If you’re hoping to sell some gently used womenswear online or in-store, you might immediately think of laundry list of retailers. But when we’re talking about menswear, the answer is not so obvious. Where are the best places to sell your mens cast-offs, your unused suits or your lightly-worn ties?
Well, fret not, because there are options. Some of them are geared specifically toward men, while others are sites where you can sell your entire family’s clothes. We recommend starting with men’s consignment stores, but you’ll find a whole host of resellers on this list, both online and brick-and-mortar. For men, we suggest dividing your items into two categories: commonly worn pieces, like jeans or T-shirts; or designer items by luxury brands.
Read on to find out the best places to sell your vintage and used menswear.
5 Online Men’s Consignment Stores
Not having to carry your clothes around to a physical location will make your life easier. Some of these stores have both physical shops, while all of them have online options.
1. Grailed
Grailed’s name is a nod to the slang term “grail,” meaning an item that is hard to find and, therefore, in demand,, and it bills itself as a “one-stop destination for buying, selling and exploring menswear and womenswear.” The site claims to be the largest men’s fashion marketplace, and it’s a place where you can find brands like Alexander McQueen and Dries Van Noten as well as Adidas and Supreme.
If that feels a little out of your price range, don’t worry — Grailed has other categories, where you can shop and sell items like sweatpants and joggers, slip-on shoes and polos.
What makes Grailed popular with buyers is that it’s free. For sellers, the benefit is its low 9% commission fee. There’s no barrier to entry, but you set the price for your items, so they may take longer to sell than they would on a site that sets the price for you. There is also a payment processing fee for transactions conducted with Grailed Payments or PayPal.
Grailed offers buyer and seller protection through its own system, Grailed Payments, meaning that any disputed charge can warrant a full refund. PayPal has its own buyer and seller protection. There are two kinds of offers, binding and non-binding. A binding offer means that the payment must be completed immediately if the seller accepts, whereas a non-binding offer means the buyer does not have to purchase the item even if the seller agrees to their offer. With PayPal, all offers are binding, but if buyers choose to use Grailed Payments, all offers are currently non-binding.
2. The RealReal
As its name implies, The RealReal prides itself on authenticity. While all of the sites on this list forbid replicas and knockoffs of brand-name items, The RealReal takes it one step further by employing trained professionals — from gemologists to brand experts — to ensure every item it offers is the real thing. Your item must pass a rigorous inspection before the site will list it.
The RealReal has a fairly hands-off selling process for the seller. Just send in your items, schedule a pick-up or drop them off. Once the site gets your clothing (or anything else you’ve sent), they’ll authenticate, photograph and price everything for you. Anything that doesn’t work—whether it’s deemed inauthentic or unsellable—will be sent back to you.
The RealReal’s structure works by rewarding sellers the more that they sell and the higher the price. The percentage a seller earns is broken down by item and price of item sold. Here is a full list — the highest percentage earned by the seller is 85%.
Some examples include:
If you sell men’s sneakers worth between $200 and $299, sellers earn 55% of the price.
If you sell clothing between $300 and $749, you earn 60% of the sales price.
All items under $149 are tiered by commission. Items from $0 to $99 earn the seller 20% of the price, while items between $100 and $149 earn sellers 30% of the price.
There is also a tiered system that allows sellers to earn VIP status. Here’s how that works.
A Trendsetter, or someone with net sales under $1,499, earns standard commission.
An Influencer, with net sales between $1,500 and $4,999, can add 1% to the standard commission.
A Tastemaker, with net sales between $5,000 and $9,999,, can add 2% to standard commission.
A VIP, with net sales above $10,000, can add 5% to standard commission.
3. Menswear Market
Menswear Market touts itself as taking some of the guesswork (and legwork) out of reselling your items by offering personalized services like shipping, customer service and all of the sales work. .
Menswear Market may sell your pieces on its own website, through its selling account on eBay or at in-person sale events. To get started, sellers must contact Menswear Market and see if their clothes are eligible. If so, they can ship them at no charge. Each month, the seller will get 60% of the total money their items net.
Menswear Market is a great option for the seller with no time and access to “high-quality designer and upscale brands.”
4. Linda’s Stuff
Don’t let the name fool you — Linda’s Stuff isn’t just for women’s clothing and accessories. It also has a sizable men’s section with everything from jeans to shoes to swimwear.
This company strives to sell your luxury items at a price that will net you the most money and interest the most buyers. The team does most of the work itself, from photography, to research, to pricing, to authenticating.
The team increases demand for an item by listing it at first for auction on eBay. If it doesn’t sell in seven days, they then choose a fixed price—with a best offer option—and create a listing. The fact that all items have free shipping is particularly enticing for buyers. (To offset this, the company adds $10 to the listing price, which they will take out when calculating your commission.) The company lists items for one year, but if they don’t sell in that time, it is the consignor’s responsibility to initiate the return process.
