How to Make Money Legally From Home

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 22, 2023 References

Working from home may seem like a great option, especially for those who are looking to supplement their income. There are a number of ways that you can legitimately work from home and make money. However, be wary of any job that sounds “too good to be true,” because there are a number of scams that take advantage of those looking to work from home.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Working Online and From Home

1
Locate freelance work. There are numerous opportunities for freelance workers to make money working from home. There is work for you on the internet if you have a special skill, write well, or design web pages.
- Content writer. There are numerous online paid opportunities for content writers. You can locate this type of work by conducting an internet search for “freelance web content writing jobs.” Your search will direct you to websites that offer to pay you for your writing services.
- Photography. If you are a photographer and willing to sell your photographs, conduct and internet search for “sell stock photos” and you will be directed to organizations looking to purchase photographic work. One example is Shutterstock, a company that buys royalty-free images.
- You can also search online for “online freelance websites,” which will direct you to websites that you join to bid on freelance jobs, look for work and make some money. You should note that some of these websites may make you pay a fee to join but then do not take a percentage from your work; others are free to join but do take percentage of your earnings. Two examples of these websites are Elance and Freelancer.^{[1]
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2
Transcribe audio content. If you are a fast typist and do not mind repetitive work, there a number of companies that pay for transcription services. The pay rate for this work varies between a certain amount of cents per word or dollars per page.
- The majority of transcription work is medical transcription.
- Most often, you will be required to understand and write in English.
- There are numerous online transcription services. You can locate transcription work by conducting an internet search for “online transcription jobs.” Two companies that offer online transcription work are QuickTate and TranscribeMe.^{[2]
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Advertisement
3
Tutor or teach an online class. More and more individuals are looking for private instruction on the internet. Whether a person is seeking academic lessons or instruction on how to play an instrument, there are a number of online platforms that allow individuals to offer their expertise from home and for pay.
- There are a growing number of online private tutoring services that pay individuals with strong academic background to offer tutoring services. You can locate these tutoring services by searching the internet for “get paid to be an online tutor.”
- You can also design and record video or streaming courses on topics from cooking to building an outdoor shed. If you have a certain level of expertise, you may be able to sell your courses online. To locate web platforms that support online courses, conduct an internet search for “create and sell online courses.”^{[3]
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- One such internet platform is called Patreon. This website allows viewers to act as patrons to financially support their favorite online content creators.
4
Answer questions online. Services such as kgb and ChaCha employ people to answer user questions by using the web. While they don't pay a lot, you can largely determine your own hours and make a little extra money if you're good with the internet.
5
Watch other people’s children or pets in your home. If you like children or pets, and you are a careful and considerate caretaker, there are always people looking to hire someone to watch their children or pets.
- If you want to watch children in your home as part of a babysitting service, it is best to offer your services to people who know you. This will allow you to build up a clientele and a reputation for childcare. Once you have several references, you could consider advertising your services on local parents’ websites or babysitter websites.
- If you plan to watch other people’s pets in your home, be sure to discuss what services you will provide for the animals. For example, will you walk the pets, will you pick the pets up from home or will they need to be dropped off at your home? You can charge a different rate depending on the services you are willing to provide to the pet owners.^{[4]
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6
Write an online blog. Blogging is a popular way that people try to make money online. If you have something to say, whether it is about parenting, cooking, or any other topic, there are probably people interested in reading your blog. You can make money by placing advertisements on your blog through programs such as Google’s AdSense program. When people click on the link, you receive a fee from the company.
7
Beware of scams. There are a number of scams on the internet offering online or at home work but are really trying to get you to pay them money. Below are a number of scam job offers that you should try to avoid.
- Do not take a job that promises that you will make a lot of money so long as you pay a fee, or purchase a starter kit, or that asks for your credit card. A reputable business will not charge you to work for them.
- Do not call a job that requires you to call a 1-900 for-pay line in order to discuss a potential job offer. They are just trying to generate money from you off of the phone call.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Selling or Renting Things From Home

