4 High-Paying Side Gigs To Boost Your Retirement Savings in 2026

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Millions of Americans are working full-time yet still falling short on putting money into retirement savings. Whether it’s due to stagnant wages, limited access to employer-sponsored plans or unexpected financial setbacks, building a secure future can feel out of reach. The good news? Adding a side gig could be the game-changer you need for 2026.

You don’t need a specialized degree or niche skills to start earning extra income. The best side hustles for retirement savings are flexible, accessible and pay well enough to make a real impact. These four opportunities can help you grow your nest egg and reduce reliance on Social Security during your golden years.

Tutor

Tutoring is one of the most accessible and versatile side gigs available, offering a broad entry point for those with academic strengths in subjects like math, test prep or finance. Whether you’re helping someone pass the Series 7 exam or ace a standardized test, tutoring allows you to monetize your knowledge and make a meaningful impact on others’ success. It’s also a flexible way to earn extra income on your own schedule.

ZipRecruiter reports that tutors earn an average of $20 per hour. At just five hours per week, that adds up to $5,200 annually — just $1,800 short of the $7,000 IRA contribution limit for individuals under 50 in 2025. Those 50 and older can contribute up to $8,000.

With fewer than seven hours of tutoring per week, you could fully fund an IRA and take a big step toward financial security in retirement.

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Consultant

Like tutors, consultants sell knowledge, and they can cash in on what they’re storing in their brains across an equally broad range of subjects. However, the average consultant sells institutional knowledge to businesses and professionals for more than double what they could charge for providing academic guidance as tutors. ZipRecruiter said the average consultant makes $50 an hour. 

That’s enough to max out an IRA with nearly $800 left over with only three hours of work per week. Just four hours per week would leave the average side-hustling consultant nearly $10,400 richer after one year, which is a pretty high-paying side gig for 2026.

Audio/Video Transcriptionist

Transcription has become as a high-demand side hustle in recent years, and platforms like TranscribeMe! make it easy for beginners to get started — no formal training required. Freelancers are assigned short audio or video clips (typically 2-4 minutes long) to transcribe, and new tasks are automatically queued up with no cap on how many you can complete.

Starting pay ranges from $15 to $22 per audio hour, with specialized transcriptionists — such as those fluent in medical or legal terminology — earning up to $70 per hour. According to ZipRecruiter, the average transcriptionist earns $23 per hour, placing TranscribeMe! near the typical pay range.

The platform reports that its average member earns $250 per month or $3,000 per year, but more ambitious transcriptionists can max out an IRA with roughly seven hours of side hustling per week.

Virtual Assistant

Essentially, the term ‘virtual assistant’ is a catch-all for a slew of different types of work. It has broad appeal as a side hustle because it pertains to many specialties and includes many kinds of duties and skill sets, including:

• Knowledge of specific software and programs like Microsoft Excel, Google Docs and Adobe Photoshop
• Strong organizational skills
• WordPress site creation
• Email campaign building
• Social media management
• Spreadsheet management
• Editing and proofreading
• Billing and bookkeeping services

These are just a few of the skills and services virtual assistants market on sites like Fiverr and Belay for $18 to $21 per hour, while some projections have highly-specialized virtual assistants earning upwards of $100 per hour. Remember, you can max out an IRA or Roth IRA for the year with less than $140 per week.

Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.

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