Like many online consignment stores, Linda’s Stuff pays sellers based on how much they sell and how much money they make for the site. For items at $999 or less, sellers receive 60% of the sale. For items that go for $1,000 or above, sellers get 75% of the sale. If you hit $5,000 or more, sellers get 80% of the sale price. It’s important to note that Linda’s Stuff wants items with a resale value of more than $49 to qualify.
5. Poshmark
You may have heard of Poshmark — it’s one of the most popular sites for secondhand resellers and buyers. But did you know they have a men’s section?
Listing an item on the platform is easy. It just involves making an account, uploading a photo of your item with a description and listing it. You set the price.
Poshmark takes a commission in a sliding scale form, much like other platforms. For sales below $15, Poshmark takes a commission of $2.95 per sale. For sales of $15 or more, Poshmark takes 20% commission.
A site like Poshmark is good for a seller who doesn’t have high-end designer items, is willing to put in a little bit of work and wants to keep the bulk of their earnings.
Brick-and-Mortar Men’s Consignment Stores
If you want to sell your clothes in-person, then we have the options for you. Well Suited and Crossroads Trading operate online, too.
6. Well Suited
From the same people who brought you women’s consignment site My Sister’s Closet and home furnishings consignment site My Sister’s Attic, Well Suited has retail stores in Arizona. It also allows shoppers to browse and purchase items online.
Cute (or, one could argue, “handsome” in this case): brand-name designer items, whether classic or trendy, that retail for at least $75
Clean: in like-new, ready-to-wear condition
Current: stylish and no more than four to five years old
You can receive 45% of the item’s sale price in cash or 55% in store credit. Designer bags and jewelry, or anything that goes for more than $4,995, can net up to 70% in commission.
7. Plato’s Closet
Plato’s Closet focuses on teen and young adult clothing and accessories — for guys, this includes athletic shoes, coats, jeans, shorts and tanks in brands including Levi’s, PacSun, Sperry, Converse and Under Armour.
Check here to see if there are any locations in your area. If there are, you can stop by with your items and an ID, and a sales associate will review your stuff while you browse the store’s racks.
Unlike other consignment stores that pay you when your items sell and take a cut as commission, Plato’s Closet buys your items outright and stocks them for resale — so once you receive and accept its quote, you walk out with cash.
The price per item will likely not be as high as luxury consignment stores. But if you’re looking for a quick, easy way to unload your unwanted stuff and get a few bucks, Plato’s Closet is worth checking out.
Buffalo Exchange lists what each location is looking for here, but in general, stores are almost always seeking everyday staples, plus sizes and any menswear. That means guys are in luck!
9. Crossroads Trading
Crossroads Trading offers flexible options for the most flexible of customers — sellers can sell in-store, drop off their goods in store, sell by consignment or sell by mail. The deal is simple: if you trade for credit, you get 50% of the sales price of your clothes. If you want cash right away, you get 30% of the sales price.
Like Buffalo Exchange and Plato’s Closet, Crossroads is a good option for a buyer who wants to leave the store with cash right away. The store has locations in various parts of the country.
Writer Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, often writing about selling goods online through social platforms. Kelly Gurnett is a former contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
Tax Day 2023 is closing in, and the burden for gig workers is a little heavier because you’re considered independent contractors — not employees — of the popular app-based companies you work for.
After years of filing extensions because of the pandemic, last year marked the return to a more familiar April deadline. Similarly, this year’s deadline to file your federal taxes is April 18.
While seasoned freelancers and gig workers likely know the drill when it comes to the process of filing your own taxes, it can be a daunting task for anyone new to the industry. The key thing to remember is that you’re responsible for reporting your gig work income for every client or company that paid you more than $600 in 2022.
One reason for all the confusion? Your tax documents may not have arrived via snail mail (the way they typically would with a full-time employer) — especially as more and more companies start offering digital copies of tax filing documents.
Regardless, you should have received everything you need (on paper, digitally, or both) from any companies you contracted with by Jan. 31. In any year, if you haven’t gotten anything by late February, reach out ASAP.
Here’s a rundown of the tax forms you’ll need to use as a gig worker – plus a look at the tax policies of five of the most popular gig app companies: Instacart, DoorDash, Grubhub, Lyft and Uber.
Common Tax Forms for Gig Workers
In the eyes of the IRS, you’re a self-employed worker. That means it’s up to you to compile the appropriate tax forms and accurately report your income.
Common Income Forms Sent to You
Companies that paid you more than $600 in a calendar year should send you a 1099 (either digitally or in the mail), as required by law. If you work across multiple apps, it’s possible you will receive a 1099 from each company. And depending on what companies you work for, you may receive up to three different types of 1099 per company.
The 1099-NEC was introduced in 2020 and is the main tax form that’s now used to report nonemployee compensation of $600 or more. Many companies previously used the 1099 MISC (Box 7) to report this income, and if you’re an independent contractor who used to receive that form, you’ll likely now receive this one instead. On this new form, you’ll use the amount in Box 1 to report your self-employment income.
