Legit ways to get paid to work from home
If you’re wondering how you can work online from home and get paid, you’re in the right place because…
I wanted to know the same thing.
Not long ago I was trying to figure out how to make money online with the new changes happening in my life, expecting my second child and desperate to leave my 9-5 for something that was flexible enough to work around my kid’s schedule, but I didn’t know what to do.
I was looking for some ideas from successful work at home moms (WAHM) but I couldn’t find any, so I decided to reach out to WAHM’s and interview them to see what they did, how they got started, how they were able to do it with kids, and most importantly how much they were able to earn working from home.
I created this website to share their stories in an article I wrote on Stay at Home Mom Jobs.
So, if you’re looking for legitimate ways to make money online from people who are doing it today, then you’re in for a treat.
This list is more than just ways to make money online with surveys, but I will show you the only survey companies I recommend signing up for.
Some of these jobs, unfortunately, do not offer health insurance, so if you’re in need of health insurance you’ll want to know your options here.
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This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Here are 18 of the Best Legitimate Ways to Make Money Online
1. Freelance Writer
If you don’t want to start a blog but enjoy writing, why not make money online as a Freelance Writer?
I interviewed Holly Johnson who makes OVER $200,000 a year!
How much can I make? Holly Johnson said that she finds it hard for you NOT to earn AT LEAST $40,000 to $50,000 a year working full-time as a writer.
How do I get started? Holly Johnson found the secret sauce when it comes to writing and charging the right rate for your work. She created a free introductory training on how to build a six-figure writing career.
I highly recommend taking her course if you want to work from home writing and follow her path to success. I also have several ways to get writing gigs at the end of this article.
2. Proofreader
Do you find yourself easily catching errors when reading? Do you cringe when you see grammar mistakes? If so, you might make a great Proofreader.
Proofreaders are NEEDED, I know because I use one myself.
How much can I make? Caitlin Pyle made $43,000 her first year Proofreading PART-TIME! You can see the full interview in my How to Become a Proofreader article. Many others are making between $1,000-$4,000 a month.
How do I get started? If you want to learn the skills needed to start your own freelance proofreading hustle or see if this is the right career for you, check out this FREE introductory workshop.
3. Virtual Bookkeeper
Did you know that you can go from knowing nothing about bookkeeping to winning clients over with your expertise and financial know-how?
I interviewed two women in this Must-Read How to Become a Bookkeeper article who had no previous experience as a Bookkeeper and after taking this course are now successful Virtual Bookkeepers.
How much can I make? One of the women in the article has 9 kids, homeschools 6 and STILL has time to earn money as a bookkeeper on the side earning over $2000/mo.
The course teaches you how to charge $60 per hour.
How do I get started? Check out this free intro video series as they go over the basics of bookkeeping and what it takes to start your very own bookkeeping business!
4. Virtual Assistant
Becoming a Virtual Assistant is an excellent way to make money online. Services offered can include everything from email management, content creation, bookkeeping, graphic design, social media and more!
How much can I make? You can earn $25-$100 per hour.
How do I get started? I interviewed Gina Horkey who is a six-figure Virtual Assistant and she shares exactly how you can get started as a Virtual Assistant. You can check it out here.
5. Flip Products for Profit Online
Have you ever watched those shows where people flip products for profit? Whether you have or haven’t you can make a lot of money doing this online starting with only a little bit of money.
Rob from the Flea Market Flipper recommends his students to start with a budget of $20-$50 to find items. Based on that, they should be able to make $100-$300 (mostly reselling on eBay) and then take some of the profit and do it again.
Rob has made over $130,000 flipping items online PART-TIME in one year!
To help others Rob created a free workshop to help you decide if this is what you want to do and how to make a profit in as little as 14 days. You can click here to sign up.
6. Transcribe
Transcribers listen to audio files and record (type) what they hear. If you have patience and the ability to sit for long periods of time and an eye for detail, you should consider transcribing.
How much can I make? You can earn $7-$21 per hour or more if you start your own business.
How do I get started? Take this Free Mini-Course for a full overview of transcribing and how to get started.
I also have 4 companies hiring along with a work at home success story on transcribing in my article on How to Work from Home Transcribing.
7. Make Printables to Sell on Etsy
A perfect way to make a passive income from home online is through printables. You make them once and can earn money from it forever.
How much can I make? $500-$1,000+ per month
How do I get started? Check out my article How to Make Printables to Sell on Etsy and see how these two women are doing it successfully and how we can too!
8. Social Media Manager
Are you active on Social Media and would like to post on behalf of other businesses? If so, you should consider becoming a Social Media Manager.
This is one of my favorite ways to make money online because it’s still so new and the opportunities are endless.
How much can I make? Depending on how many clients you have you could earn between $1,000-$10,000 a month.
How do I get started? Consider taking this highly recommended course on becoming a Freelance Social Media Manager and also check out how Nicole got started in my How to Become a Social Media Manager article.
9. Life Coach
Do you love personal development and enjoy helping people? If that’s you, you should consider becoming a Life Coach.
I interviewed Life Coach Natalie Bacon who earns six-figures and on her way to seven-figures!
How much can I make? It depends on your market. If you are targeting lower-income, you can charge $47 per hour, if you’re targeting higher income you could charge $297 per hour or much more.
