are vast and so are the ways to do so. Below are 30 of the best and easiest ways to work at home and actually make money.
1. Start a blog or online business
Work at home home is how I’ve made a living since 2009. It’s given me time freedom to do what I want and be with my kids. You can start a blog for as little as $2.95 a month (less than a cup of coffee!) My favorite provider is SiteGround. Create a blog and leverage it into affiliate sales or product endorsement deals. Consider topics like:
- Cooking
- Travel
- Wellness & Health
- Technology
- Finances & Saving Money
- Just about anything…
2. Sell online courses
Think of a topic that you know lots about, and make videos of it. Then upload and sell it through Udemy. You can find courses on just about anything.
Udemy asks that your videos are of a good quality. The company provides many tutorials to help you comply to their standards.
3. Begin a Network Marketing Business
Network Marketing has helped hundreds-of-thousands of people across the nation work at home and make real money in the cracks of their time. In Network Marketing you basically earn money by sharing a product you enjoy. While this is not a get rich quick scenario, network marketing can be very lucrative for the individual willing to put in the time, effort and energy.
I personally make thousands of dollars a month through the power of Network Marketing. My largest check so far has been more than $6,000 in one month.
The best part about Network Marketing is that after a few years of effort, you can set it on auto-pilot. That means you’ve created a stream of residual income.
To find the right Network Marketing company for you, check out the Work at Home Network Marketing Directory.
4. Get paid to subtitle movies & TV shows
Once again, this is not for everyone, as you need to be fluent in more than one language.
If you are, then you can make money with companies like WeSubtitle. Simple watch foreign TV shows and movies and provide a written translation for subtitles.
Generally, the subtitles will be in American English or Mexican Spanish. It’s helpful if either of these are your native language so your translation sounds fluent.
5. Translate documents
Again a job for a linguist, this website will pay you $.05-$.07 per word for translating documents and captions into another language. The company is called Rev and they also have openings for people to transcribe audio into text. Get paid weekly through PayPal.
6. Test Websites
People who code and design websites aren’t necessarily the best people to test them out. This is because the general public sees websites differently than they may.
So a company called UserTesting pays regular people to use their websites and report back. They wan to know how user-friendly their websites appear to consumers, and if they actually work well.
It cost nothing to sign up, and you make $10-$15 for each website you report on.
7. Help Troubleshoot PC issues
If you’ve got a geek-side and love to fix computers this may be just the gig you’re looking for from Dell, The company’s remote tech support is always looking for help. If you know what you’re doing on a computer, Dell could hire you to work from home.
8. Listen to phone calls from home
Working with Humanatic couldn’t be easier. For a bit of extra cash, with this company, you simply listen to a recorded phone call and answer a simple question. For doing this you will get paid via PayPal.
9. Start a Podcast
Got something to say? The app Anchor will help you share it – and get paid! You won’t get rich with starting a podcast but it does have some benefits. Anchor will help you find sponsors for your podcast which can result in a bit of side income.
A podcast can help you grow a brand, raise awareness or be a fun outlet.
10. Do data entry from home
If you’re good at data entry, then you might join DionData Solutions as a home contracted vendor.
They require that you type at least 60 words per minute accurately, along with additional computer skills, and a cable or DSL Internet connection.
They are deadline oriented, but as long as you can meet their requirements this is a good opportunity to earn extra cash.
11. Translate mobile apps
If you are a fan of mobile apps, and have some language skills, you can now get paid for translating them.
Sign up with Tethras for free and receive notifications for available jobs. Then view and accept any available job you like anytime anywhere, and then you get paid via PayPal
12. Get $1 for a news tip
Unlike websites such as CNN, Newslines is a crowdsourced news website. That means it relies on outside people sending in news posts. It’s split up into topics, and these are updated on timelines as each new post comes in.They accept posts of 50 – 100 words and will pay $1 for each post used.
This isn’t a way to get rich quick. But if you’re just starting out in the writing world, it may be a great way to gain more practice writing while actually making money,
13. Take part in surveys to make an extra $250+ a month
Simply answer online surveys or product tests and make money from home. You can easily make an extra $250 a month while watching television.
Take a look at some paid survey websites listed below. At all of these websites you not only earn some extra cash, but also get rewarded through gift vouchers, prize drawings, free products, etc. All of these sites are free to sign up and use. Heads up: If any survey site asks you to pay, they are probably scams.