Line 1 of the 1099-NEC form is where you should see your compensation. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
The 1099-K form is another common form sent to gig workers. Previously, workers had to meet certain thresholds to receive this form (ie. offer a certain number of rides via Lyft or Uber or earn a certain amount in a calendar year). Beginning in 2022, anyone receiving payments exceeding $600 via a third party network or debit/credit card transactions will get this form, regardless of the number of transactions they completed.
Line 1a on the 1099-K form is where you will find the gross amount made from card and third party transactions. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
NOTE: On December 23, 2022 the IRS announced it would treat the 2022 tax year as a transition year for this new policy. Translation? You may or may not get this form from any company you worked for depending on how much you earned and whether or not they followed the initially proposed 2022 guidelines.
If you own a business that accepts credit or debit card payments, drive for a rideshare company, or sell stuff on various online platforms— you may receive this form. Self-employed workers should use this form (along with the NEC) to report gross income earnings for the year. Pay special attention to Box 1a (your net income) as well as Boxes 5a-5l (your net income month-by-month) to understand how much money you received via third party networks.
The 1099-MISC, short for miscellaneous income, has undergone a lot of changes over the past years in order to accommodate the creation of the new 1099 NEC tax form. Like we mentioned up top, this form used to be the number one tax form for gig workers and independent contractors. But in 2023? Not so much.
While you may still receive this form as a gig worker, it won’t necessarily be because of your job. Those receiving the 1099-MISC nowadays are often getting it for reasons like collecting at least $600 or more in rent, medical payments, or prizes and awards. If you do happen to get one of these forms, just remember that the amounts listed on it will need to be reported as income.
Tax Return Forms You Send to the IRS
After you’ve tracked down all your 1099s and tallied up your net income, your next step is to get that number as low as possible by subtracting any and all applicable business expenses and deductions.
Pro Tip
Most Uber and Lyft drivers don’t meet the 1099-K threshold and won’t receive this form. Again, even if they don’t send you the form, you are still responsible for reporting your earnings.
As a gig worker, you may need to file the following tax forms with the IRS:
Form 1040: This is now the main form used by all U.S. taxpayers to file an annual income tax return. (Forms 1040S and 1040EZ are no longer available.)
Schedule C: is a sub-form of the 1040 used to tally up your profit and loss as an independent contractor. Line No. 1 is where you report gross income from all 1099s or from the income summary provided in your gig app. The subsequent boxes are examples of business expenses you may use to lower your taxable income. Line No. 31 is your net profit, a number you’ll need for the Schedule SE.
Schedule SE: This is another 1040 sub-form for self-employed (gig) workers. Use it to calculate your self-employment tax.
Schedule 2: is an “additional tax form,” i.e. where you provide the amount you owe in self-employment taxes from the SE form above. Put that figure on line No. 4 and the grand total on line No. 21.
Form 1040-ES: Use this form, instead of the standard 1040 if you need to file quarterly taxes.
You must file a tax return if you have net earnings from self-employment of $600 or more from gig work, even if it’s a side job, part-time or temporary.
Tax Policies and Resources of 5 Popular Apps
What forms you receive and what tax service you choose to file with depends on the company you’re working for. Each company has slightly different tax policies and may offer discounts for different tax-filing software services. Here’s how they stack up.
Pro Tip
Feeling overwhelmed? If you’re worried about making mistakes, we recommend using tax software like H&R Block, TurboTax or TaxAct.
DoorDash
DoorDash partners with Stripe. According to the company, you have received a 1099-NEC via Stripe e-delivery by December 31, 2022. The company no longer sends contractors details on their mileage, but instead recommends signing up with a mileage tracking app like Everlance to track your miles throughout the tax year and see if you qualify for any exemptions. Review DoorDash’s tax FAQ for more information. If you haven’t received your 1099-NEC or your mileage information, contact DoorDash customer support.
Primary tax form: 1099-NEC.
Who: Dashers who earned more than $600 the previous calendar year.
How: Electronic form (unless you opted for paper delivery instead).
Instacart
Much like DoorDash, Instacart has partnered with Stripe to provide tax forms to its contractors. If you earned $600 or more with the company in 2022, you should expect to receive an email containing tax information from Stripe or Instacart by early January 2023—at which point you will be able to download your forms from Stripe Express. If you have any issues receiving your forms, or have questions, you can reach out to the company by logging into the Shopper Helping Center.
Primary tax form: 1099-NEC.
Who: Instacart shoppers who earned more than $600 the previous calendar year.
How: Electronic form.
Grubhub
If you’re a Grubhub driver who earned more than $600 in 2022, and are enrolled in electronic communications, then you should have received your 1099-NEC via email by the end of January 2023. If you opted out of electronic tax communications, then you likely received a mailed copy of the form around the same time.
Visit Grubhub’s taxes FAQ for more information. If you haven’t received your form by Feb. 15, Grubhub recommends contacting the driver care team at [email protected] or at 866-834-3963.
