35 highest paying side hustles in 2026, ranked by real rates

The highest paying side hustles at a glance

Here's what the side hustles with an hourly rate pay, from the highest to the lowest:

What the highest paying side hustles pay per hour ($)

1Fractional executive

$176 to $211

2Local photographer

$164

3Real estate photographer

$150

4Coach

$100

5AI developer

$90

6Tax preparer

$60

7Automation consultant

$60

8Consultant

$55

9Voice actor

$55

10Personal trainer

$55

11Grant writer

$50

12Recruiter

$50

13Presentation designer

$45

14Chatbot developer

$45

15Resume writer

$42

16Ghostwriter

$32

17Copywriter

$30

18Technical writer

$30

19Web developer

$30

20Ads specialist

$30

21UX designer

$27

22Graphic designer

$25

Upwork, Thumbtack and Go Fractional · Upwork medians for online skills, Thumbtack national averages for local work and Go Fractional's lowest role average for fractional work, October 2026

And here are all 35, with what each pays and where the figure comes from:

What makes a side hustle pay well

Three things push a side hustle's rate up, and the top of this list has at least one of them.

The first is a skill that takes years to build. A fractional CFO or a coach sells experience a client can't get from a beginner, so the rate reflects the years behind it.

The second is risk and equipment. Local jobs like pressure washing and holiday lights need gear, insurance and a ladder or two, and fewer people take that on, so each job pays more.

The third is results you can show. A photographer's portfolio, a designer's before and after, and a consultant's case study let a client see the value before paying, which makes a higher price easier to accept.

The data shows one more pattern: the same skill pays more locally than online. Photographers average $164 an hour on Thumbtack, where clients book someone near them, against a $30 median on Upwork, where they compete with freelancers worldwide.

Best high paying side hustles for nurses, teachers and students

Your day job already gives you skills some of these side hustles pay well for:

Not sure which fits you? Answer a few questions about your time, skills and budget:

The 35 side hustles come in five groups:

Side hustles that pay $100 an hour or more

These four pay the most per hour, because they sell years of experience or a shoot a client can't do alone.

1. Work as a fractional executive

A fractional executive does a senior job, like CMO, CFO or COO, for a few hours a week, for companies that can't afford one full time. You run the plan, the team or the numbers, and the company pays a monthly retainer for your time.

It tops this list because it sells years of experience, not hours, and one client can fit beside a job if your employer allows it.

It fits you if you've led a team or a function for years and can show what you changed.

What it pays: a monthly retainer per company. In Go Fractional's benchmarks from live job posts, fractional CMOs average $176 an hour (Go Fractional), CFOs $177 (Go Fractional), COOs $192 (Go Fractional) and CTOs $211 (Go Fractional), for about 12 to 15 hours a week per company. 77% of business leaders say AI increases their need for specialized, fractional talent (Upwork).

Tools: run the business side with Mercury for banking and Doola if you need a US LLC, and prepare for meetings with Claude. Shape your offer with the grand slam offer generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Taking on more companies than your hours allow hurts the results each one pays for, so start with one.
• Selling hours instead of outcomes keeps your rate low, so price a result, like a hiring plan or a budget.
• Working for a competitor of your employer can breach your contract, so check it before you sign a client.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: often · Experience: real expertise · Paid: monthly, by each company

2. Photograph events and families

You photograph families, couples, events and small businesses near you, then edit and deliver the photos. Clients book a session or an event, and they find you through referrals, Google and Instagram.

Local clients pay far more per hour than online buyers, because they need someone who can be there. That hourly rate covers the shoot, though, and editing takes more hours on top, so price each session as a package.

It fits you if you have a good eye, a decent camera and you're at ease directing people.

What it pays: a fee per shoot. Photographers on Thumbtack charge a national average of $164 an hour and $358 a job, and portrait sessions average $277 (Thumbtack). On Upwork, photographers typically charge $25 to $45 an hour, and the median is $30 (Upwork).

Tools: edit in Adobe Lightroom, upscale with Topaz Labs, and send invoices with the invoice generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Pricing by the hour of shooting leaves the editing unpaid, so quote a package.
• Shooting an event without a contract leaves you exposed if the client cancels, so put the terms in writing.
• Taking every kind of job makes your portfolio look scattered, so show one style.

Start: some money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: some helps · Paid: per shoot, by the client

3. Photograph homes for real estate agents

Real estate agents need photos of each home they list, often within a day or two. You shoot the rooms and the outside, sometimes with a floor plan or drone shots, then edit and deliver them fast.

Agents list homes all year, so one busy agent can send you work every week. Each shoot is short, so you can fit one or two around a job.

It fits you if you have a wide-angle lens, you like early starts and you can edit quickly.

What it pays: a fee per listing, paid by the agent. Real estate photographers on Thumbtack charge a national average of $150 an hour, and about $286 to shoot one property (Thumbtack). Employed photographers in the US earn a median of $21.47 an hour (BLS, May 2025).