It also depends on your model, are you doing 1-to-1 coaching or group coaching?
How do I get started? Check out my article on How to Become a Life Coach and consider this Life Coach Certificate Course.
10. Create an Online Store with Drop Shipping
Drop shipping is a method where you can sell third-party products from a Drop Shipping Company without ever seeing or shipping the item. When you make a sale, the product is shipped directly to the customer from the drop shipper.
Your profit is the difference between what you charge your customers and what the drop shipping company charges you.
Here is a great infographic to show how it works:
Theo McArthur has great success with drop shipping and created a course on Udemy that teaches you how to launch your first profitable Dropship Website in 14 Days or less and grow your Income to $10,000 per month in profits.
11. Graphic Designer
If you have an eye for design and have experience in Adobe Creative Suite/Adobe Creative Cloud – including InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop, there is a profitable market out there for you.
How much can I make? You can charge $25-$300 per hour, depending on your experience.
How do I get started? Check out this highly recommended course Learn Photoshop, Web Design & Profitable Freelancing.
If you have experience use freelance websites like Upwork to find clients, design logos for companies at 99designs, crowdspring, designcrowd (very high competition), or host a class on Skillshare.
Promote your services to your social network and create a website showcasing your services and work.
12. Customer Service Representative
Customer service positions typically provide product or service information. It is a growing trend to hire customer service reps remotely.
You will be required to become well informed of the company that you choose to work for and will need to be prepared to answer the questions that will come your way efficiently.
How do I get started? Usually, these positions only require a High School diploma, but some companies want you to have previous customer service experience. Consider applying to the companies below.
How much can I make? The pay ranges from $10-$21 per hour according to Glassdoor:
I also highly suggest checking out job boards like FlexJobs.
13. Travel Agent
Do you love to travel and enjoy helping people? Consider working from home as a Travel Agent and enjoy the perks.
How much can I make? Glassdoor states the typical salary ranges from $29,000 to $58,000 a year, but it all depends on experience and number of clients.
How do I get started? You can either start your own business or work for an agency, Sarah B. who started her own Travel Agency tells us how to do both.
14. Freelance Online Jobs
Freelance jobs are some of the best ways to make money online. You deliver a service for a fee with the ability to work where and when you want with unlimited earning potential!
I have found many freelance jobs on Upwork. I sift through the available work options to see which project suits me the best.
I only apply to the jobs I KNOW I can do well because after the project is over its important that I get a good review so I can continue to get more jobs.
I suggest the following when applying to jobs on Upwork:
- Focus on the projects with only 5-10 proposals or less submitted (less competition)
- Check that the client has the “blue verified payment check” before applying
- When you see a job that fits you, apply for it immediately!
- If you live in the U.S., make sure to check “U.S. Only.”
- If you are pitching your first job, try to offer your services for free for one week to ease the client’s mind since you have no references or reviews. If the client likes you move on with the “paid service” the following week. That’s how I won my first job, and the client still paid me for my first week.
For a full list of freelance services you can provide on Upwork click here
How to Make Money Online for Free
15. Make Money Online with Google
A way to make money online with Google is to become a Search Engine/Social Media Evaluator/Web Evaluator.
This job entails rating social media ads and search engine results for relevancy. This job may not be the most exciting but it does not require getting on the phone, you make your own schedule, and it does not require any training.
How much can I make? $12.50 – $14 per hour.
How do I get started? Apply to the only two companies I recommend.
16. Sign up for Research Studies – Up to $400 per study
You can make quick, easy money by participating in research studies. Below are the best-paid companies to sign up for:
17. Survey Taker
Share your opinion to help brands deliver better products and services and make money online from PayPal or in the form of gift cards
How much can I make? If you take the time to answer a lot of surveys, you could make $50-$100 a month. This is definitely just something to do to make extra money on the side.
How do I get started? I only recommend signing up for Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, and PrizeRebel.
The more survey sites you sign up for, the more you’ll make.
Pro Tip: Open a separate email account solely for surveys. You’ll start to get inundated with emails, and it will be more manageable in a different account.
18. Website Tester
Get Paid to Test Apps and Websites. Companies need feedback on the user experience of their websites, and they’ll pay you to get it. This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to make money online.
Here are two companies that will give you $10 per test and usually take around 15-20 minutes each (User Testing now pays up to $60 per test):
Did you find anything? If not, check out FlexJobs. With FlexJobs, you can access hand-screened remote, part-time, freelance, and flexible jobs—quick and easy! Use my code FLEXLIFE for 30% off.
The normal fee each month would be $14.95 a month but it’s less using my code. Now, I’m not a fan of paying to find work but I get they have to get compensated somehow for hand-screening each job they post.
Once you find a job you can cancel and if you don’t think it’s worth it, simply request a refund.
So there’s no real risk. What’s the worst that could happen, you find a job?
Final Thoughts
I hope this list gave you some insight on how to make money online and ideas you can put into practice today. I also have a list of additional ways to make money online without paying anything if you want to check it out.
The ultimate goal here is to achieve financial freedom through multiple income streams, saving, and investing.
Make sure to join our FREE mompreneur tribe on our exclusive email list. Where we send out new mom jobs, financial tips, and more! Subscribe here.
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