Primary tax form: 1099-NEC.
Who: Grubhub drivers who earned more than $600 the previous calendar year.
How: Electronic and paper form.
Lyft
According to Lyft’s tax site for drivers, the company partners with TurboTax to provide discounted self-employed tax-filing services. All Lyft drivers receive 25% off TurboTax Self-Employed and TurboTax Self-Employed Live Federal filing.
Platinum drivers receive 50% off. To access your tax documents online (which may include the 1099-K as well as the 1099-NET), log in to your driver dashboard and click the “Tax Information” tab. There, you’ll be able to view your 1099-NEC, 1099-K and an unofficial tax summary document compiled by Lyft. The tax summary displays your net earnings and is especially useful if you don’t meet the earning threshold for either 1099 form. All tax documents will be available in your dashboard by January 31, 2022.
Primary tax forms: 1099-K and 1099-NET.
Who: Lyft drivers who earned more than $600 the previous calendar year.
How: Electronic and paper form.
Uber
Like Lyft, Uber partners with TurboTax to provide free self-employed tax-filing services – plus a 50% discount for live chats with TurboTax’s CPAs.
You can view your tax summary on or after Jan. 31 (which may include the 1099-K as well as the 1099-NET), via the tax information tab of your partner dashboard. You should have access to Uber’s tax summary even if you haven’t met the income thresholds for either 1099 forms. For more information on tax documents provided by Uber, visit their Tax Support page.
Primary tax forms: 1099-NET and 1099-K.
Who: Uber drivers who earned more than $600 the previous calendar year.
How: Electronic and paper form.
Contributor Larissa Runkle specializes in finance, real estate and lifestyle topics. She is a regular contributor to The Penny Hoarder. Contributor Matt Mastasci contributed to this report.
Students in the new Army prep course stand at attention after physical training exercises at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 27, 2022. The U.S. Army will pay up to $50,000 to recruits who qualify and sign on for a six-year active-duty enlistment. Sean Rayford/AP Photo
Uncle Sam wants you, and he’s willing to pay you a good chunk of cash.
The U.S. Army announced that it will pay up to $50,000 – its largest bonus ever – to recruits who qualify and sign on for a six-year active-duty enlistment. The bonus package is based on a number of factors that include the selected career field, individual qualifications, length of the contract and the ship date for training.
“This is an opportunity to entice folks to consider the Army,” said Brig. Gen. John Cushing in a press release.
Since 2020, the Army has struggled, just like the private sector, in attracting talent, and officials hope the incentives coupled with some other changes will begin to draw qualified young people.
“We are still living the implications of 2020 and the onset of COVID, when the school systems basically shut down,” Maj. Gen. Kevin Vereen, head of Army Recruiting Command, told the Associated Press. “We lost a full class of young men and women that we didn’t have contact with, face-to-face.”
Here’s how the new incentives work.
How to Score Up to $50K in Army Signing Bonuses
The career-based incentives range from $1,000 to $40,000 depending on the field. The more difficult-to-hire positions will offer a higher bonus. Occupations can range from well-known careers, like infantry and Special Forces, to lesser known, such as radar repairers, signal support systems specialists and motor transport operators.
The Army is also offering “quick ship” bonuses – which increased to $40,000 in 2022 – for recruits who can go to Basic Training within 30 days. The sooner the recruit can leave, the more cash he or she will receive.
Going to Airborne Training can bring $10,000 and Ranger Training can bring up to $20,000. Foreign language skills can bring in as much as $40,000 in specific career paths.
A combination of all these incentives will bring the largest bonuses into play.
“For example, a six-year enlistment as an air and missile defense crewmember starts with $40,000. Right now, that occupation also qualifies for a $9,000 critical accession bonus,” the Army said in its press release. “If the individual decides to ship to training within the next 30 days, the addition of a quick-ship bonus would get the recruit to the maximum amount.”
The Army is also promoting other new changes to attract talent: shorter, two-year enlistments for 84 different career fields and the opportunity for recruits to pick their duty station.
“We know this generation likes to have the opportunity to make their own decisions, so now they can choose where they want to be assigned after training,” Vereen said. “…Many people are apprehensive about long-term commitments right now, so we think having a shorter option will help give them some time to see if the Army fits their life and goals.”
Robert Bruce is a senior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder covering earning, saving and managing money. He has written about personal finance for more than a decade.
Over its nearly 30-year run, Audible has become a household name for online audiobooks. It’s nearly impossible to listen to a podcast these days without the host advertising an Audible subscription.
There is a good reason why all your favorite online services seem to advertise Audible: They can make good money doing so, and so can you. We’ll dive into how to make money on Audible and why it can be a solid side gig for extra cash.
What Is Audible?
Audible is an online audiobook service where book lovers can purchase their favorite published works in audio form. The service launched in 1995 and today offers its vast library to individuals either a la carte or via a variable subscription model. Audible has also expanded into the world of podcasts.
