Ways to Make Money From Home: Realistic Options, Typical Pay, and Scams to Avoid

Ways to make money from home compared

The table below compares the options in this guide. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook where it publishes a figure. These are national medians from May 2025, which means half of workers earned more and half earned less. BLS notes that its pay figures leave out self-employed workers, so a pet sitter or home childcare provider running their own business may earn more or less than the median. Beginners usually start lower.

A good first question is whether you want a job (an employer, set pay, taxes taken out) or a small business (you find customers and set prices). Jobs are steadier. Small businesses are more flexible but take longer to build and come with more paperwork.

Remote jobs with a real employer

For many people, the steadiest way to earn from home is a regular job that happens to be remote. You are paid for your time, taxes are taken out of your check, and the work usually counts toward unemployment insurance if you lose it later. Free places to search include:

• USAJOBS: the official site for federal jobs. Filter for remote positions. Applying is always free.
• Your state job bank: every state runs a free job board, often through the agency that handles unemployment. Many let you filter for telework.
• CareerOneStop: sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, with a job finder, links to state job banks, and a locator for free American Job Centers.
• Employer career pages: type the company’s website address yourself and look for a Careers link, instead of trusting a link in a text or social media message.

Customer service representatives are among the most common remote workers. BLS lists a median of $44,770 a year ($21.53 an hour) and says a high school diploma is typical, with on-the-job training. Shifts are often set in advance, and some employers require you to be available on weekends. For a deeper look at how to tell real remote listings from fake ones, read our guide to legit work from home jobs.

Tutoring, pet sitting, and other local services

Service work you run yourself can start small, with people you already know. It is flexible, but income can be uneven from week to week.

Tutoring

Parents often pay for help with reading, math, test prep, or a second language. You can tutor students in your home, at a library, or by video. BLS does not publish a separate median for private tutors, so ask local tutoring centers or other tutors what they charge before setting your rate. If you tutor children, expect parents to ask about your background, and consider getting references. Some tutoring companies hire tutors as employees or contractors; check them the same way you would any employer.

Pet sitting and dog walking

BLS says animal care and service workers earned a median of $17.08 an hour in May 2025, and about a quarter of animal caretakers are self-employed. BLS also notes that many states require self-employed animal care workers to have a business license, so check with your city or county. Pet sitting usually happens at the owner’s home, while boarding pets in your own home may need extra permits under local zoning rules.

Other services

Ironing and mending, simple bookkeeping for a neighbor’s business, baking for events, or tech help for older adults are other home-based options. Food made at home for sale is regulated by state “cottage food” laws, which limit what you can sell and where. Check with your state health or agriculture department before you sell food.

Selling items you already own

Selling clothes, furniture, electronics, or baby gear you no longer use is one of the fastest ways to raise cash, and it costs almost nothing to start. It is one-time money, though, not an income you can count on every month.

• Price it fairly. Look at what similar items have actually sold for, not just what sellers are asking.
• Meet safely. For local sales, meet in a public place. Some police departments offer a lobby or parking lot for exchanges.
• Watch for payment scams. Be wary of buyers who send more than the asking price and ask for the difference back. That is a common fake-payment trick.

Taxes depend on whether you made a profit. In general, selling a personal item for less than you paid for it does not create taxable income, while a profit is taxable. Under current law, a payment app or online marketplace has to send you a Form 1099-K only when your payments for the year are more than $20,000 and more than 200 transactions, as the IRS explains. Profits are taxable even when no form arrives. Buying items to resell is a business, and those earnings are self-employment income.

Childcare in your home and state licensing

Caring for children in your own home can be a real small business, especially if you already stay home with your own kids. BLS describes these family childcare providers as running a business out of their own homes. It reports a median of $16.82 an hour for childcare workers in May 2025, and says about 24% of childcare workers are self-employed. A home provider’s income depends on how many children they care for, their ages, and the hours.

