22+ Ways To Make Money From Home (Plus 42 More WFH Ideas)

Written byGenevieve Northup, MBA, SHRM-CP, HCI-SPTD

Updated June 30, 2024

Whether you’re looking for a full-time income or a gig to earn some extra money on the side, there are plenty of ways to make money from home. Among their many benefits, home-based jobs offer strong work-life balance and the flexibility to make your own schedule. Reviewing ideas to make money at home can help you determine which you’re most interested in pursuing.In this article, we discuss how to make money from home with details on 20 ideas and a list of 42 other ways to generate income from home-based roles.

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How to make money at home

Some call it working from home, also known as WFH, while others refer to it as home-based employment. Here are 20 ideas you might consider to make money at home:

1. Become a virtual assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) provides clients with administrative services while working online from a remote location, such as a home office. They handle a variety of responsibilities for their clients, such as making travel plans, performing online research and checking email. They may also travel with their clients or work at their offices, completing essential tasks.Read more: How To Become a Virtual Assistant (With Little to No Experience)

2. Pet sitting

If you enjoy animals, you might consider pet sitting. It’s a good way to earn money by watching someone’s pets at your home. However, most sitters perform their duties at the pet owner’s home.You may consider investing in marketing and insurance if you operate out of your own home. Further, you also might want to speak with an accountant and/or bookkeeper and a lawyer to discuss liability.Related: 16 Examples of Pet Sitter Skills (And How To Develop Them)

3. Sell your possessions online

Survey your home and look for items you no longer use, such as furniture, clothes, books, electronics and toys your children have outgrown. You can then list those items on different e-commerce sites to find interested buyers. It’s important to take clear, high-resolution photos of your pieces. Perform research online to find how much similar items sell for, and then price your items competitively.Related: 20 Factors To Consider Before Starting a Business

4. Tutor students online

Leverage your experience in specific subjects or your SAT/ACT knowledge to offer online tutoring to high school and college students. Promote your services in area schools to find students who need your services. You can also apply to work for established online tutoring services.Read more: Learn About Being a Tutor

5. Start a blog

If there’s a topic you’re particularly interested in, you could start a blog and promote it on social media to attract an audience who wants to learn about that topic. If you draw a large enough audience with your blog, you can make money running ads on your page. For example, you may start a blog rating local restaurants or comparing various drinks.Read more: How To Start a Blog

6. Sell services online

There are many online sites where specialists offer their services on a contract or per-project basis. Some different types of services you could offer are graphic or website design, link building, programming, animation or video creation. Many sites can assist you in selling expert services to local and international clients.Related: How To Start Your Own Business in 9 Steps

7. Create sales funnels

Many businesses use automated sales funnels to promote and sell their products and services. Sales funnels are groups of prospective customers at different stages of the sales process. Many business owners are unaware of how a sales funnel could help grow their business. Consider starting your own business selling sales funnels. There are a lot of tools you could use to build them at a low cost.

8. Sell consulting services

Another way to make money online while working from home is through consulting. If you’re particularly skilled in a certain field, you may be able to find people who would pay you to offer them advice on their business or personal goals. One way to show others how much knowledge you have is to launch and promote your own blog. Another way is to create regular content on professional networking sites.For example, you may help business owners develop their social media presence as a digital marketing consultant. You can use social media to promote your expert content for a low cost or even for free. After gaining a few clients, you may be able to rapidly grow your business through word-of-mouth marketing. You can meet with clients virtually and schedule those appointments at times that meet your own needs.Related: 15 Types of Consulting (And How To Choose Your Specialty)

9. Launch an online store

While major e-commerce retailers have the majority of the market share, consumers are also looking for great deals online. Consider launching a sales funnel for yourself to drive traffic and buyers to your products and services. For example, you may start an online pet supply store where you source the best pet products and curate them for customers on your site.Related: 26 E-commerce Marketing Tips

10. Create webinars

Webinars are a great way to sell products or provide advice, as they typically follow a specific format and template that’s easy to understand. For example, they may show visual representations of specific steps and provide clear instructions for beginners. Once you learn how to deliver effective webinars, you can start making money from home. Webinars allow you to show your audience how much additional value they’d receive if they purchased your product or service.Related: 8 Steps for Planning a Successful Webinar

11. Manage social media accounts for small businesses

Small businesses often need help managing their social media accounts, and many prefer to pay someone to help for only a few hours per week instead of having someone manage social media full-time.Learn about the different social media platforms and identify one or two you want to specialize in. Then, identify a specific industry in which you want to work. Finally, reach out to different businesses in your area that you recognize you can most help.Related: How To Become a Social Media Consultant

12. Create online courses

If you have a marketable skill that others would be interested in mastering, consider making your own online course. There are many sites you can use to build your course. Once created and launched, an online course can be a great source of passive income.Related: How To Be a Successful Content Creator in 9 Simple Steps

13. Sell affiliate marketing offers

Affiliate marketing is a simple, established way to make money from home by selling other companies’ products and services, particularly if you already have a website, blog or social media account with a large amount of quality traffic. There are a number of websites that promote affiliate offers where you share a personalized code with your audience for them to use when making purchases. The code ties the purchase to you, and the seller pays you a certain amount for each sale. Take the time to understand your audience and what they’re most interested in, then search to identify the right offer for your audience.Read more: Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing

14. Launch a podcast

A podcast is another great method for sharing your expertise with a virtual audience. The key to a podcast’s success is finding a specific niche and providing great content to grow your audience. Once you have built an audience and are receiving a large number of downloads per episode, you can then look for ways to monetize your podcast, such as selling ads and affiliate marketing.While you may consider doing some research to learn how to create, edit and promote a podcast, if you’re an expert on a particular topic, it’s an idea worth considering.