For those who subscribe to Audible, the service offers multiple subscription tiers, each providing you with a specific number of credits. The credits either replenish monthly or annually and can be exchanged for audiobooks.
Listeners can then enjoy their selected spoken word entertainment via Audible apps on smartphones and other smart devices.
3 Simple Ways to Make Money on Audible
While not always the first thought of those looking to pick up a side gig, Audible can be a lucrative offering for those willing to put in the work. Whether you want to dig into your creative side, write and narrate a book, or become an Audible affiliate, we’ll showcase a few ways to increase your bank balance with the service.
Join the Audible Affiliate Program
One of the easiest ways to earn money with the Audible platform is to engage in affiliate marketing using the company’s tools. Your favorite podcasts and YouTubers have done it, and now you can, too, with some work. Affiliate marketing is a perfect option for influencers looking to monetize their reach on social media.
To get started, all you need to do is become a member of the Audible Creator Program (Audible Affiliate Program). Once signed up, you’ll be able to promote a custom URL to others in hopes that they sign up for an Audible 30-day free trial. Not only will your listeners get a free trial to Audible with a free audiobook, but you’ll receive a $15 commission for each trial you generate.
If you’re already a member of the Amazon Associate Program, you can choose to promote Audible within your existing agreement with Amazon. For an Audible free trial sign-up, you’ll earn $5, while a Gold Digital Membership will net you $10. You can also earn money for a la carte purchases, with each audiobook worth 50 cents.
Create Your Own Audiobook
Ready to get your creative juices flowing? Consider creating your own audiobook for Audible. If you’ve got a story that you’ve been working on or even a book that you’ve already independently created, you may want to sell audio versions of it.
Turning your written word into an audiobook is easier than you think, thanks to the ACX platform. Brought to you by Audible and Amazon, ACX, also known as the Audiobook Creation Exchange, is a marketplace that enables professional narrators, authors and publishers to work together to create audiobooks.
Pro Tip
If you aren’t up to writing your own book to be converted into an audio masterpiece, consider hiring a freelance writer to craft the book for you — all you need is an intriguing subject matter.
If you already have an audio version of your book (audio files), ACX helps you easily upload your content to multiple retail channels, including Audible, Amazon and iTunes. ACX offers numerous production earnings and cost models, so you can select what fits you best. Resources are also provided for those who want assistance promoting their books once available.
Become an Audiobook Narrator
Do you have the golden voice? Then you should consider narrating audiobooks to make some extra income on the side. All you need to get started with your audiobook narrator side gig is a good-quality microphone, a working computer and a quiet place to record. There are plenty of places where you can get started with voice work, one being the ACX platform.
In addition to offering a way for writers and publishers to have their written works turned into audiobooks, ACX provides a platform for voice artists to further their careers. ACX currently has nearly 800 titles open for voice auditions. Of course, other websites exist for selling your voice, including Voices.com and platforms such as Fiverr.
If you aren’t having any luck with voice auditions, you can consider voicing a public domain book, even though it likely won’t net you any money. But the process will allow you to familiarize yourself with the steps involved in producing a free audiobook and give you voice material to provide in future auditions. LibriVox is an excellent platform to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can You Actually Make Money From Audible?
Yes, you can make money using the Audible platform. There are three primary methods: becoming an affiliate, producing your audiobook or narrating audiobooks via the ACX platform.
How Much Do Audible Narrators Get Paid?
Not all Audible narrators get paid the same. If you are starting out, you may make only about $10 an hour for your time. However, a more experienced narrator may drive hundreds of dollars per hour.
How Do I Start Making Money on Audible?
Suppose you’re looking at how to make money on Audible. In that case, we suggest you either begin by signing up for the Audible Creator Program, in which you can earn commissions on 30-day trial sign-ups, or using the Audible ACX platform to make money narrating titles.
How Do I Get Paid to Read Audiobooks?
We recommend that you start with the ACX platform. Designed by Audible and Amazon, ACX enables voice narrators (such as yourself) to connect with authors and publishers. You can try out for audiobook auditions and, if selected, earn money reading books for the platform.
Michael Archambault is a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder specializing in technology.
Break out the leashes and the poop bags! There’s never been a better time to be a dog walker.
Who says so? Well, The New York Times says so. It just ran an article about professional dog walkers in Manhattan who are making more than $100,000 a year.
And, sure, most of us don’t live in Manhattan, and most dog walkers don’t really earn six-figure salaries. But this is still a lucrative time to walk dogs for a living, either full time or as a side gig. And it’s all because of the pandemic puppies.
That’s nearly 1 in 5 households! That’s tens of millions of new pets that need tending to, every single day. “With many Americans back in the office, somebody has to walk all those pandemic puppies,” the Times pointed out.
You spend a lot of money on your pets. Maybe it’s time they return the favor. PetSmart is seeking a dog or cat to be its “chief toy tester.” The gig pays $10,000.