Example: One photographer's real estate business grew from $40,000 in 2024 to over $100,000 in 2025, but it now fills six to seven days a week (Reddit). A first-year photographer made $12,000 in 2025 from 50 shoots for 20 agents, many at half price to win them (Reddit).

Tools: edit in Adobe Lightroom, and send invoices with the invoice generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Flying a drone to help sell a property counts as commercial work under the FAA's Part 107 rules (FAA), so get your remote pilot certificate before you sell aerial shots.
• Delivering late costs you the agent, because the listing waits on your photos.

Start: some money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: some helps · Paid: per listing, by the agent

4. Coach people in your field

You help people reach a result you've already reached, like a promotion, a first client or a healthier routine, in calls over weeks or months. Many coaches sell a package, like three months of calls, rather than single hours.

I took on my first coaching clients in 2014, and later ran the VSM Coaching Accelerator for people hosting their own summits.

It fits you if people already ask you for advice on something you've done.

What it pays: coaching packages, paid up front or monthly. On Upwork, business coaches typically charge $75 to $150 an hour, and the median is $100 (Upwork). On Upwork, life coaches typically charge $50 to $250 an hour, and the median is $100 (Upwork).

Example: Joy, the money coach behind Crush Your Money Goals, made $279,000 in 2023 from a coaching business she runs 20 hours a week (CNBC).

Tools: take payments with ThriveCart, record calls with Granola, and shape your offer with the grand slam offer generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Selling single calls keeps you chasing new clients, so sell a package with a clear result.
• Promising a result you can't control, like a job offer, invites refunds, so promise the work you'll do together.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: optional · From anywhere: yes · Experience: real expertise · Paid: every business day through Stripe · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

Side hustles that pay $50 to $99 an hour

These eight pay well for a skill, and most of them work from anywhere.

5. Vibe code apps and tools for businesses

You build the small apps, tools and websites a business needs, like a booking tool, a calculator for its site or an internal dashboard, with AI coding tools that write the code from plain English. Then you charge to host and update it.

In this list, only coaches have a higher Upwork median than AI developers, and businesses now search for AI coding help by name.

It fits you if you can describe what a tool should do, step by step, and you like testing until it works.

What it pays: a fee per project and a monthly fee to keep it running. Searches for Claude Code specialists grew 938% on Fiverr in six months, and searches for vibe coding grew 61% (Fiverr). On Upwork, AI developers typically charge $30 to $150 an hour, and the median is $90 (Upwork).

Example: I build this way for my own business: the 700+ free tools on this site are my own builds, made with Claude Code and Codex.

Tools: I build with Claude Code and Codex, and Cursor and Replit are other ways in. Write clearer instructions with the Claude Code prompt generator, and read what Claude Code is if you're new to it.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Shipping code you haven't tested can break a client's site, so test each change before it goes live.
• Building without a written scope turns one project into several, so agree on what's included first.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: per project, then monthly

6. Prepare tax returns

You prepare tax returns for people and small businesses, mostly from January to April. The work comes in one busy season, then slows for the rest of the year, which makes it fit beside a job.

The work needs care, because a mistake costs your client money. So start with simple returns, like W-2 income, and take on business returns as you learn.

It fits you if you're careful with numbers and you can work long hours for a few months a year.

What it pays: a fee per return or an hourly rate, mostly from January to April. On Upwork, tax preparers typically charge $40 to $80 an hour, and the median is $60 (Upwork). Anyone who prepares federal returns for pay needs a valid PTIN from the IRS first, and it takes about 15 minutes to apply online (IRS).

Tools: use professional tax software and check each rule on the IRS's own pages. Keep client checklists in Notion, and send invoices with the invoice generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Preparing returns for pay without a valid PTIN breaks IRS rules, so renew it each year.
• Guessing on a rule you don't know puts your client at risk, so check it on the IRS site or refer the return out.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: per return, by your clients

7. Build AI automations

You connect a business's apps so work happens on its own, like a new lead getting a reply, a CRM update and a task for the team, with AI writing or sorting along the way. Businesses pay to set it up and a monthly fee to keep it running.

The best first clients repeat the same task every day, like answering leads, booking calls or sending invoices, because they can see the hours you save.

It fits you if you like systems and can explain how a business runs step by step.

What it pays: a setup fee and a monthly fee. Upwork doesn't price AI automation on its own, and marketing automation consultants, the closest skill it prices, typically charge $40 to $90 an hour, with a median of $60 (Upwork). AI integration grew 178% on Upwork in 2025, by freelancer earnings (Upwork), and searches for n8n AI automation grew 125% on Fiverr in the six months to April 2026 (Fiverr).

Watch: n8n's own quick start for building your first AI agent.

Tools: n8n, Zapier and Make connect the apps, and Claude Code writes the custom parts. See how I connect my own tools in my AI OS guide.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Automating a messy process makes the mess faster, so fix the steps first.
• Leaving a client without notes makes them depend on you for each change, so write down how it works.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: per project, then monthly

8. Consult in your industry

You solve one problem for companies in an industry you know, like pricing for restaurants or hiring for clinics, through a project, a day rate or a monthly retainer. A consultant sells a result, so the price follows the value, not the hours.

