How To Make Money From Home In Australia In 2024

If the idea of working from home appeals to you, you’re not alone.

Working from home has numerous perks, like saying goodbye to the daily commute, flexibility to work when and where you want, and a better work-life balance.

It’s no wonder more and more Australians are picking up work from home jobs and enjoying an improved quality of life as a result.

Many guides that cover how to make money from home are far too vague, leaving you with more questions than they answer. You won’t find that in this guide.

I’ve covered how to earn money from home as well as the ways to earn money online and find jobs online. Whether you’re wondering how to make money online or just the different ways to work from home, you’ll find it here.

Offer social media services

social media wordstream

A great way to make money from home – in your own time, is to offer to manage social media for those who are time-poor. You can quickly develop a portfolio of influencers, bloggers or clients on Instagram, Pinterest Facebook, TikTok, or Twitter after you have first mastered the social media platform following and can demonstrate REAL growth engagement.

Be sure to demonstrate how you will ensure more people will land on their website and how they should convert into paying customers. Here are a few social media services you can offer as you work from home:
create engaging content, schedule content, currate Youtube channels, manage podcasts, manage Google Adsense, Facebook advertising, and manage referrals and subscriptions.

Whatever social media services you offer, be sure to provide the client with a report at various intervals, so they can see your progress, and want to keep you hired!

Product testing

best product tester sites

You can earn extra income working from home by signing up to do product testing from market research companies that need your feedback on products and services.

The bonus is there is no cost to you, and products are delivered to your door.

Becoming a reliable product tester takes time and perseverance but it is worth it because it not only allows you to earn cash but also provides you with exciting freebies and samples!

While you're working from home, opting to take care of cats at home is one relaxing way to be distracted and earn extra money.

It is the norm for a catsitter to visit the cat at its home, however, requesting the owner to take it to your place is a better option. It might take a while for the cat to be “at home”, probably a day or two, just continue offering food and playing with it to get its trust. Since cats sleep 16 hours a day, you can almost stick to your usual work schedule.

Cats are also known to generally make you feel good and happy/relaxed, so it’s a win-win situation. The cat is taken care of and you get to earn extra money for doing so. Nowadays is easier, there are online services you can use to find people who need a pet sitter.”

And if cats aren't your thing, consider dog walking.

Become a SEO content specialist

seo hubspot

For anyone who doesn’t know what SEO is – it’s basically writing content in a way that ranks on Google.

Sign up for a course in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and hone your skills.

In no time you'll be able to start freelance writing of SEO content and via word of mouth and a proven track record in gig-economy apps, you can earn extra income working from home, with the opportunity to turn it into a full time role.

Start a small business

make money from home small business

While it sounds daunting, starting a small business from home or even as a side hustle is a popular way to test the waters without taking too much risk.

The added benefit of starting from home is that you'll keep your overheads in the way of rent, power, water and other utilities to a minimum until your business is established.

Many of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs started in their garages and nowadays the options are limitless. Have you considered working in social media, graphic design, dropshipping or using shopify?

Start by securing your domain name.

Virtual assistant

how to male money from home

If you’re searching for how to make money on the internet, consider becoming a virtual assistant. Many businesses now operate entirely online so there is an ever-growing demand for virtual assistants.

This usually involves taking on basic admin work like responding to emails and handling payments, but the role differs based on the business.

If you can secure a good virtual assistant role, you may also get the benefits that come with permanent employment like holiday leave and sick pay, making it one of the best legitimate ways to make money from home.

Many positions are listed in private Facebook Groups like this one which I recommend you join.

An easy way to earn money online is through data entry jobs. As simple as transcription into templates or basic records work, anyone can do it, making it great for part-time work from home.

However, the downside of doing data entry work from home is that it can be low-paid, which may leave you looking how to earn more money.

You’ll find data entry work on sites like Upwork.

Have a spare room in your house? AirBnB makes it super easy to earn cash from home by renting out a spare room, just like you can your whole house…. but of course you can continue to live in it.

All you need to do is set up an account. Once your account is verified you will be able to put your room on the site.

The amount you earn per night depends on several factors including location, space, and whether or not it’s a peak travel period, but you can easily earn a few hundred dollars a month this way.

To have the best chance to earn extra cash from home, have professional photos taken, and provide great information and hospitality for guests.