How to Get Started as a Dog Walker
Sounds great, right? Lots of fresh air and exercise and dogs, what could be better? But how can you set yourself up for success?
You could get started the old-fashioned way: Tell all your friends and neighbors, then put up some handmade leaflets in strategic spots around your town. Post it on Craigslist and announce it on all your social media profiles, too.
These days, though, most beginning dog walkers are finding work on apps.
The rise in dog walking as a job or side gig can be partly attributed to the rise of dog-walking and pet-sitting apps that have hit the market in recent years, modernizing this whole process. The most popular ones are Rover and Wag, which were founded in 2011 and 2015, respectively.
These apps are sort of like Uber for dog walking in that you take requests in your area. Depending on where you live, you can accept dog walks that are ASAP, meaning you need to arrive for the walk within a certain period of time, or you can accept a walk that’s scheduled for a later time.
You also post your availability for dog walking gigs in your area. Dog owners near you can look at your profile, your prices and your availability, then book a walk with you through the app. So you’ll want to make sure your profile looks inviting and features photos of you interacting with pets.
If you hit it off with a pup and its owner, you can schedule ongoing walks with the same client.
You have to be 18. Both apps do a basic criminal background check.
And if you’re finding dog walking appointments hard to come by, you might branch out into pet sitting or even pet boarding. Both apps offer that.
These are the 29 best side hustles to help you make more money. (And, yes, pet sitting made our list.)
How Much Does a Dog Walker Make?
There’s not a simple answer to this question. Pay rates are all over the map, and your total earnings will depend on how aggressive you are about seeking out work and what kind of services you offer.
According to Rover, here are the average prices for each service:
Dog walking: $20 a walk
Drop-in visits: $20 a day
Doggy day care: $35 a visit
Overnight boarding or sitting: $40 a night
A search on Rover in our city found dog walkers charging $15 to $25 per walk.
“Many sitters on Rover use the platform as a traditional side gig, taking care of pets for extra income,” Rover trends expert Kate Jaffe told The Penny Hoarder. “We make it easy to manage their business, whether they work full time and want to dog sit on the side, or they’re a student looking for flexible work, or a retiree who wants to stay active and avoid dipping into their retirement savings.”
Not sure how much to charge? Look at what other people in your area are charging. If you’re just starting out, set your rates on the low end while you work to build up your clientele.
For example, Wag allows you to set rates for 20-, 30- and 60-minute walks, and it shows you a range of what the average walker in your area is charging.
Once you set your rates, your clients pay your rate plus a 20% fee to Rover or a 40% fee to Wag.
Pet sitting and pet boarding gigs typically pay more than dog walking because they require more than a brief commitment of your time.
“Given the duration of most overnight care (boarding and sitting) requests, these tend to be the most lucrative,” said Kaitie Edel, senior marketing manager for Wag. “Becoming a pet parent’s preferred caregiver or accepting a recurring request can also be very lucrative, given the long-term relationship it creates.”
In short, you’re probably not going to earn more than $100,000 a year like a professional Manhattan dog walker who caters exclusively to the rich elite.
But all those pandemic puppies need to be walked, and someone has to walk them.
If you’re looking for extra cash, it could be you.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Are you the person always recommending new finds to your friends? Do you find yourself scouring types of tools to find the absolute best one? And do you love to share what you’ve learned with others online?
Here’s the good news: you can actually get paid for that. Yes, it’s called product testing and companies will actually pay you—or at least reward you—to find out what you think about their latest items. Think of it like mystery shopping without leaving the house. Just read below to find out how you can join the ranks of product testers everywhere.
How to Become a Product Tester
If you’ve written a review on Amazon or sites like it, then you probably know how product testing works. Consumers are generally chosen based on their demographic fit — like their age or where they live.
That’s part of the reason why you’ll be asked in advance to fill out some personal information so companies know where to place you. You may also have to connect your social media accounts or PayPal for payment.
After your account is set up, you’ll complete surveys so the companies know what relevant products and opportunities will fit your lifestyle.
If you fit their criteria, companies could send free samples to your home. The length of tests vary between each company and their products. Do the test, submit your honest feedback, tell your friends and get paid.
Now for the fun part: here are 19 product testing companies that want your valued feedback. Will you be able to make it to the end of the article without signing up?
1. McCormick
Do you like to experiment in the kitchen? You can become a product tester for McCormick and put those taste buds to work.
Although this might sound like the dream job, don’t expect an unlimited number of tests. The company only allows testers to join up to four times a year and once every three months. Testing is paid, but that varies by test and the company doesn’t give an exact range. In the past, at-home testers were paid between $10 and $15 for each test.
Aside from at-home tests, McCormick’s also offers tests at their Hunt Valley, Maryland location. Rates could be higher for in-person sessions—past reports put them at between $30 to $100 for participating. The same limits apply.
2. PINCHme
If you’ve ever wanted a collection of free samples, then PINCHme is the right site for you. The company wants your opinion on products from brands like Kraft, Hallmark and Mars—if you’re lucky, you’ll get American cheese, a greeting card and a bar of chocolate.
