If you’re looking for every idea under the sun of how to make money from home in the UK- you’re in the right place. This article is STACKED with ideas of how you can make extra money from home. From ideas for making small amounts of money, to side hustle ideas that could turn into full time businesses, there are ideas here for everyone.
First of all, there are a few things to consider before diving into making extra money from home…
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How much time do you have?
Maybe you’re looking to make a full time income from making money online? Or perhaps you want to earn a bit of extra money while you’re a full time mum? Maybe you just want to earn some extra money in the evenings after work.
No matter your reason for wanting to make some extra money on the side, consider how much time you have to dedicate to making money from home.
For example, if you already work 9-5, you might only be able to give up an hour or two an evening to your side hustle. Or if you’re a full time mum, you might only have time when the kids are at playgroup or at school.
The time you have available to you will help determine which route (or routes) you choose from this list of ideas to make money from home in the UK. Some side hustle ideas will take up considerably more time than others.
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How much money do you want to make?
Think about the ideal amount of extra money you would like to make each month. Maybe it’s £50, maybe it’s £200, maybe it’s £1,000.
What amount of money would help change your financial circumstances, and maybe even change your life?
If you’re looking to make larger amounts of money from home, be sure to select a side hustle that is going to pay you fairly for your time. There’s no point is slaving over low-paid survey sites for weeks to cash out £5 if you’re looking to make £500.
That said, there are a few survey sites that do pay you fairly for your time, which we will look at in more detail later in this article.
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What experience do you already have?
Think about any background experience you already have. Have you worked in HR? As a secretary? A designer? A writer?
Any experience that you already have to draw upon will set you up for success. For example, if you have worked in HR, you’d be brilliant at reviewing or writing CVs and cover letters as a side hustle.
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Record your earnings
One of the most important things you need to do when you start making money from home in the UK, is to record your earnings.
The purpose of recording your earnings is so that you can declare your additional income to HMRC if you earn more than £1000 from your side hustles within a tax year. Check out this guide to HMRC and Side Hustles for more information.
Make Money From Home In The UK
Freelance writing
If a business cannot afford to hire a writer full time, they will often outsource their writing to freelancers.
You can create profiles on websites such as PeoplePerHour and Fiverr, which will allow you to pitch for paid freelance work, and allow businesses and individuals to hire you for your writing services.
You can check out my full guide on how to start freelance writing to get more hints and tips on securing your first clients.
Become a virtual assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant (also known as a VA) is a very flexible side hustle which is perfect for making money from home.
You can become a virtual assistant for almost any online service that you can think of. Many VAs eventually specialise in an area that they enjoy such as admin, social media or blogging.
Websites like Fiverr are a great place to start to find your first customers. But you could also spread the word about your new services to people who are already in your network. You never know, they may have a businesses that they need assistance with.
Survey & Offer Sites
Like we mentioned earlier, many survey sites will not pay you fairly for your time. However, there are a couple of sites where you will never get screened out of a survey, the surveys are interesting, and you’ll get paid fairly.
YouGov
You might have noticed that some polls or survey results that you see in newspapers or on TV say that the results came from YouGov.
The surveys are often about topical issues, opinions, and sometimes you’ll even be asked to review an advert and give your thoughts on it.
You can cash out from this site when you reach £50. To speed up the process, you can also refer a friend and get £2 for every friend that completes 10 surveys.
Prolific
Prolific has interesting surveys that are usually being conducted by universities all over the world. You can get paid up to £25 for a task!
The surveys and tasks vary from opinion based surveys, to games, to recording your voice.
OhMyDosh
OhMyDosh is an offer-based site where you can make money for signing up to free trials or websites. Just remember to cancel any subscriptions!
This is a great way to make money fast. There are specific ‘lighting offers’ that pay out within 3 days. Usually there are around £20 worth of lightning offers, so you could make easily make £20 from just an hour or so of signing up to these offers.
And if you want to refer some friends? You can get £5 for every friend that cashes out!
20Cogs
20Cogs is another similar offer site where you can make money for signing up to competitions, games and completing surveys. There are 20 tasks to complete, and once you have completed these you are able to cash out.
20Cogs say that the average cash out amount is £200, so this site is well worth trying out. You’ll also get £20 for every friend that you refer that cashes out.
Start a blog
Blogging can be a slow game, and often you’ll need to put in a lot of groundwork to start reaping the financial rewards that come with blogging.
However, once your website becomes established, it could to turn into a full time job if you are willing to put the hours in upfront.
You can monetise a blog in lots of different ways- from sponsored posts, to affiliate marketing sales to advertising.
To get started you’ll need to buy a domain name, and pay for a host. My preferred host is Siteground, who are always on hand to fix any issues you might come up against.
Offer translation services
If you have a gift for languages (perhaps you’re even bilingual) you could offer your services as a translator. You can offer online translation services where you can translate text from one language into another.
As there are few people who speak multiple languages fluently, this could become a profitable side hustle.
Data entry
Making money from home in the UK can be simpler than you think. Although data entry is not super exciting, almost anyone with a computer and internet connection can complete data entry tasks.
Many businesses will need this kind of admin done regularly, but may not want to employ someone on a full time basis so will outsource this work.