It fits you if you've solved the same problem many times in your field.

What it pays: day rates, projects or monthly retainers. On Upwork, business consultants typically charge $28 to $98 an hour, and the median is $55 (Upwork). Employed management consultants in the US earn a median of $101,860 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Example: I helped Chandler Bolt run The Self-Publishing Success Summit, my first big consulting gig, which made 30,000 opt-ins and $370,000+. Justin Welsh made $1.17 million from consulting since 2019 (his breakdown), and a consultant who went solo after a 2024 layoff bills $100 to $150 an hour for consulting, against $35 for design work (Reddit).

Tools: research with Claude and Perplexity, show the plan in Gamma, and price it with the value equation calculator. If you want to consult on AI, my AI consultant certification shows how I set up AI for a business.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Pricing by the hour caps what you earn, so price the project by its value to the client.
• Taking clients outside your field makes you a beginner again, so stay where your record is.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: real expertise · Paid: every business day through Stripe · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

9. Do voiceovers

You record your voice for ads, explainer videos, phone systems, training videos and audiobooks, from a quiet room at home. A client sends a script, and you record, edit and deliver the audio.

Corporate work, like training videos and voicemail greetings, pays steadily and doesn't need a famous voice.

It fits you if you have a clear voice, a quiet space and patience for retakes.

What it pays: a fee per project or per finished minute. On Upwork, voice actors typically charge $40 to $85 an hour, and the median is $55 (Upwork). On Upwork, audiobook narrators typically charge $25 to $55 an hour, and the median is $40 (Upwork).

Example: NASA engineer Eryn Andrews started a voiceover side hustle in 2022 with about $200 for a class, a microphone and a mattress topper for soundproofing. She charged $5 per 100 words on Fiverr at first, and by August 2026 she had earned over $227,000 that year, working one to eight hours a week (CNBC).

Tools: clean your audio with Adobe Podcast or the background noise remover, and edit in Descript. Find jobs on Fiverr and Upwork.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Recording in an echoey room gets your auditions skipped, so treat a closet or corner with soft materials first.
• Selling your voice for AI cloning without clear terms can let a client reuse it for good, so read the license before you sign.

Start: a little money · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: none needed · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

10. Train people one to one

You coach people through workouts in a gym, a park, their home or on video, and build programs that fit their goals. Most trainers sell packages of sessions or a monthly plan.

A certification helps clients trust you, and many gyms ask for one before you train their members.

It fits you if you train yourself, you like people and you can keep someone motivated.

What it pays: a fee per session or a monthly package. Personal trainers on Thumbtack charge $40 to $100 an hour, and $55 on average (Thumbtack). Employed fitness trainers and instructors in the US earn a median of $22.67 an hour (BLS, May 2025).

Tools: plan programs in Notion or a spreadsheet, and record form videos on your phone. Take payments with Stripe.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Training clients without liability insurance leaves you exposed if someone gets hurt, so get covered first.
• Selling single sessions lets clients drift away, so sell a package with a goal.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: optional · From anywhere: no · Experience: some helps · Paid: per session or monthly, by the client

11. Write grant applications

You write the applications nonprofits, schools and small businesses send to foundations and governments for funding. You research each funder, write the case and the budget, and keep track of deadlines.

One funded grant can be worth many times the fee, and nonprofits apply for grants all year, so the work can keep coming once a client trusts you.

It fits you if you write clearly, you like research and you don't miss deadlines.

What it pays: a fee per application or an hourly rate. On Upwork, grant writers typically charge $35 to $60 an hour, and the median is $50 (Upwork). Employed fundraisers in the US earn a median of $72,550 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Tools: draft with Claude, research funders with Gemini, and polish with Grammarly.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Charging a percentage of the grant goes against the Grant Professionals Association's code of ethics, which rules out commission and percentage pay (GPA), so charge a flat fee or an hourly rate.
• Sending the same application to each funder lowers your hit rate, so tailor each one to the funder's goals.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

12. Recruit for companies

You find candidates for companies that need to hire, screen them and set up interviews. Some recruiters work by the hour, and others earn a fee when a candidate is hired.

It pays best in a field you know, because you can judge candidates and you know where they spend time.

It fits you if you like talking to people and you know many people in one industry.

What it pays: a fee per hire. On Upwork, recruiters typically charge $25 to $70 an hour, and the median is $50 (Upwork). Employed human resources specialists in the US earn a median of $75,940 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Tools: find contacts with RocketReach, write outreach with Claude, and sharpen your own profile with the LinkedIn headline generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Sending candidates before the fee is agreed can leave you unpaid, so sign terms first.
• Pushing a weak candidate to close a deal costs you the client, so send fewer, better ones.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

Side hustles that pay $25 to $49 an hour

These 12 are freelance skills, and most of them start online with a portfolio and a profile.

13. Design presentations

You turn a client's notes into clear, good-looking slides for sales pitches, investor decks, conference talks and training. Companies pay for decks because a deck can help win a deal or a funding round.