Childcare is regulated by each state. Childcare.gov, run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, explains that licensing sets minimum health and safety requirements that programs must meet to operate legally, and that federal law requires states to set and enforce those rules. BLS notes that licensing commonly includes:

• A background check for you and often for other adults living in the home
• Complete immunization records
• A minimum amount of training, and in some states CPR and first aid certification
• A home that meets safety rules, with limits on how many children you can care for

Some states let you watch a small number of children without a license, but the cut-off and rules vary. Look up your state’s licensing office through Childcare.gov before you take paying families. Being licensed or registered may also let you accept families who pay with state child care assistance. Single parents weighing this option can find more ideas in our guide to work from home jobs for single moms.

Freelancing a skill

If people already pay for something you know how to do, such as writing, editing, graphic design, bookkeeping, translation, or building websites, you can sell that skill as a freelancer. BLS reports a median of $36.98 an hour for salaried writers and authors in May 2025, but it also says about 65% of writers are self-employed, and their earnings are not in that median. Freelance pay depends on your skill, your clients, and how much steady work you can find.

Start with small projects, ask satisfied clients for referrals, and get each job in writing with the price, deadline, and when you will be paid. Online marketplaces can connect you with clients, but they take a fee and the competition is strong. Our guide on how to make money online for beginners covers online-only options in more detail.

Scams that pose as home income

Work-from-home offers are one of the most common disguises for scams. The Federal Trade Commission’s job scams guide says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job. Walk away from any offer that asks you to:

Multi-level marketing and income claims

Multi-level marketing companies sell products through people who recruit other sellers. The FTC warns that most people who join legitimate MLMs make little or no money, and some lose money. Be cautious about income claims, pressure to buy inventory you cannot use, and pay that depends mostly on recruiting, which the FTC treats as a sign of a pyramid scheme. See the FTC’s MLM guidance before you join.

Business opportunity sales

Under the FTC’s Business Opportunity Rule, a seller of a covered work-at-home or business opportunity must give you a one-page disclosure document at least seven days before you sign a contract or pay anything. It lists legal actions against the seller, its cancellation or refund policy, whether it makes earnings claims, and references from past buyers. If the seller makes an earnings claim, it must also give you a separate earnings claim statement. A seller who refuses or rushes you is a warning sign.

If you already paid, contact your bank, card company, or payment app right away. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Taxes on money you earn at home

Side money is income. The IRS Gig Economy Tax Center says you must report gig and side income even if it is part-time, paid in cash, or not reported to you on a form. How you are taxed depends on whether you are an employee or self-employed.

The IRS self-employment tax page explains the $400 rule, and its estimated taxes page explains quarterly payments. Keep a simple record of every payment you receive and every expense, such as supplies or mileage. Low-income workers, including the self-employed, may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and free tax help is available through IRS volunteer programs.

How home earnings affect SNAP, SSI, and unemployment

Earning money from home usually raises your total income even when a benefit goes down. The key is to report new income on time so you are not asked to repay benefits later.

USDA explains the SNAP rules on its SNAP eligibility page, and our SNAP calculator can estimate how a new paycheck changes your benefit. Social Security’s SSI work rules mean you keep about $1 of every $2 you earn above the exclusions. For unemployment, rules come from your state; USA.gov links to every state program.

Getting started safely

1. Pick one or two options that match your skills, schedule, and space at home.
2. Check local rules. Ask your city or county about business licenses, and your state about childcare licensing or cottage food rules if they apply.
3. Search official job sites first if you want a remote job: USAJOBS, your state job bank, and employer career pages.
4. Never pay to start. Do not buy kits or training from a “recruiter,” deposit checks for strangers, or reship packages.
5. Get every job or client agreement in writing, with the rate, schedule, and payment date.
6. Track income and expenses from day one, and set aside part of self-employment income for taxes.
7. Report new income to SNAP, Social Security, or unemployment as required.

Related guides

• Work from home jobs with no experience
• Work from home jobs for seniors
• Work from home jobs for disabled workers
• Work from home jobs for low-income families

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal, tax, or benefits advice. Licensing, unemployment, and SNAP rules vary by state, so check with your state agency before you start. Sponsored partners are third parties, not employers; review their terms before sharing your details. National Relief Program is an independent website, not an employer or government agency.