Best Side Hustles for Working Moms 2024: Make Money on Your Schedule

The best side hustle for you as a working mom depends on your interests and lifestyle, but we recommend finding something that doesn’t take loads of time and effort, feels rewarding, and still pays decent money.

For example, you might take advantage of existing skills to do freelance work in your free time, whether writing, photographing events, or managing social media accounts. Working as a freelancer can provide plenty of flexibility if you have an otherwise busy schedule.

If the freelancing life isn’t for you, you can do things like take online surveys from your phone whenever you want, teach English from the comfort of your own home, or rent out extra space for some passive income.

Let’s explore the best side hustles for working moms to see what might work best for you.

Key takeaways

• Popular side hustle options include doing freelance work, gig economy jobs (like pet sitting or food delivery), in-home jobs (like babysitting or Airbnb), and online jobs (like taking surveys or teaching English).
• Some side hustles require little to no experience to get started, including pet sitting, taking online surveys, and renting out extra space in your home.
• Some side hustles might require more experience but could also pay more, including freelance writing, freelance social media management, and certain types of task assistance.

The best side hustles for working moms

• Freelance jobs
• Gig economy jobs
• In-home jobs
• Online jobs

7 of the best freelance jobs

Freelance jobs typically involve doing contract work for other people or companies. You’re often paid either on an hourly rate or on a per-task basis. In some cases, you might use skills you already have to work as a freelancer. Popular online marketplaces for freelancers include Fiverr and Upwork.

1. Freelance bookkeeper

What it is: Managing a client’s or company’s financial accounts. This could include tracking all business transactions, such as expenses, payments, and payroll. You could also be the person who answers certain financial-related questions, so it’s up to you to keep the finances accurate and organized.

How to get started: Have an understanding of how to perform different types of bookkeeping responsibilities, which could include using accounting software, preparing business reports, and possibly even filing tax returns.

You don’t necessarily need official qualifications to do bookkeeping work, but it wouldn’t hurt to have some training. You can find different types of certification courses online if you want to learn some high-demand skills and increase your chances of being hired.

2. Freelance writer

What it is: Creating written content to fit clients’ needs. This could include writing online articles, blog posts, press releases, newsletters, ad copy, corporate communications, and more.

The writing itself could be on a variety of topics, but you might lean toward certain subjects depending on your skills, interests, and experience.

How to get started: Find entry-level writing opportunities to build up your portfolio and resume. These could include writing content for online publications that need loads of content created on a daily basis. You can search for writing jobs through online job sites and boards, such as Upwork and Fiverr.

As you build your portfolio, create a website to showcase your work. And then start applying for specific jobs that align with your interests and pay more money.

3. Freelance proofreader

What it is: Checking written pieces of work for any errors, which could include typos or formatting and grammar issues. A proofreader is usually one of the final people to check over a piece of writing before it’s published.

How to get started: It might be difficult to find entry-level proofreading jobs, so it could help to have some sort of relevant experience on your resume like writing or editing experience from previous jobs. A writing-related degree could also help you, such as a degree in journalism, communications, or something similar.

Proofreading can easily be done remotely, so it’s common to find proofreading jobs listed on online job boards and websites, such as Upwork and Fiverr. Learn more about how to make money proofreading.

4. Freelance graphic designer

What it is: Creating visual content to communicate, identify a brand, or convey information and messaging. A graphic designer could work with images and displays in almost any medium, including magazines, apps, ads, newsletters, books, websites, stores, packaging, and more.

How to get started: You’ll need to have a work or educational background that relates to graphic design. This could include an art-related degree or an actual degree in graphic design. You might also have relevant experience with having taken certain courses, such as a course in UX design or something similar. Whether or not you have a degree, you’ll need a portfolio of your design work to show potential clients your style and skills.

You can typically find plenty of freelance graphic design side jobs listed online.

5. Freelance social media manager

What it is: Managing the social media accounts for a person or company, which could include supporting a strategy to grow engagement and followers. A social media manager might work with one or multiple social media platforms, such as Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and more.

How to get started: Gain experience with running social media accounts. It’s easy to create your own accounts for free on popular platforms, so there’s nothing stopping you from practicing on your own. That experience alone could be enough to land freelance opportunities if you’re successful at growing your audience.

But it can also help to have formal education in a relevant field, such as marketing. Or you can take courses to learn more about how social media marketing strategies work and stay up to date on the latest trends and platforms.

Most businesses have social media accounts (or should have social media accounts), so there’s plenty of opportunity to find freelance roles. You’ll often see these jobs listed online.

6. Freelance transcriptionist

What it is: A data entry job that involves converting audio or video files into text. For example, you might transcribe legal proceedings or medical records by listening to an audio file and typing up a text document to match what’s being said. You could also be required to transcribe live conversations.