PowerPoint experts on Upwork charge the same $45 median as presentation designers (Upwork), so the skill pays whichever tool you use.

It fits you if you can make a busy idea simple and you have an eye for layout.

What it pays: a fee per deck. On Upwork, presentation designers typically charge $35 to $60 an hour, and the median is $45 (Upwork).

Tools: Gamma turns an outline into slides, then finish in Canva or Google Slides. The presentation generator makes a first draft in seconds.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Filling slides with text makes a deck hard to present, so keep one idea per slide.
• Using fonts or images without a license can get a client in trouble, so use licensed assets.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

14. Build AI chatbots

You build chatbots that answer a business's customers on its website, Instagram or WhatsApp, trained on its own FAQs, prices and policies. Businesses pay a setup fee and a monthly fee to keep the answers current.

Start with businesses that answer the same questions all day, like clinics, salons and online stores, because they feel the time saved first.

It fits you if you like writing clear answers and testing how people ask questions.

What it pays: a setup fee and a monthly fee. On Upwork, chatbot developers typically charge $30 to $61 an hour, and the median is $45 (Upwork). AI chatbot development grew 71% on Upwork in 2025 (Upwork).

Watch: Botpress builds a customer support chatbot without code.

Tools: ManyChat for Instagram DMs, which I use, plus Chatbot Builder AI and Pickaxe.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Letting a chatbot guess at prices or policies can mislead customers, so give it only checked answers and a way to reach a person.
• Skipping the monthly check lets answers go stale, so review the chats each month.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: per project, then monthly

15. Write resumes and LinkedIn profiles

You rewrite resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles so job seekers get more interviews. The best clients aim for a specific role, because you can tailor every line to it.

A package, like a resume, a cover letter and a LinkedIn profile together, pays more than a single document and saves each client a second order.

It fits you if you know how hiring works in one field and you write tight, clear sentences.

What it pays: a fee per resume or per package. On Upwork, resume writers typically charge $25 to $65 an hour, and the median is $42 (Upwork).

Watch: Teal on making a resume that stands out in 2026.

Tools: draft with Claude, polish with Grammarly, and design in Canva. The LinkedIn headline generator gives a quick first draft.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Promising interviews or a job sets you up for refunds, so promise the work, not the outcome.
• Pasting AI drafts without the client's real results makes resumes sound alike, so start from what each client has done.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

16. Tutor for the SAT and ACT

You help high school students raise their SAT or ACT scores, one to one, online or in person. Test prep is where tutoring pays most at the top, because a higher score can help with admission or a scholarship.

It fits you if you scored well on the test yourself and you can explain one question three different ways.

What it pays: an hourly rate you set. The average price for tutoring on Wyzant is $35 to $60 an hour (Wyzant), and the 25 highest-rated SAT tutors there listed $75 to $500 an hour on October 3, 2026 (Wyzant).

Example: Steven Menking started tutoring at $50 to $100 an hour through New York agencies and Wyzant. After a decade of tutoring students and young professionals, including test prep, he charges up to $1,000 an hour (CNBC).

Watch: Vivian Zhu on the trial lessons behind over $37,000 earned from 1,568 Preply lessons in three years.

Tools: turn the official practice tests into study guides with Gemini Notebook, and make extra practice sheets with Gemini.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Teaching from old prep books can waste a student's time, so use the current official practice tests.
• Guaranteeing a score increase invites refunds, so promise a plan and practice, not a number.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: optional · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: per lesson, by the family or through the platform

17. Train AI models with your expertise

AI companies pay people to write, check and rank AI answers, so their models get better. Anyone can start with general tasks, and experts in coding, math, medicine, law or finance get the higher-paid projects.

It fits you if you have a degree or years of work in a field, and you're careful with details.

What it pays: pay per hour. DataAnnotation lists $25 to $50 an hour for generalists and $40 to $150+ an hour for coders and other experts (DataAnnotation). Demand is real: freelancer earnings from AI data annotation and labeling grew 154% on Upwork in 2025 (Upwork).

Example: Utkarsh Amitabh, an author and entrepreneur in the UK, trains AI models for micro1 about 3.5 hours a night. He earns $200 an hour, by a pay stub CNBC saw, and micro1 confirmed he had earned nearly $300,000 since January 2025, bonuses included (CNBC).

Watch: Justin Bryant checks whether DataAnnotation's AI jobs are legit.

Tools: the work runs on platforms like DataAnnotation and Outlier. Read each one's pay and rules on its own site first.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Paying to join an AI training job is a red flag, so walk away from any offer that asks for money first.
• Rushing tasks can get you dropped from projects, so check each answer before you submit it.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps

18. Ghostwrite for founders

You write posts, newsletters, articles or books that a founder or executive publishes under their own name. The steady work is often LinkedIn and X posts on a monthly retainer, and some ghostwriters take on books.

The key skill is sounding like the client, so you interview them often and keep notes on how they talk.

It fits you if you write fast, you can copy someone's voice, and you don't need your name on the work.

