25 Freelance Ideas for Extra Cash

In these economically uncertain times (tariffs, inflation, a struggling job market), side hustles have never made more sense. If you’re struggling to find a career-long position or a 9-to-5 gig, or you need additional income to supplement either of those, a freelance hustle for extra cash may just be your best bet.

To that end, GOBankingRates has culled together a list of 25 freelance ideas for extra cash. Some may be obvious, others might catch you by surprise, but all offer you a supplementary income to help make ends meet.

Have an apartment full of vintage records you no longer listen to? Or books full of collectable baseball cards you’ve outgrown? You’d be surprised how much cash you can rake in by selling off your excess clutter on sites like eBay.

If you happen to be an artisan with a knack for painting, clothing design, jewelry or home goods, you might find an army of customers willing to buy your work via websites like Etsy, which has nearly 100 million active buyers. One recent study found that the average Etsy seller makes $35,000 a year.

If you own a car, have a solid driving record and enjoy flexible hours, driving for companies such as Uber and Lyft might be just what you need for a little extra cash. As an added bonus, rideshare companies typically pay extra during peak hours/rush hour/holidays. You can make anywhere from $40,000 to $60,000 a year chauffeuring people around.

Speaking of rideshares, if you’d rather not deal with customers for a prolonged period but still want to hit the road and use your car as a moneymaker, consider working as a delivery driver for such food delivery apps as DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates or Uber Eats. Many offer the same perks as rideshares, but without having to haul someone in your backseat.

To keep the car-and-app theme going, it’s also worth considering working for an app such as Instacart, in which you shop for — and then deliver — groceries to customers. You can make up to $23 an hour.

Plan on being out of a town for a bit? Rent out your home to vacationers. Have an extra bedroom or an upscale garage? You can rent it to someone looking for a temporary stay. With Airbnb you can do either, scoring up to $2,500 monthly in extra income.

Find yourself smiling every time you see a walked dog crossing your path on the sidewalk? Why not turn that feeling into a profit? You can, via such apps as Rover and Wag, with which you can be hired to walk dogs for owners too busy to do it on their own. You can add $1,000 a month to your income.

Struggling writers who’ve had difficulty breaking into the publishing industry and who are in need of a paycheck can now take alternate routes, such as self-publishing e-books on any number of direct publishing platforms (e.g., Kindle Direct Publishing).

Apps such as Handy and Taskrabbit can put you to work running errands, building small items (like Ikea furniture) or help people move into a new home or apartment. Earn a few hundred dollars a month off these apps.

If the app game isn’t for you, you can always go old school and perform the kind of old-fashioned gig you might have performed while growing up: lawn work. Landscaping companies are often hiring seasonal work, and those who are willing to work outside can pick up a number of hours each week mowing lawns. That could put a few hundred dollars in your pocket each month.

Here’s another gig you might have already performed when younger that you can still do today: babysitting. If you get along well with children and have a flexible schedule, you can pick up an extra couple of hundred weekly caring for someone else’s children.

Sure, there’s Airbnb for renting out your home, but you’re now able to rent out your car as well. Via services such as Getaround, you can rent out your vehicle and make money while sitting at home.

If you have a particular expertise or degree in a certain subject — be it science or math or a foreign language — working as a private tutor for a student can be an easy way to capitalize on your knowledge base. You can make upwards of $40 an hour.

Much like someone working for a rideshare or a food delivery app, you can also work for Amazon Flex as a delivery driver — making Amazon package deliveries for the company part-time. It pays up to $25 an hour.

You can utilizes platforms such as UserTesting to find flaws in various apps, items or internet sites to make sure they function and operate properly.

Know a freelance writer who performs interviews for their gig? Offer to transcribe! As a transcriptionist, you can get paid to listen to audio and simply type up the recorded dialogue. Platforms such as Rev feature transcriptionist positions. You can make up to $20 an hour.

If you have an easy facility with language, or a degree in English, use it to your advantage by offering your services as a freelance writer or editor for websites, PR companies, news organizations or any other platform in need of the professional written word.

For those who are financially astute and excellent with numbers, serving a financial bookkeeper for small businesses is an excellent way to make money on the side, while helping others make theirs.

With electronic devices such as phones, laptops and video games evolving at a breathless pace, there are a number of trade-in methods (including at Amazon, as well as various cell phone providers) to trade older items in for store credit or cash.

There is a seemingly endless parade of survey websites online that will pay you to take surveys on a variety of subjects. You won’t overload your bank account taking them, but you will make some money.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly growing in cultural and technical ubiquity. While the technology is still in relative infancy, now is the time to assist in product testing (similar to user testing) to help improve the technology and keep it technically sound (while also pocketing a bit of profit for yourself).

You might be surprised how many people require help with crafting an efficient, well-designed resume. If creative writing and visual design are two of your specialties, you could easily host a side business helping people score their own gigs by designing their resumes.

If your day job requires a specialized set of skills — web development, graphic design, accounting, etc. — why not continue to make money after hours by offering those same skills in freelance positions? It’s an easy way to use your day job skills for your side hustle.

Serving as an interpreter is a great way for multilingual individuals to earn cash on the side, assisting professionals who speak only one language (lawyers, physicians and more) conversing with clients who do not speak the same language. It pays over $30 an hour.

If you’ve got a background in wellness, fitness or athletics, consider using that to work as a trainer or fitness coach for folks looking to get in better shape, eat right and get healthy. It pays as much as $36 per hour.