How to get started: Take quizzes and training courses (available online) to get started. Certain quizzes can help you decide whether this is the right path for you. And a training course can help familiarize you with how transcription works.

You would likely also need a reliable computer and internet connection, an excellent set of headphones (possibly noise canceling), and a quiet space to work in. Having speedy and accurate typing skills also comes in handy.

Freelance and remote-work job boards or websites can help you find transcriptionist positions. You can also work through companies that hire freelancers, such as Scribie or TranscribeMe.

7. Freelance photographer

What it is: Taking professional-quality photos for clients. The type of photography can be anything from family portraits to commercial photography, product photography, and more.

How to get started: Take lots of photos and create a digital portfolio or website of your work. You might also showcase your work on social media, such as on an Instagram page. You don’t need a formal degree or any qualifications to be a good photographer and get hired for jobs — the quality of your photos should speak for themselves.

But keep in mind that the photographer market can get saturated, which makes it hard to book jobs. It helps to network and market yourself as much as possible to increase your potential client pool. And if you’re just starting out, doing free photoshoots for people can help you sharpen your skills and build your portfolio.

4 of the best gig economy jobs

Gig economy jobs are generally on-call, part-time, or temporary positions where independent contractors work for a variety of companies (commonly app based), such as Uber, DoorDash, and TaskRabbit. Gig workers typically receive money for each gig or project they complete.

1. Pet sitting

What it is: Caring for another person’s pet while they’re away. In many cases, pet sitting takes place in the pet owner’s own home. Responsibilities could involve feeding pets, playing with them, grooming them, walking them, and more.

How to get started: Have a love for animals and a flexible schedule. That’s all you really need to get started. For example, you can list yourself as a pet sitter on Rover or Care.com simply by creating your profile, setting your filters, and marking your availability. Then it’s just about waiting for someone to ask for your services.

2. Food delivery

What it is: Picking up food from restaurants and delivering it to homes or businesses, usually by driving your own car. Food delivery gigs typically involve using an app to receive delivery notifications from a restaurant or store. You then pick up the food at the restaurant or store and deliver it to the customer’s address.

Depending on the delivery service, you might deliver groceries instead of food. For example, an Instacart shopper might go to the grocery store to shop for groceries and then deliver them to the customer.

How to get started: In most cases, you need a reliable vehicle and a valid driver’s license to be a delivery driver. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a fuel-efficient vehicle to save money on gas from all the driving you’re likely to do.

The availability of different food-delivery services depends on where you live. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Uber Eats
• Instacart
• DoorDash
• Postmates

3. Rideshare

What it is: Driving as a contractor with a rideshare service, such as Uber or Lyft. This typically involves driving passengers from one location to another in your own car.

How to get started: Have a reliable car and a valid driver’s license. In some cases, having a certain type of vehicle could help you qualify for different types of rides within a program. For example, only drivers with luxury vehicles can do Uber Black rides through Uber.

4. Task assistance

What it is: Doing odd jobs and tasks for other people. This could include putting together IKEA furniture, cleaning homes, mounting TVs, helping with a move, or doing yard work.

How to get started: Be able to do some of the tasks listed on different websites, such as TaskRabbit or Thumbtack. You don’t need a degree or certain qualifications for most things, but it can help to have experience if you want a more appealing profile.

For example, you’d want electrician training or certifications to offer electrical work as one of your services.

3 of the best in-home jobs

In-home jobs are types of work you can do from your own house, which might be convenient if you don’t want to work outside your house after finishing your regular job.

1. Babysitting

What it is: Watching someone else’s children. You can keep this job in-home by having people drop off their kids at your house rather than going to theirs.

How to get started: You can create a profile on a website like Care.com or find babysitting opportunities through local Facebook groups or similar means. There aren’t typically many hard requirements, but you should be good with children and it could help to have some training with first aid and CPR.

Word of mouth between friends and neighbors can go a long way in helping you find new babysitting side gigs — especially ones you can do in your own house.

2. Room rentals

What it is: Renting out a spare room or multiple spare rooms in your home to people for money. This could be on a temporary basis, or you might have long-term contracts depending on your situation.

How to get started: You can rent out spare rooms on Airbnb if you create a host profile and list your space. Then it’s down to selecting the price and availability, while also setting guest rules. It’s also possible, depending on where you live, to set up long-term contracts through non-Airbnb means for renting out spare rooms.

3. Space rentals

What it is: Renting out extra space in or around your home or business that people can use for storage. For example, you might rent out an extra parking space for someone to store a trailer. Or you could rent out garage space for someone to store moving boxes or ski equipment.

How to get started: The Neighbor app provides a simple way to make passive income with your unused space. Depending on what you have available and where you live, you could make extra income each month from letting people store things in your extra space.

It’s often a win-win situation because you can boost your earning potential with unused real estate, while other people can avoid potentially high storage costs.