What it pays: a monthly retainer or a fee per book. On Upwork, ghostwriters typically charge $20 to $45 an hour, and the median is $32 (Upwork).

Tools: Claude for drafts and Typefully for X and LinkedIn.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Posting without the client's approval can embarrass them, so agree on a review step.
• Leaning on AI drafts makes posts sound generic, so start each one from the client's own words.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

19. Write copy for businesses

You write the words that sell: landing pages, emails, ads and product descriptions. Copy tied to sales, like a launch email or a sales page, is where rates go up, because the client can measure what it brings in.

It fits you if you can write simply and you like testing what makes people click.

What it pays: a fee per page or a monthly retainer. On Upwork, copywriters typically charge $19 to $45 an hour, and the median is $30 (Upwork). Employed writers and authors in the US earn a median of $76,910 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Tools: draft with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or Grok, polish with Grammarly, and test headlines with the headline analyzer. Grade a client's page with the landing page grader.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Writing about features instead of results makes copy flat, so lead with what the buyer gets.
• Skipping the client's numbers hides your results, so ask for the conversion rate before and after.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

20. Write technical docs

You write the manuals, help pages and API docs that explain how a product works. Software companies hire freelance technical writers when they launch a product or a new feature.

It fits you if you like learning how things work and explaining them in plain steps.

What it pays: an hourly rate or a fee per project. On Upwork, technical writers typically charge $20 to $45 an hour, and the median is $30 (Upwork). Employed technical writers in the US earn a median of $90,390 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Tools: Claude for drafts, Notion to organize the docs, and CleanShot X for screenshots.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Writing before you've used the product leads to wrong steps, so test each step yourself.
• Leaving out screenshots makes docs harder to follow, so show each step.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

21. Build websites

You build and update websites for small businesses, like a dentist's site with booking or a shop's online store. With AI coding tools and site builders, one person can build a site in days, then charge monthly to keep it running.

It fits you if you like building things and you can talk to a business owner about what they need.

What it pays: a fee per project and monthly upkeep. On Upwork, web developers typically charge $15 to $50 an hour, and the median is $30 (Upwork). Employed web developers in the US earn a median of $92,650 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Tools: I build my own sites and apps with Claude Code and Codex, and I'm not a developer. Host on Cloudflare or Hostinger, and grade a client's current site with the SEO checker.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Building without the text and photos stalls the project, so collect them before you start.
• Handing over a site with no upkeep plan leaves it to break, so sell a monthly care plan.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

22. Run paid ads for businesses

You run a business's ads on Google, Meta or TikTok: the targeting, the budget, the creative tests and the weekly report. Clients pay a monthly fee, and some add a share of the ad spend.

It fits you if you like numbers and testing, and you stay calm when results swing.

What it pays: a monthly fee, often plus a share of the ad spend. On Upwork, PPC specialists typically charge $20 to $45 an hour, and the median is $30 (Upwork). Display advertising was among Upwork's fastest-growing marketing skills in 2025, up 26% (Upwork).

Tools: work inside the ad platforms themselves, study winning ads with Foreplay, and check your tests with the A/B test calculator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Spending a client's budget before tracking works wastes it, so check the conversion tracking first.
• Promising a return on ad spend sets you up to fail, so promise tests and clear reports.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

23. Design apps and websites

You design how an app or a website works and looks, from the first click to checkout, and hand the designs to developers. Clients pay for screens that are easy to use, because confusing screens lose customers.

The Upwork median is low, but employed designers in the US earn far more, so a strong portfolio is what moves your rate.

It fits you if you notice when an app is confusing and you can explain why.

What it pays: a fee per project or a day rate. On Upwork, UX designers typically charge $25 to $39 an hour, and the median is $27 (Upwork). Employed web and digital interface designers in the US earn a median of $104,000 a year (BLS, May 2025).

Watch: Shivangi Tiwari on becoming a UI/UX designer in 2026.

Tools: design in Figma, build live pages in Framer, and turn ideas into screens with Magic Patterns.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Showing only pretty screens hides your thinking, so explain the problem each design solves.
• Skipping user tests means guessing, so watch five people use the design.

Start: free · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

24. Design for clients

You design logos, social posts, ads, packaging and brand kits for businesses. Clients often start with one project, and the good ones come back each month for more.

It fits you if you have an eye for design and can take feedback without taking it personally.

What it pays: a fee per project or a monthly package. On Upwork, graphic designers typically charge $15 to $35 an hour, and the median is $25 (Upwork). Employed graphic designers in the US earn a median of $62,960 a year (BLS, May 2025). Logo design grew 44% on Upwork in 2025 (Upwork).

Example: Chisom Okwulehie's design side hustle started with a $20 ad design in 2021, beside her full-time job as an architect. She raised her rate from $60 an hour in 2021 to $80 in 2022 and then $100, and her business brought in about $414,000 in 2023 (CNBC).

Watch: CNBC Make It follows Chisom Okwulehie, whose design side hustle brings in $400,000 a year beside her full-time job.