One of the more creative ways to make money from home is to sell stuff.

Some of the things to do to make money at home include growing and selling your own vegetables, crafts, music, paintings, books, cakes, voiceovers, and online courses, but there are loads of other things you can consider when deciding what to sell to make money.

Again, if you want to make a career out of selling stuff and get paid to work from home, you may have to invest in learning a skill.

A popular platform for selling physical goods is eBay. If you’re looking at how to make money on eBay, you might want to do more research as there are items you can import cheaply in bulk and resell in Australia.

You can sell things like music and voiceovers on Fiverr and write and sell online courses at Teachable.

Affiliate marketing

amazon homepage make money at home

Another way to make money online legitimately is with affiliate marketing.

What is affiliate marketing? It’s basically where you set up a website and refer people to products and services, and if they make a purchase, you receive a commission.

It’s super easy to setup a website with WordPress for free, and you can now become an affiliate of Amazon Australia. We also know affiliates making money on eBay.

There’s a lot more to learn about how to make money from a website to be successful, like getting people to your website, but much of this information is available online. Here’s a great guide to get started.

Once your site is up and generating consistent traffic, affiliate marketing requires very little maintenance making it the best way to earn money online passively.

Do paid surveys

top sites offering surveys for money

If you want to know how to make more money on the side that’s super quick and easy, spending a few hours a week doing paid surveys is a great way to make extra money.

There are a variety of different companies that will pay you for doing online surveys as part of their market research. You can join as many as you like. All you need to do is set up a free account and you will earn points for completing the surveys. Once you have a certain number of points you can exchange these points for cash or gift vouchers.

Toluna and Octopus Group are also great survey sites that let you earn actual cash, so you can spend it on whatever you like. Once you complete surveys and have earned at least $20, you simply redeem your cash and have it deposited right into your bank account.

To increase your earning capacity, I recommend you join all the sites mentioned above. By completing multiple surveys across multiple sites, you will really start to see a good side income from surveys.

Manage social media

make money from home

One of the fast ways to make money from home is managing social media accounts.

An online presence is pretty much essential these days, but many businesses don’t have the resources for a full-time social media specialist. What they don’t realise is that social media can be automated and managed much more efficiently.

This is where you come in. You can earn money online at home by becoming a social media manager for these businesses.

I would recommend taking a course on Udemy to understand the basics. Again, courses are rarely over $15 and can provide a wealth of knowledge.

Use cashback sites

best cashback sites australia 2023

While not strictly a make money from home suggestion or passive income stream, there are so many cashback programs out there that will reward you with cash just for shopping at their online portals.

Deals vary from online cashback store to store but make sure you surf to Cashrewards, Shopback, TopCashBack, GoCashback and Kickback before making your purchase.

This is a really easy way to (save) make money from home.

Test websites

make money from home

If you like trying out new things, good side jobs to make extra money include getting paid to test out websites.

User Testing is a platform that pays you for trying out websites and apps. After testing the website or app, you are required to complete various tasks and record feedback about your experience. All up, each test takes around 10 to 20 minutes to complete.

You will receive $10 via PayPal for every 20 minute video you complete.

It’s easy to get started – all you need is a computer, a good internet connection, and a microphone. If you’re interested in doing mobile tests you will also need an iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet. You also need to be 18+, fluent in English, and be able to download and test software.

Side jobs online don’t get much easier than this and it is perfect if you’re looking for quick ways to make cash.

Manage a private blog network

make money from home

If you’re interested in delving into how to make money online from home, a great way is by owning a private blog network.

This is not for everyone and is more suited to the technically inclined people that are looking for how to make money working from home. Basically, it’s where you purchase a number of old websites that have expired and rebuild them.

As these websites are older, they are seen as having more authority by Google. Because of this, other sites will pay you to publish content on these sites to advertise their products/services.

Note there are other requirements to ensure you’re doing this right. If you are interested in learning more, you can see find expired domains here.

Repackage your job

make money from home

If you already have a job, you could potentially make money now from home by negotiating a work from home agreement with your current employer.

It’s not only one of the easy and fast ways to make money from home but also the most stable.

There are many benefits of working from home for your employer as well, like reduced overhead and improved morale. And if you can show an increase in productivity as a result, even better.

I recommend reading The 4-Hour Work Week to learn more about how you can make this happen.