1
Sell stuff you already have online. Your home may be a treasure trove of items that you do not want but someone else is willing to purchase. Go through your home and separate out the things that you have not used in a long time or never used and sell those items online. There are a number of online websites that allow users to sell goods to other individuals around the world or locally. If you conduct and internet search for “where can I sell things online,” your search will return numerous online marketplaces for you to choose from.
- Choose an online marketplace, such as eBay or Amazon Marketplace, that appears reputable and has numerous reviews from people who used the website to sell their goods.
- For the sake of your personal safety, if you choose a website where people will pick things up from your home, consider having someone else with you at your home when the buyer is scheduled to visit.
- If you are selling books online, there are websites that will allow you to scan the barcode of the book and give you guidance on the book’s resale value online. You can locate these websites by searching the internet for “scan book barcode for resale price.”^{[6]
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2
Make items to sell online. In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people making and selling homemade goods online. If you knit, sew, take photographs, or are good at making a number of different crafts, there is probably an online market for your goods. People use both Etsy and eBay to sell their homemade goods.^{[7]
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3
Rent your home for a limited period of time. You can make your home or apartment work for you by renting out your home for a limited period of time. If you are not concerned about strangers staying in your home and you have a place to stay or were planning a trip, renting your home through an online rental website is a great way to make money with minimal effort.^{[8]
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4
Rent a room in your home. If you are an empty nester or you have a spare room, you could consider renting the room to a person who is looking for a home in your community. If you choose to rent a room to someone, consider the following:
- Be sure to draft a written lease agreement that outlines the amount of rent that they must pay, and any rules for the home.
- Collect a security deposit in case they damage your home or fail to pay rent.
- Ask for and check their references.
- Check their employment status and salary to ensure they can afford the room.
5
Hold a garage sale. If you do not want to get involved in selling items online, you can hold a garage sale where people come to you and you sell your goods face-to-face. There may be more haggling over prices than you would have with online sales, however you will receive cash for your goods and you will not have to ship any large items.
- In order to increase foot traffic, consider asking your neighbors to have a yard sale at the same time, advertise online, and put flyers up in and around your neighborhood.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Evaluating Content and Giving Your Opinion

1
Join paid online opinion sites. There are a number of online polling and survey websites, such as Harris Poll Online, that will pay you for giving your opinion on a variety of topics and items. While the pay may not be great, you can make money relatively easily while at home. You can locate online paid online opinion sites by conducting an internet search for “paid online surveys and polls.”^{[9]
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2
Evaluate web content. Search engines and other websites, such as UserTesting, pay for users to test and review the content on their website. You may have to fill out a survey to determine if you meet the right demographic and if you do, you will be paid for reviewing the website. You can find this type of work by conducting an internet search for “get paid to review and test websites.”^{[10]
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3
Act as an online juror. In order to vet their case before going to trial, attorneys sometimes hold mock trials and solicit feedback for paid jurors. This enables the attorney to test out novel legal theories and case strategies before going to court. If you are interested in acting as an online juror from home, conduct and internet search for “paid to be online juror” and you will be directed to websites that offer these services, such as Ejury.
4
Become an online book or product reviewer. Many companies and book publishers are looking for product reviewers to use their product or read their book and write a review. Each job may require that you write a different length review, but generally the reviews are only a couple of paragraphs in length. You can find freelance reviewing jobs on websites such as freelancer.com. The pay for reviews varies from actual cash to payment in free books or gift cars.
- Also, if you are blogger and your blog has a sizable number of visitors, you may be paid by companies to review their products, especially if their product is linked to the topic of your blog. For example, if you blog about cooking, certain companies may want you to review new cooking products or books.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do I help people find my online tutoring business?

Tracy Yun, MBA
Academic & Test Prep Specialist
Tracy Yun is the founder and CEO of Manhattan Elite Prep in New York, New York. With over 14 years of experience in test preparation and admissions consulting, Tracy specializes in managing educational service firms which offer test preparation classes and tutoring courses for SAT, ACT, TOEFL, IELTS, LSAT, MCAT, GRE and GMAT. They also offer K-12 homeschooling services as well as college and graduate school admissions consulting and language, computer, and career training. Tracy graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Economics from California Lutheran University and holds her MBA from Columbia University Business School.

Tracy Yun, MBA

Academic & Test Prep Specialist

Expert Answer

Try to make a website and write really strong content for it to show that you're offering a high-quality service. That way, more people will find your services.

Warnings

Beware of promises to get rich quick. Any job that sounds too good to be true may be a scam. Make sure you research any potential employers and do not turn over any personal identity information unless you know it is a legitimate company.^{[11]
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