Take part in research & focus groups
You’d be surprised at the number of research and focus groups that you can take part in online.
My favourite sites for research and focus group work are UserTribe and Respondent. With both of these sites you can earn $80+ for some studies. Plus, if you refer a friend? You could receive a $50 referral payment if they are suitable for the study.
Design logos
Websites and new businesses will always be looking for someone to design logos to promote their new products if they do not have the skills to do so themselves.
If you have a background in design this could be a lucrative way to make money from home. Logo design is a popular service that you could quickly start earning money from on sites such as Fiverr, or even on Etsy.
Sell your crafts
You can create crafts at your home, and sell them from the comfort of your home too. Etsy is perhaps one of the most popular online marketplaces to sell crafts online.
As ethical products become more in demand, now is the perfect time to sell handmade products online. You could sell absolutely anything from beeswax wraps, cards, candles or clothing.
If you’d like to start selling crafts on Etsy, check out my introduction to selling on Etsy guide.
Resell clothing online
Selling your own possessions on eBay, Depop or Gumtree can be a great way to make money for things you no longer want or use. However there are only so many possessions you can sell! If you’d like to continue selling online, you could consider reselling.
You can source clothing and other items for reselling from lots of different places such as car boot sales, jumble sales and second hand stores.
Remember, if you sell your unwanted possessions online you do not have to declare this as additional income. BUT if you buy and then resell items for profit- you must declare your income to HMRC.
Take a look at my guides to find my top tips for selling on eBay, Depop and Gumtree.
Sell tech support services
If you already work in IT, selling tech support services from home is a great way to make an income on the side.
Many small businesses will require tech support on an ad-hoc basis, and this is where you can step in to assist them during your spare time.
Have you ever thought about trying to make money with a 3D printer? This could be another tech-friendly way to make money in your free time.
CV and cover letter service
If you already have experience working in HR, offering a CV and Cover Letter service could complement your existing skills and experience.
CV writing and Cover Letter writing is always in high demand. People want their CVs to look as good as possible when applying to jobs and will pay for an expert opinion.
Sell printable artwork
Selling printable artwork online could make a brilliant passive income stream. This means that after creating the design and uploading it to a marketplace like Etsy, you don’t have to do any further work to earn money. Your customers will print the artwork off themselves in their own home.
If you’ve got a background in design or fine art, selling printable artwork could be a brilliant side hustle idea for you that would take up very little of your spare time.
Offer coaching in a field of expertise
Are you skilled in a particular field of expertise? You could offer coaching in your spare time from your home.
Perhaps you are particularly skilled in management techniques, or SEO, or social media marketing? You could coach others online with your expert advice and help them to achieve success themselves.
Publish an e-book
Did you know that you can self-publish an e-book? An e-book doesn’t have to be fiction. You could create an e-book on any specialist topic that you feel that you could write about with authority.
For example, if you are a Pilates instructor, you could write an e-book about Pilates exercises that can be done at home.
Transcribing
If you’re a fast typist, this could be the side hustle for you. You can comfortably do transcribing from the comfort of your own home, and there is high demand for this kind of service on sites such as Fiverr and PeoplePerHour.
When you undertake a transcribing task, this will usually involve typing out audio recordings from doctors or solicitors- so it helps if you have a background in this (although it is not always essential).
Rent out a spare room in your home
Sharing your home with a lodger is not for everyone, however this is a great way to make extra money from home without needing to give up any of your spare time.
An alternative to a permanent lodger is to rent out a spare room in your home as an AirBnB listing. Although there would be a little extra work to clean and prepare the room for guests, it means you would not have to share your space with someone full time.
Freelance as an illustrator
If you already work as a designer, or are skilled at drawing, freelance illustration could be a brilliant side hustle for you. Websites and small businesses often look for illustrators to create unique graphics for them.
You could quite comfortably do this side hustle around a 9-5 job, from the comfort of your home.
Proofreading
People will often need manuscripts, dissertations and essays proof read- and will pay someone to carry out this task for them. Again, you can offer your services for proofreading on sites such as Fiverr.
If your grammar skills are up to scratch, this could be a great way to make money from home in the UK.
Create an online course
If you are particularly successful in a specialist field- perhaps social media marketing, for example. People will pay handsomely to find out your secrets.
Once you have created the course, you will charge people a set fee to access the course. Essentially, you would complete the course content once, and continue to sell the course for years to come.
Creating an online course is a form of passive income. This is a great way to make money from home because after creating the initial course, you will continue to make an income for months to come.
Passive income is probably the holy grail of in terms of ways to make money from home in the UK. A passive income stream means you can make money whilst you sleep, whilst you’re on holiday, and even whilst you watch TV!
Web design service
Not many people who want to start a website will know how to design and build one. If you are skilled in this area, this could be a brilliant way to make money from home.
Whether someone wants to start a blog, or a business wants to start a website to advertise their services- you can help them to design a website in your spare time.
You might also enjoy: 50 Side Hustle Ideas For 2020
Hopefully this post has given you some ideas of how you can make money from home in the UK. It might be easier than you think! Remember to think through your options to make sure that the side hustle you choose is suitable for you in terms of the money that you can make, and the time it takes to do. And a top tip from me? Avoid MLM schemes like the plague!