Write and sell an ebook

amazon books make extra cash from home

Ever dreamed of being a published author? Earn extra money from home and write an eBook to sell on sites such as Amazon.

Probably the hardest part is coming up with a topic that you are not only passionate about but can write about comprehensively and that people will want to buy. The best eBooks tend to be ones that help people solve a problem, like a step-by-step guide to do something.

It’s really not that hard to create an eBook with some great programs available to help you. Once you have completed it, you can upload it to Amazon (you’ll need to create a seller account to do this) and start selling it.

Write reviews

slice the pie make money from home

If you enjoy writing then other side job ideas could be writing reviews to make some side income. There are various companies that will provide you with free items or cash in return for writing reviews about their products.

Companies want people to review their items on sites such as Amazon, iTunes, Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp and more. You can register your interest in writing reviews on sites such as Software Judge or Slice The Pie. Payment varies and is based on the quality of your review.

Another option is to advertise your review writing services on sites such as Fiverr. This way you set the rate you are willing to accept.

Babysitting and home daycare

17 real ways to work from home

Another way to earn from home is to run your own babysitting/home daycare centre. If you’re good with kids, this is a great way to earn extra money from home.

In most states, you’ll need a working with children check to make income from home this way and may need to work towards a child care qualification.

Once you have this, there are several ways to market your services, including simply telling the people in your neighborhood and joining community Facebook groups.

Start a blog

how to earn more money on the side

Are you passionate about a particular topic and want to write about it on a regular basis? If so, why not start a blog or your own website? If created properly you can earn extra money online from a blog. There are various ways to monetise blogs through affiliate marketing, dropshipping, ecommerce, online stores and advertising.

Once your blog is established you will be surprised how often you are contacted by companies wanting to advertise on your site. Advertising may be in the form of an article, a review of their product or even uploading a banner.

You can also make money by recommending your favourite products and brands. There are various platforms you can sign up to which enable you to place links on your site, and when the reader purchases items via these links, you earn you a commission.

Whilst I don’t recommend blogging if you’re after quick money-making ideas, if you put in the hard yards up front, it can be a great investment if you’re looking for ways to make extra cash in the long run and in fact, create a full-time income.

Online tutoring

make money from home tutoring

If you like helping others and want to know how to make extra cash on the side, a great idea is to teach English or other skills online.

To teach online all you need is an excellent internet connection, a microphone, a webcam, and a quiet space for the lessons.

If you’re interested in teaching English online, depending upon the jobs you apply for, you will most likely need to be a native English speaker or near-native speaker and have a university degree and/or a TEFL certificate. Other tutoring jobs may include helping others with math, science, or music.

The pay for online tutoring varies, but generally, it is enough for a basic living or better. It’s perfect if you’re looking to make money from home.

Sell your photos

shutterstock

If you like taking photographs and want o know how to earn more money on the side, you could sell your photographs to online platforms like Shutterstock.

Various businesses across the globe are always looking for images to help promote their business and, short of having to do a photo shoot (which is super expensive), they are looking for stock photos to buy and download.

For quick easy ways to make money from your photos, simply upload your images to the platform and you will get paid each time someone downloads your image. How much you earn depends on a variety of factors but on Shutterstock, you can earn anywhere from 15 to 40% commission for your images.

If you want to know how to get more money – refer your photographer friends to the platform and you can also earn a commission each time their images are downloaded too!

If you love making crafts then some other ideas to make money at home include selling your items online or at local marketplaces.

These days there are so many great platforms for selling creative items online. You could sell your items on EtsyeBay or the Facebook Marketplace. This is a great way of promoting your creations with very little fees. Accounts on these various platforms are easy to set up and you could be selling your first item within the hour!

If you prefer to sell your items to people face to face, check out what markets are in your local area and see what it takes to set up a stall. Stalls at actual markets do have more set up fees than online though.

If you love creating things and are wondering how to make money on the side from home, this is a great option.

Become a microworker

microworkers

For some extra cash jobs or a bit of a side gig, you could become a micro worker. Being a micro worker is basically doing small jobs for money for employers or people from all over the world. Jobs are listed on sites such as Upwork and Microworkers.

The tasks available on these sites vary and can be anything from completing written work, to mobile app testing, to rating website pages and so on. Some tasks may also call for someone with a more specialized skill set such as a website developer, software engineer, or copywriter.