Tools: design in Canva and Figma, finish in Adobe Photoshop, and make vector graphics with Recraft.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Offering unlimited revisions eats your hours, so include two rounds in the price.
• Using images you don't have rights to can cost your client, so use licensed or original art.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: weekly on Upwork, 10 days after each work week · Age: 18+ on Upwork

Local side hustles that pay per job

These five pay by the job, and they pay well because they need gear, a vehicle and, for some, the nerve to climb a ladder.

25. Hang holiday lights

You hang holiday lights on homes and businesses from early November, then take them down in January. You can sell the hanging alone, or a package with the lights and the takedown.

It's a short season, so it pairs well with a summer side hustle like pressure washing or window cleaning.

It fits you if you're at ease on a ladder and you like selling to neighbors.

What it pays: a fee per house, once a year. Professional holiday light installation costs $444 on average, and $220 to $684, usually at $2 to $5 per foot of lights (Angi). Hanging lights averaged $54 an hour on Taskrabbit, by data Taskrabbit shared (CNBC).

Example: Spencer Claeys runs Northwest Pro Wash, which earned just over $10,000 hanging lights in November and December 2022. After he spent more on Facebook ads, it brought in over $30,000 in a single November, mostly from hanging lights, and he says high-quality strands let him charge $700 for two hours of work (CNBC).

Tools: bring a sturdy ladder and gutter clips, make your flyer in Canva, and send invoices with the invoice generator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Climbing onto steep roofs without fall protection risks a serious fall, so turn down jobs you can't reach safely.
• Skipping insurance leaves you paying for any damage, so get liability coverage before the season.

Start: some money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: none needed · Paid: per job, by the homeowner

26. Do handyman work

You fix and install things around the home: TV mounts, shelves, furniture, ceiling fans, sticky doors and small repairs. Homeowners book you through apps like Taskrabbit or by word of mouth, and a good handyman gets called back.

Bigger jobs, like electrical or plumbing work, often need a license where you live, so check your state's rules before you quote them.

It fits you if you own tools, you like fixing things and you show up on time.

What it pays: a fee per job or an hourly rate. Handyman labor runs $50 to $150 an hour, and the average job costs $406, across 103,764 projects (Angi). Employed general maintenance and repair workers in the US earn a median of $23.84 an hour (BLS, May 2025).

Watch: Nesto Works does three handyman jobs in one day, two of them from Taskrabbit, and breaks down the $395 made.

Tools: find jobs on Taskrabbit, and bring a drill, a level and a stud finder.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Taking on licensed work without a license can break your state's rules, so check before you quote.
• Quoting without seeing the job leads to surprises, so ask for photos first.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: some helps · Paid: per job, by the homeowner

27. Pressure wash homes

You clean driveways, siding, decks, patios and roofs with a pressure washer, and soft wash the surfaces high pressure would damage. A happy customer can book you again next year, and neighbors see the result.

The skill is knowing when not to use full pressure, since too much can damage siding and window seals.

It fits you if you like physical work outside and you can let before-and-after photos do your marketing.

What it pays: a fee per job. Pressure washing a house costs $312 on average, and $100 to $720 depending on its size, and a driveway costs $100 to $250 (Angi).

Example: Michael Tracey started a pressure washing business in the UK and spent £736 on Facebook and Instagram ads one February, which booked over £5,000 of roof cleans. By July he had his first £10,000 month (YouTube).

Watch: Michael Tracey on how Facebook and Instagram ads grew a UK pressure washing business to its first £10,000 month.

Tools: start with a pressure washer and a surface cleaner, post before-and-after photos on social media, and make your flyer in Canva.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Using full pressure on siding or roofs can damage them, so learn soft washing first.
• Starting without insurance is risky, and one new pressure washing business in Washington state was quoted about $360 to $665 a month for general liability alone (Reddit), so price it in before you set your rates.

Start: some money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: none needed · Paid: per job, by the homeowner

28. Clean windows

You clean windows for homes and small businesses, inside and out, with a squeegee or a water-fed pole that reaches upper floors from the ground. Customers who rebook are where the steady money is.

It fits you if you don't mind heights, and you like work you can finish in an afternoon.

What it pays: a fee per visit or per window. Window cleaning costs $221 a visit on average, and $150 to $302, at $4 to $8 a window for one side and $8 to $16 for both (Angi).

Example: A retail worker in Australia started a window cleaning business beside a full-time job in mid-2025. Six months in, it had brought in about 16,000 Australian dollars against about 3,750 in costs, and monthly profit had grown from 1,200 in July to 5,500 in December (Reddit).

Tools: start with a squeegee, a scrubber and a ladder, and add a water-fed pole for upper floors. Make your flyer in Canva.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Working from a ladder on upper floors is risky, so use a water-fed pole from the ground where you can.
• Underpricing to win jobs leaves you busy and broke, so price per window or per visit and hold to it.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: none needed · Paid: per visit, by the homeowner

29. Detail cars

You clean cars inside and out at the owner's home or office, working from a van or a car with your supplies. Add-ons like pet hair removal, odor treatment and paint correction raise the price.