After answering a survey of your household and shopping habits, the site will match you with the right samples for you. Once a month, PINCHme hosts a Sample Tuesday Facebook event that allows you to choose your favorite samples to get shipped to you for free. You’ll have to RSVP for the event in advance. Once you’ve used your products, fill out a survey indicating what you thought. The best part? Once you’ve finished, you can earn prizes and qualify for special discounts. But testers do not get paid in the traditional sense for their work.
3. Parent Tested Parent Approved
Product tester jobs at Parent Tested Parent Approved are meant to be a public service for parents looking for products. We’re not just talking about baby products—this could include appliances, electronics, toys, games, travel destinations and more. Start by filling out your profile—all for free—and you could be asked to test a product and leave a review. The added bonus: once you’re sent the product, it’s yours. The loyalty rewards program also offers testers points for reviewing products and participating in contests—these can eventually be redeemed for more products. But be warned: the group has more than 130,000 testers, so there’s a lot of competition.
4. Ipsos iSay
Ipsos’ iSay is the perfect site for someone who doesn’t want to test a product but wants to test the world. Market research firm Ipsos created the site for, yes, market research surveys. With iSay, the reward takes a long time to achieve, but the gain comes later: with cold, hard cash.
Each survey you complete earns you points—anywhere from 45 to 200, generally. Once you have enough points, knowing that 100 points is equivalent to $1, you can redeem them for cash through PayPal or as gift cards for retailers like Starbucks, Target and more. All that just for taking a survey—we’re in.
5. Crowdtap
When it comes to market research, Crowdtap falls in the same category as iSay—market research. When you sign up, you’ll have to answer questions about how you shop, your household size and your hobbies. These answers will help representatives determine what surveys to show you. The site also allows users to test products.
Points are earned by answering surveys on a regular basis. But they don’t last forever, as they do expire on the last day of the month they were earned the year prior. Once you hit a certain rate, likely 1,000 points, you can redeem your points for a gift card. Crowdtap, unfortunately, does not offer cash.
6. NetGalley
Love to read? If you’re a teacher, librarian, book reviewer or another influential reader, you can join NetGalley to receive free ebooks and audiobooks before they’re published.
To qualify for the most free ebooks, NetGalley recommends that you provide meaningful reviews and link your social media accounts or blogs. The site also recommends thinking of your bio like a resume and keeping it professional, since publishers will be looking at your profile.
7. Product Report Card
The panelist program at Product Report Card utilizes online surveys, product tests, clinical trials, phone consultations and more to get your feedback for companies.
To receive study invitations, you’ll want to complete your profile as completely as possible so you’ll qualify. Unlike some of its counterparts, Product Report Card offers $5 just for filling out its survey. Subsequent activities like watching a TV show or offering a consumer opinion can net you as much as $2 or $4, respectively. While that doesn’t sound like much on the front end, it certainly adds up.
Product Report Card has a good track record itself: almost 2.3 million people have used the site to make more than $14 million.
for completing opportunities. Once you hit $25, you can redeem it for Amazon gift card codes.
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8. Philips
Much like McCormick, testing products for Philips is a way to engage directly with the brand. Like with all the sites, start by registering with the site and selecting a product you’d like to test.
If you’re lucky, you’ll get a product sent to you for free. If not, you might be able to buy the product at a reduced price. Once you write a meaningful evaluation and review, Philips will let you keep the product to enjoy. Popular Philips products include electric toothbrushes, espresso machines and headphones.
9. BzzAgent
To use BzzAgent, first things first: you’ll have to create a profile. Once the company determines you to be a fit for a campaign, they’ll reach out via email. You’ll be prompted to send an application and, hopefully, be chosen for the campaign.
Once that happens, expect to receive a sample in one to three weeks. Try the product, write a review and wait for your posting instructions to arrive. The reward here is the product itself and not any kind of monetary payment.
10. Influenster
Like most product testing sites, Influenster wants to get to know you with an online survey before sending you free products. But they do offer something that’s a little bit different: a VoxBox, a box filled with product samples and goodies that you can use for free and review. This can include everything from beauty products and snacks to home improvement products and wellness products. (And sometimes, they’re even full-size.)
To ensure you get a VoxBox, download Influenster’s app and stay active, according to the site. This is once again a company that won’t pay you in money but will pay you in free items.
11. Johnson & Johnson Friends and Neighbors
You’ve smelled Johnson & Johnson’s personal care items in the store aisle, so why not get paid to do it in your home?
The company has several avenues for product testing opportunities with their Friends and Neighbors program. You could be asked to test an item at home or at one of their facilities. There are also online surveys, online discussion groups, focus groups or consumer panels. You’ll be sent emails with study invitations.
The compensation isn’t disclosed, but J&J says you may receive an honorarium at the close of a study.