Employers are required to list all the details of the job including how long they expect the task to take and what they will pay. This enables you to browse through and choose tasks that can complete and are happy with the rate of pay.

Watching videos

swagbucks australia review payouts screen

Do you want to know how to make money from home by watching videos? Sounds almost too good to be true, right? Well, there are companies that will pay you to watch videos from the comfort of your own home. This has to be one of the best ways to make extra money from home.

With Swagbucks, you earn points for watching videos, along with a variety of other tasks like downloading apps and completing some surveys. You can then cash these points in for a variety of gift cards and even cash deposited into your PayPal account.

If you like a passive income, why not earn some cash for it? Seriously, this is quick easy money and one of the best ways make money from home.

Scan your shopping

iri shopper screenshot

Grocery shopping is an essential task for all of us, so why not make quick cash from it? One of the best ways to make money on the side is simply by scanning your shopping. With IRI Shopper Panel, once you successfully register, you will be provided with a scanner which you simply use to scan the barcodes of all the products you purchase to aid in market research.

You also are required to record some other basic information such as where you shopped, how much you spent etc. For scanning your shopping you will earn points which can then be redeemed for various items, including cash.

Being paid for something that you already do would have to be one of the best side jobs from home!

Join a rewards or GPT site

best GPT sites

Other ideas to make money from home include joining a rewards site.

You can join a rewards site or GPT (Get Paid To) site where you earn quick cash for doing simple online tasks.

Market research sites and GPT sites allow you to earn points by doing things such as online shopping, online surveys, clicking links on web pages, referring friends even playing games. The points you earn can be redeemed for gift vouchers or even cash directly into your bank account.

Search and use the Internet

nielsen computer and mobile panel screenshot

Want to know how to make extra money online by surfing the net? There are companies that will actually pay you to do this! Basically, these companies use your unique internet usage to build a picture of general trends in people’s internet behaviors. So why not make quick money online by doing what you’re already doing?

For some side money, join up to Swagbucks and Nielsen, and then simply download their search bar onto your computer and search the internet as you usually would. From there you will earn points. In fact with Nielsen, just for installing their search bar, you will go into their sweepstakes draw.

For even more quick ways to earn money, be sure to register all the various devices that you use.

Another online freelancing site you can use to make money from home is Freelancer. It is pretty much the same as Upwork.

Workers to build their client base and successfully grow their own businesses. As a freelancer, you have the scope to experiment and try different services and offerings, leading you to understand which ones make you more money and bring in more clients than others.

If you’re unfamiliar with Fiverr, it is a site where you can buy/sell a service for $5 (this is in USD), however many jobs are listed for more particularly when they provide extra services. I find Fiverr really easy to use and make money – even though it’s not consistent. When you do get offers, however, so long as you do what you say you will, you’ll get paid.

I initially started as a freelance writer commanding $5 for 500 words – you have to start somewhere! Plus it’s a good idea to have a few quality reviews under your belt before you charge more. I can now charge a fair bit more and I do enjoy the work. I now use it to buy jobs too. It’s actually quite impressive the things you can find listed there!

Upwork is like Seek for the Internet. It is a website that helps companies/brands/websites look for people to do a job for them online. We use the word ‘job’ because the work is not consistent. Hired as a freelancer, you'll usually only do one job at a time.

You can obtain plenty of low-paid work, but as you gain a reputation, and increase your rates, you may well encounter far more competition for each job. Bear in mind you're competing for work on a global basis.

Upwork does serve a great function of marrying work-seekers to those who need something done and who knows, you may even come out of it with a long term contract or two.

How To Make Money From Home

Before covering real ways to make money from home, it’s important to understand what it is you’re trying to achieve.

Often when people ask how can I make money from home, what they’re actually asking is how to make money fast online. The problem doesn’t lie in asking how to make quick money, it lies in the intention.

This is an important distinction because online work from home requires effort, and while there are easy ways to make money online included below, they’re not the most reliable money-making ideas from home.

The good news is that if you can put in the effort and dedication required, you’ll have access to the best ways to make money from home and all the perks that come with online jobs from home.

Before I get to the best work from home ideas, I recommend you take out a pen and paper and note down the following:

What are your goals?