15. Get a babysitting job

Babysitting is another option for making money from home. Word-of-mouth referrals are a great way to get started babysitting, although there are also a number of websites that you can use to promote your babysitting services for free.Keep in mind that most families want their children to be cared for in their homes. To make yourself more appealing to families, you may want to consider getting relevant certifications, such as CPR and first aid.

16. Test websites

Another way to make money from home is to use sites that pay you for your insights into how well a specific website works. In most cases, you pass a test to be accepted, and then you receive payment for each test you perform. You may even have the option of earning additional compensation by participating in a video discussion with the customer after completing the test.

17. Perform data entry

If you have quick, accurate typing skills, you may want to consider taking an online data entry job to earn money from home. These jobs can usually be performed easily online and can offer consistent income. Data entry positions may involve using a word processor or spreadsheets to enter various words and numbers in a specific order and format.

18. Work as a freelance writer

Companies big and small often need high-quality content to boost their ranking in search engines. If you have strong writing skills, this may be a path you want to consider. If you don’t already have an online portfolio of published writing, you may consider offering to write a few pieces for free to build a portfolio.Related: How To Become a Freelance Writer: A Guide To Getting Started

19. Offer proofreading services

If you have an eye for detail and a grasp of proper spelling and grammar, you may want to consider working from home as a freelance proofreader. If you’re not an established writer or editor, you may want to consider investing in a proofreading course to earn more credibility with potential clients. You could offer your services to clients independently or search for companies hiring full-time, remote proofreaders.

20. Rent out a room in your home

Listing a spare bedroom on a vacation rental website can provide easy home-based income. If you do, it’s important to check your local property use regulations, obtain any necessary insurance and spend time keeping your property and home clean. To ensure you maintain high occupancy rates, consider listing your home on multiple sites and promoting it on social media.

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Other ideas to make money from home

Here are 42 more ideas for making money from home. Keep in mind the amount you can earn may vary depending on the task. Also, before starting a home business, make sure you’re qualified, certified or licensed as required by your industry, city or state.

Participate in online surveys
Review products (movies, products, music, etc.) for online sites
Work for an online retailer
Become an online travel agent
Sell lesson plans to other teachers
Offer calligraphy services for wedding invitations, cards and other stationery
Participate in online focus groups
Write and sell a book
Sell social media posts or ads for online companies
Evaluate search engines for companies that want to know about user experiences
Create videos and earn money through advertising
Provide transcriptionist services
Rent your music equipment or studio space
Sell home-baked goods (check city and state requirements)
Rent your parking space (check city and state requirements)
Buy items from a flea market or yard sale, restore them and sell them online
Sell your old electronic devices, such as phones, monitors, etc.
Sell your troubleshooting skills
Sell your photography on stock photo sites
Start a dog-walking business
Launch a virtual bookkeeping business
Sell translation services on freelance platforms
Sell your crafts online
Obtain a remote technical support role
Start an alteration or custom sewing business
Rent out your car to travelers or people who don’t own their own vehicle (check city and state requirements)
Refinish furniture and sell it online
Test mobile applications
Become a social media influencer
Sign up as an online mystery shopper
Grow and sell produce (check city and state requirements)
Become a voice-over artist
Create your own mobile application
Teach online music lessons
Design and sell T-shirts online
Pursue a medical coding and billing position
Manage a company or organization’s website
Offer online or social media advertising services
Cook for special occasions or prep meals for others (check city and state requirements)
Create an audiobook
Create a dropshipping business
Buy and sell domain names

Frequently asked questions

What are some ways to earn extra income?There are a number of ways you can earn extra income right from your home. From becoming a freelance writer, doing data entry, editing or testing, to selling items you no longer need or use, there are many options to explore.You can also improve your odds of finding work by using resources like Indeed profile, which centralizes your resume, job preferences and qualifications.How common is it to have a side job today?As this article illustrates, there are various side jobs (defined by Oxford Languages as “a job undertaken in addition to one’s main occupation, as a supplementary source of income”) that you can pursue. According to recent studies, side jobs are becoming more common. For example, in a recent survey, the Pew Research Center found that 16% of Americans in 2021 earned income through an online platform, such as a ride-sharing app or a shopping app, and of these people surveyed, most said they took on these jobs as side jobs. A study conducted by Harvard Business Review, meanwhile, found that people who pursue side jobs do so for different reasons, but that 45% of survey-takers answered that a combination of increased pay and prestige was their motivating factor.What experience do I need for remote work?The amount of experience needed to work remotely typically depends on the job, but there are some jobs that require no experience at all to get started. You may be able to train on the job and build up your resume in the process. And something like selling your crafts through a marketplace, for example, doesn’t require the kind of experience you might need for managing a website or marketing a product.Show Transcript

Video: Remote Jobs You Can Work From Home – No Experience Needed
In this video, Sinéad shares 10 different roles with remote opportunities including how much each role is paid on average.

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22+ Ways To Make Money From Home (Plus 42 More WFH Ideas)