14. Become a freelance writer
Doing freelance work can greatly increase your income. Are you a stay at home mom with an English degree or a guy who naturally can find mistakes in written text?
Huge and trustworthy sites like Upwork have thousands of employers who want to hire for all kinds of tasks. You can write or edit on nearly any topic and get paid for every single article.
Get a great reputation and you can turn this into a full-time job.
15. Technical freelancing
Freelancing isn’t all about writing. You can do everything from design, graphics, marketing, and web programming jobs from sites like:
Pick your payment on per project basis.
16. Become a virtual assistant
Work for someone from home. Virtual assistances (VAs) can do everything from checking emails and making travel plans to handling internet research or working for their small business. High-end earners can command $50-$100 an hour.
17. Tutoring
Give private tutor classes at your home or go online with Chegg Tutors and earn $20 per hour. Teach on all sorts of topics.
18. Data entry
Use your accurate and quick typing skills and get paid. Go through Craigslist or Upwork and find data entry and administrative jobs for yourself. These jobs can be easily done through telecommuting and some are work at home.
19. Work for Amazon
Pick micro tasks from Amazon Mechanical Turk. These are services that require human interaction. You can work from home, flexible hours and get paid by one of the world’s largest retailers.
Here are some examples of tasks workers have completed:
- Select the correct spelling for these search terms
- Is this website suitable for a general audience?
- Find the item number for the product in this image
- Rate the search results for these keywords
- Are these two products the same?
- Choose the appropriate category for products
- Categorize the tone of this article
- Translate a paragraph from English to French
20. Online travel agent
Do you explore travel websites like Expedia in your free time? Do you love traveling? Then, do it for a commission by offering your services as an alternative to travel agencies. Start at Wikihow for tips to get started.
21. Associate marketing
If you already have a blog on something that interests you, turn it into a money maker.
Join an associate network like Amazon Affiliate or Google AdSense, choose products to promote, and advertise them on your content site. Whenever someone reads your blog or article, you get paid.
22. Sell lesson plans
Do you have a background in education? Sell your lesson plans, especially to new teachers or first-year teachers. Teachers Pay Teachers is a market of educators, where you can sell and share your teaching resources.
24. Fix Google’s mistakes
Sites like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. pay you for fixing their search results. You just have to mend the errors of the search engine results and make them qualitative, relevant, and useful. Doing this you can earn around $12 per hour.
25. Pet sitting
Do you love your furry friends? Go for pet sitting at your place. Make sure your house can accommodate numerous pets.
Websites like Care.com brings together pet sitters and people looking for pet care. Remember to quote your rates wisely.
26. At-home daycare
If you are home with your children, why not start an at home daycare.
Many people love in-home daycares because they feel that they are more homey, nurturing and generally there are much fewer children involved than at a more corporate daycare.
You will need to get a certification from your state, but you can make big bucks caring for children while getting to spend the day with your own kiddos as well.
27. Get Artsy
Do you have talent in drawing, painting, jewelry-making or refurbishing furniture? Then you may want to consider opening an Etsy Shop.
Do hand lettering for invitation cards, wedding cards, and other stationery. Use your favorite font combinations and start off with your calligraphy adventure. Look at the Etsy Calligraphy section.
28. Transcriptionist
Even if you don’t like your writing skills or have a programming talent, you can still do freelance transcription. Transcribing is detailed work, but luckily you can do it any time of night or day. The company Rev is one site that is always hiring. They do require you to go through a typing and comprehension test. Once approved this can be a nice way to earn extra cash at home.
29. Become a personal stylist
Become an online personal stylist or the many other options to start something on the side. It will take effort, but there are many different routes you can go.
You can work with an existing company, like Avon, Jamberry, and Stitch Fix, which will help you get started. Or find a need in your community.
30. Flea market tossing or flipping
If you have a crafty side, put it to good use. Visit the nearest flea market, Craigslist, or Freecycle.org and buy some interesting items, restore them, add your special touch, and resell them for a profit.
Think about refinishing tables or converting old plates into art. Turn trash into treasure.
If you need ideas, check out Pinterest. It has a world of ideas, and you’d be surprised how much people will pay for a custom baby nursery lamp or a re-stained farm style table.