Why do you want to work from home? What is it that you’re trying to achieve or change in your life?

Goals like having more free time and an easier more flexible lifestyle are great, but try and get more specific. Note down something achievable.

Start asking questions. How much do you need to earn to support yourself and your family? How do you want your life to look in 5 years? What example do you want to set for the people you care about?

Having answers to these questions ready can act like fuel when you’re still working on earning money at home.

Work out a plan

Anyone can make money working from home, but few have the drive to work hard enough to achieve this.

A plan is important if you want to do paid work from home. This is because it will get tough and there will be times when you want to give up. Some compromises may need to be made in the short term so you start earning and reach your long-term money maker goals.

The biggest mistake people make is thinking it’s easier to work from home than an office, but it can actually be more difficult. Having a clear plan will help overcome this.

Think of the most direct path to achieving your goals. What do you need to do? What should you stop doing?

After reading through the easy ways to make money from home and seeing what appeals to you, ask more questions and draft a plan. How long will it realistically take? What do you need to learn in the meantime? This leads to my final tip…

Invest in yourself

Unless it comes to luck or talent, most of the time there is no reason to think they can but you can’t. This is just lazy thinking. With enough hard work, you can achieve your goals and earn money working from home.

I’ve met single mums with 3 kids who transform their lives by learning how to make income from home, for the simple reason that excuses weren’t acceptable.

That said, the best ways to earn money from home may not be available to you right now, so learn. It doesn’t have to be expensive either – on Udemy most courses are under $15 and you can learn an entire skillset, like freelance writing.

The best investment you can make is in yourself.

Be wary of promises

This is essentially about avoiding scams, which is perhaps the biggest risk when working out how to work from home, particularly when it comes to making money on the Internet.

If you search how to make a lot of money, how to earn money fast or how to make easy money you’re likely to come across many such scams, but not all of these sites are illegitimate.

Some scams are easy to spot, like anything that requires an upfront payment for the guarantee of a higher return. Some are trickier, like an offer that’s worded differently than the reality.

At any rate, when it comes to the best way to make money online always be weary and follow your intuition and refer anything suspicious to this site.

Final Note

The best way to start earning money from home is to do something you enjoy. If none of the options appeal to you, something else will!

I recommend you look at Fiverr and Upwork to see all the ways how to make a living from home.

You can also check what people sell on eBay or different courses on Udemy to see what you could become an expert in.

You’ll see just how many ways there are to generate income from home!

How To Stay Sane While Making Money From Home

The ability to work from home seems like a dream for many people, but as with anything it has its pros and cons. With so many people moving to work from home at the moment, it can be useful to share ideas on how to stay productive and motivated.

Pros Of Working From Home

  • Wake up whenever you want
  • Start work at your chosen time
  • Take breaks as you see fit
  • Run errands and do home tasks during work hours

Cons of Working From Home

  • Sleeping in
  • Lacking the motivation to get started
  • Too many breaks
  • Distractions
  • Running errands in work time
  • Lack of interaction with co-workers isolating at times
  • Working super long hours to make up for the lack of interaction.

Ways To Stay Motivated And Make Money From Home

  • Much like in a professional environment, a fixed start and finish time are essential for maintaining a routine. It is unlikely you'll muster up the same discipline and urgency needed to produce great work.
  • Ensure you have an entire morning routine where you try and do exercise before starting work.
  • Find a group of peers who you can relate to. There are many groups on Facebook and many groups focusing on working from home. These groups can help fill in the gap that exists from the lack of co-workers. You can use these groups for general banter and for sharing memes with people who can relate.
  • Find a vice. Some people opt for Coke, some people opt for tea, and some people opt for coffee. Buy a nice coffee machine so that you can really appreciate a good cup of coffee while working. It will definitely help get you excited to start work.
  • A good playlist also helps.
  • Have your big goal up on a picture board by your desk. For example, a picture of Tasmania may be a place you plan to visit soon. It will help keep you motivated.
cradle mountain
Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain – Getting to go hike the Overland Trail is great motivation to keep working!!

Do not turn on the TV while working. It can be far too distracting.

Another thing you need to know is when to stop working. This can be even more difficult when working from home than starting. Switching off is tough. Find a way to de-stress. Yoga, meditation, walking… all are good.

What’s your advice to stay sane working from home?

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