One detailer on Reddit's r/AutoDetailing says a US detailing business should bring in at least $100 an hour to pay its bills and you, and that a license or LLC and insurance come before the first paying client (Reddit).

It fits you if you're patient with details and you like seeing the before and after.

What it pays: a fee per car, at a price you set. A basic full-service detail, inside and out, costs $120 to $350, and a deluxe one $300 to $500 (HomeGuide). Employed vehicle cleaners in the US earn a median of $17.23 an hour (BLS, May 2025).

Watch: 3.7Million builds a mobile car detailing business from scratch.

Tools: take bookings by text or a simple booking page, and show before-and-after photos on social media. Make your price list in Canva.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Using the wrong products can damage paint or leather, so learn what each surface needs.
• Driving across town for one car eats your profit, so book jobs close together.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: no · Experience: none needed · Paid: per car, by the owner

Side hustles with no ceiling

These six don't have an hourly rate, because you build something you own. They start slower and there's no median to quote, so each one shows a real result instead.

30. Sell an online course

A course packages what you know into lessons people buy once. My course, Virtual Summit Mastery, made $60,000+ on its first launch, from a list of only 1,500 people. The next launch made almost $200,000, and an internal launch made over $200,000 with no affiliates. Over the years it made well over $1 million, and then I sold it to Jan Koch.

It fits you if people already pay you, or ask you, to teach the thing you know.

What it pays: course sales, bundles and payment plans.

Example: Justin Welsh has made $6.75 million from his courses and products since 2019 (his breakdown).

Tools: host and sell it with ThriveCart, record with Riverside, and read my guide on how to create an online course. Estimate a launch with the online course revenue calculator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Building the course before anyone buys risks months of work, so presell it first.
• Launching without an email list makes the first sale hard, so build the list while you build the course.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: optional · From anywhere: yes · Experience: real expertise · Paid: every business day through Stripe · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

31. Run a paid community

A paid community charges a monthly or yearly fee for access to you, other members and resources, like calls, templates and a forum. It earns again each month, as long as members stay.

It fits you if you like hosting conversations and you can show up on a schedule.

What it pays: monthly or yearly memberships.

Example: Justin Welsh has made $630,000 from his community since 2019 (his breakdown).

Watch: my interview with Stu McLaren on building a successful membership site.

Tools: bill members with ThriveCart, host the community on FluentCommunity, and read my guide on how to create a membership site. The math behind it is in 1,000 true fans.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Launching to nobody makes a community feel empty, so invite your first members by hand.
• Promising daily content burns you out, so promise a rhythm you can keep, like one call a month.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: optional · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: every business day through Stripe · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

32. Vibe code your own app or tool

You build your own app, tool or small piece of software with AI coding tools, and sell it by subscription or one-time sale, or offer it free to bring in visitors and email sign-ups. AI makes the building fast, so the hard part now is finding people who want it.

It fits you if you have an idea for a tool you'd use yourself, and you'll keep improving it after launch.

What it pays: subscriptions or one-time sales of what you build, or the visitors and email sign-ups a free tool brings in. Across more than 115,000 subscription apps, the median new app made about $72 a month a year after launch, the top 10% made $2,500 or more, and 17.3% reached $1,000 a month within two years (RevenueCat).

Example: The 700+ free tools on this site are my own builds, vibe coded with Claude Code and Codex. Pieter Levels vibe coded fly.pieter.com, a flight game that runs in the browser, in February 2025, and he says it reached $1 million in annual recurring revenue in 17 days (levels.io).

Tools: I build with Claude Code and Codex. Lovable, Bolt, Replit, Base44 and Vibecode build apps from a prompt, Google AI Studio does it with Gemini, and Cursor is a code editor with AI built in. Read what vibe coding is if you're new to it.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Building for months before anyone uses it wastes the time, so ship a small version first.
• Pricing too low leaves you supporting users for little, so charge from the start or keep it free on purpose.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: every business day through Stripe · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

33. Grow a newsletter with sponsors

You write a newsletter for one audience, then earn from sponsors, paid subscriptions, affiliate links and your own products. Sponsors pay to reach a clear group of readers, so a smaller list in a clear niche can still earn.

It fits you if you like writing on a schedule and you know one audience well.

What it pays: sponsors, paid subscriptions, affiliate links and your own products. On Substack, writers keep 90% of paid subscriptions, minus card fees (Substack).

Example: Justin Welsh made $795,000 from sponsors in his weekly newsletter since 2019 (his breakdown).

Watch: Chris Koerner on the easiest way to build a local newsletter.

Tools: send with Kit or beehiiv, and research each issue with Perplexity and Claude. Price a sponsorship with the sponsorship rate calculator, and see what a list can earn with the beehiiv money calculator.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Taking sponsors that don't fit your readers costs you trust, so say no to the wrong ones.
• Skipping weeks loses readers, so pick a schedule you can keep.