3 of the best online jobs

You can make money through online jobs that have no need to commute anywhere or meet anyone in person.

1. Social media influencer

What it is: Using your audiences on social media platforms and the internet to earn money, whether that’s through shared ad revenue or creator funds, partnerships with companies, subscriptions, or a combination of the above.

How to get started: Influencers depend on their audiences to make money, which means you either need a large audience or a very engaged audience. If you have both, that’s even better. That will give you opportunities to monetize your YouTube channel videos, make money on TikTok, or run a successful blog.

But you have to grow your brand and audience first, whether as a blogger or social media influencer, which can take some time and effort — and there’s no guarantee you’ll ever get there at all.

2. English teacher

What it is: Teaching English to other people. For example, many students in other countries want to learn English from native English speakers, which means there are plenty of opportunities to teach online.

How to get started: You might think you’re a decent English speaker, but you also typically have to be a capable teacher if you want to get and hold down one of these jobs. In many cases, it’s helpful to have a four-year degree from a university and some kind of teaching experience, whether it’s actual classroom teaching or coaching, tutoring, or mentoring.

A popular option for teaching English from the comfort of your own home is VIPKid.

3. Survey taker

What it is: Someone who takes online surveys for cash or rewards. This typically involves going through short questionnaires before actual surveys to see if you would be a good fit. In some cases, you might not qualify to take a survey depending on your answers to the questionnaire.

How to get started: Create an account with any number of websites that provide online survey services. Some of the more popular options include Survey Junkie, Branded Surveys, and Swagbucks.

How to choose the best side hustle for working moms

Here are four factors to consider if deciding whether a side hustle makes sense for you as a working mom:

1. Time

Time is key for everyone, and especially for working moms. Depending on your kids and your regular work schedule, you might need to find a side hustle you can do in the evenings or at other specific times.

This is why a flexible side hustle, such as freelance work or taking online surveys, could make sense. Gig economy jobs, including food delivery and rideshare driving, also let you work when you want to.

2. Money

A flexible side hustle might be nice, but what if it doesn’t make much money? There can be trade-offs between making less money and having more flexibility, so it’s something you have to consider as you research different side hustles for money-making opportunities.

Keep in mind that side hustles aren’t necessarily meant to replace your full-time job, but rather supplement your existing income.

Yes, it would be nice to have a side hustle become wildly successful to the point where you could quit your day job. But that won’t always be the case, and earning an extra $100 to $500 or more per month is still a good thing if it can help you cover some bills or save for specific financial goals.

3. Effort

If you have to put in a lot of effort without much monetary compensation, you might want to consider another side hustle. However, some side hustles can take time to pay off.

For example, a new freelance writer might not have many options available because they don’t yet have much relevant experience on their resume, and maybe their portfolio is a bit thin. So they might write about literally anything that comes their way, even if the rates are lower than they'd like.

But if the writer continues improving their skills and building their portfolio, they’re likely to find more interesting work from clients that pay better wages. In this and many other cases, putting in the work can pay off.

4. Interest

Side hustles aren’t always just about making money, and they likely shouldn’t be. If you don’t have some sort of interest in what you’re doing to boost your income, it might be much harder to continue doing it, especially with all the regular demands in your life from work and kids.

But if you’re able to combine your interests or passions with a lucrative side hustle, you could make good money while having fun doing it.

For example, your full-time work might not give you as much creative freedom as you’d like. But if you have some design skills, you could look for freelance opportunities as a graphic designer and choose projects from clients that sound interesting to you. This could result in the perfect side hustle that both interests you and makes good money.

Or if you like pets, try pet sitting. If you like children (even after all the time you spend with your own), consider babysitting. If you find running errands or cleaning homes satisfying, see how much other people will pay you to complete tasks for them.

The options are out there for great side hustles, you just have to see what aligns with your interests.

FAQ

Best side hustles for working moms: Bottom line

We recommend in-home and online jobs as some of the best side hustles for working moms if you don’t have the flexibility or time to work away from your home outside your job. These types of side hustles could include taking online surveys, renting out extra space in your home, and teaching English online.

But if you want to improve certain skills or combine an existing interest with making extra cash, consider different types of freelance work where you can stay flexible with your schedule and still make decent money.

For more options to help boost your income, check out these creative ideas for how to make money.

Methodology

We chose the best side hustles for working moms based on the ability to work from home or on your own schedule, as well as which jobs would make use of possible available resources, such as an extra room in the house. We did not include all possible side hustles.

Some side hustle ideas that weren’t included on our list, but could still work for many working mothers, include:

• Selling items on Etsy, eBay, Amazon, or another similar online marketplace
• Working as a virtual assistant
• Doing personal training
• Offering translation services
• Developing apps
• Providing landscaping services
• Hosting tours of your local area
• Planning events