Start: free · Time: under 5 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: none needed · Paid: through Stripe for paid subscriptions · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

34. Host a virtual summit

A virtual summit is an online event where you interview experts on one topic, free to watch for a few days, with a paid pass for lifetime access. The speakers share it with their audiences, so it grows your email list and earns at the same time.

My first summit, The Branding Summit, made over $20,000 in 2014, when I had only a few hundred email subscribers. List Building School added over 26,000 subscribers and made well over $1 million over time, with a six-figure profit from premium pass sales alone. Today I host the AI Creator Summit, watched by 100,000+ creators.

It fits you if you like interviewing people and you can sell an event to your audience.

What it pays: all-access passes, sponsors, and commissions on the speakers' offers.

Watch: my step-by-step blueprint for hosting a virtual summit.

Tools: record with Riverside, edit in Descript, and sell passes through ThriveCart. Follow my guide on how to host a virtual summit.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Inviting speakers who won't share the event limits your reach, so ask each one to promote it.
• Selling the pass only at the end misses the busiest days, so offer it from day one.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: yes · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: every business day through Stripe · Age: 13+ on Stripe, with an adult on the account under 18

35. Start a small agency

An agency sells one service to businesses, like ads, design or content, and hires freelancers or a small team to deliver it. You start by doing the work yourself, then hire as clients grow, so your income isn't capped by your own hours.

It fits you if you already sell a freelance service and you'd rather manage than do every task.

What it pays: monthly retainers and projects.

Tools: hire help on Upwork or OnlineJobs.ph, bank with Mercury, and form a US LLC with Doola.

Mistakes to avoid:

• Hiring before the work is steady eats your margin, so hire when you can't keep up.
• Selling every service to every client spreads you thin, so offer one service to one kind of business.

Start: a little money · Time: 5 to 15 hours a week · On camera: no · From anywhere: yes · Experience: some helps · Paid: monthly, by your clients

Popular side hustles that pay less than you'd think

Some side hustles show up on lists of high paying ideas, but their typical rates are low. Here's what they pay, from the same sources:

These can still be good first side hustles, because they're easy to start. They move up when you specialize: video editors in Upwork's top rate band have a median of $100 an hour, for example (Upwork).

Notary work is a different case. In the National Notary Association's 2023 survey of 1,251 notaries, 52.9% made under $100 a month from notary work, and 76.7% said they weren't earning enough (NNA). So a fee per signing tells you little about what you'll make in a month.

How to raise your rate

The rates in this guide are medians and averages, so many people in each skill charge more. Here's how three people in this guide moved up:

• Chisom Okwulehie raised her design rate from $60 an hour in 2021 to $80 in 2022, then $100 (CNBC).
• Eryn Andrews started voiceovers at $5 per 100 words, and now she won't turn on her computer for less than $200 (CNBC).
• Steven Menking started tutoring at $50 to $100 an hour, and now he charges up to $1,000 (CNBC).

None of them doubled their rate overnight. They raised it in steps, as their proof grew:

Work out your own numbers with the freelance rate calculator, and see what an hourly rate adds up to in a year with the hourly to salary calculator.

Watch: my interview with Cal Newport on why skill comes before passion, and how rare skills build the career capital that lets you charge more.

My guide on how to be so good they can't ignore you turns the idea into 10 steps.

High pay, high risk: what these side hustles cost to start

The top rates come with costs and risks that rate lists leave out. Here's what to plan for before your first client:

Starting small cuts the risk: rent the equipment for your first jobs, and buy it once the jobs keep coming. The window cleaner in the example above bought a ladder and a water-fed pole for about 1,500 only after the work picked up (Reddit).

Taxes on a high paying side hustle

Side hustle income is taxable in the US, whether a client pays you by card, transfer or cash (IRS). If your net earnings from self-employment reach $400 in a year, you also owe self-employment tax, at 15.3% (IRS).

If you expect to owe $1,000 or more when you file, the IRS expects estimated tax payments during the year (IRS). Payment platforms send a Form 1099-K once your payments top $20,000 in more than 200 transactions (IRS), and clients send a Form 1099-NEC once they pay you $2,000 or more for payments made after 2025 (IRS).

A high rate makes this matter sooner, so set aside part of each payment from the start. I'm not a tax advisor, so check with an accountant as the money grows.

Final thoughts on high paying side hustles

The highest paying side hustles pay for something rare: years of experience, a skill clients can see, or the willingness to climb a ladder. Fractional work and local photography top this list at over $150 an hour, and local jobs pay hundreds of dollars a job.

Pick the highest paying side hustle you already have the skill for, not the highest one on the list. Then charge a fair starting rate, collect proof and raise it every few projects. That's how I'd start.

Keep reading:

• 85 remote side hustles
• 50 best online side hustles
• 70 side hustle ideas
• 44 ways to make extra money beside your day job
• 45 ways to make money with AI
• 33 AI side hustles

Your next step: take the side hustle quiz, pick the highest paying side hustle that fits your skills and land one client this month. And if this guide helped, DM me on X or Instagram and tell me which one you picked.