12. MomSelect
Are you a mom with a social media following? MomSelect connects influencers with leading brands. You’ll be asked to post on your blog or social media, host MommyParties based around specific products, participate in conferences and research. The idea is to use your platform to talk about a product. According to their website, MomSelect has paid over $35 million to mom influencers through compensation, products, trips and experiences. Brands include Walt Disney World, Fisher-Price, Entenmann’s and HP.
13. UserTesting
Let’s start with the good news: UserTesting will allow you to actually make money. But are you comfortable voicing your thoughts out loud? The site is unique on this list for requiring their product testers to have microphones.
Your UserTesting experience could happen in a variety of ways, including a one-on-one Zoom call with businesses. They may want to know what you love about the product and what could be improved. Possible products to test include websites, mobile apps, prototypes and real world experiences. Testers do get paid with USD through PayPal, but the range depends on what you’re doing. That will be reported to you before you start.
14. Smiley360
Smiley360 is another product testing website for social butterflies. You’ll want to connect your social media accounts like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to participate. Facebook and Twitter are required for most of the company’s missions.
Some of the missions will involve receiving Smiley kits. You’ll receive a kit with a free product or sample two to four weeks after it ships. Standard Smiley missions have a testing period of 10 weeks.
Smiley users earn points, but the points don’t lead to compensation. Smiley360 points are used to show how active members are. The more points you have, the more offers you get. You’ll also get points for completing surveys, which are used to tailor the products sent to you.
15. L’Oreal
Who isn’t interested in free beauty products? L’Oreal uses product testers for their skincare, hair care and cosmetics. L’Oreal is more than simply the brand name: it comprises brands like Urban Decay, Lancome and Garnier. If you want to test in person, New Jersey locals (as well as those in Ohio and Illinois) can participate in their testing center location, but they have in-home tests and online surveys available for others. You get to test the products and might even make some money off of it.
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16. thePinkPanel
Another great product testing job for fans of beauty and personal care products is thePinkPanel. It’s meant for women’s consumer testing, and members receive opportunities to test products via email and Facebook. Testing periods can be as short as one day or as long as eight weeks.
You’ll get to keep the product and you’ll receive $25 to $100 in gift cards or beauty products. Members can also apply to be part of focus groups, both online and in-person, and receive $100 for those opportunities.
The downside? Members are restricted to one beauty product test every six months. However, the online surveys are unlimited. You also have to apply to be accepted into tests.
17. Social Nature
If you’re interested in natural products, you can be a product tester for Social Nature.
The product testing website features food products, baby supplies, pet supplies, household items and health and beauty items. You can select items that are vegetarian, non-GMO, dairy-free, fragrance-free and more.
When you fill out your profile, you’ll list any dietary requirements and where you shop. The company will match you with products they think you’ll like. If you accept, you can order a free sample online or a free product voucher to redeem at a store. Shipping fees could apply in the latter. Once the voucher arrives, you have two weeks to redeem it, try the product and share your honest review with the company.
The catch? You “apply to try.” You’re not guaranteed to be selected for the product testing jobs. Chosen participants are notified by email.
18. Home Tester Club
Home Tester Club is an online community for product testers. You’ll see what items other members are reviewing and you can leave your own reviews on those products, even if you haven’t been sent them by Home Tester Club.
To test products, you’ll have to register as a tester rather than just a user of the site. Your demographic details will have to match up with the item you’re wanting to test—for example, if you want to test a baby product but you don’t have a baby, that could be a problem. If you’re selected to participate, you’ll be sent an email within one to two weeks, and the product will be shipped to you within one to three weeks.
Members will receive points for leaving reviews, completing surveys, leaving comments, participating in home product tests and more. Points aren’t worth anything, but users with more points get more opportunities.
19. National Consumer Panel
This last one isn’t primarily product testing, but it deserves a mention.
If you register with the National Consumer Panel, you’ll be given access to their app. You’ll use the app to scan the barcodes of your purchases. You’ll share the details of your purchase to receive points, then you can redeem those points for gift cards and merchandise.
You’ll also be given the chance to do surveys and participate in occasional studies.
Regular participation with the National Consumer Panel also automatically enters you in their sweepstakes that have prizes of gift cards, merchandise or cash.
Contributor Jenna Limbach writes on financial literacy and lifestyle topics for The Penny Hoarder from her home base in Nevada. Writer Elizabeth Djinis is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, often writing about selling goods online through social platforms. Her work has appeared in Teen Vogue, Smithsonian Magazine and the Tampa Bay Times.
My boyfriend of eight years stopped working four years ago. At the time, he told me it was because he needed to complete a remodel of a house his mother purchased. I believe the agreement was that she would buy the house and he would remodel it and then they would rent it out. He told me he didn’t have time to do the remodel and also have another job.
I reluctantly agreed, despite the fact that he and his son moved in with me only six months prior, and my sole income was from a small business that was only 2 years old. The business is one that he encouraged me to start, and it has taken over my life completely due to the tremendous demand of time and energy required to run it, particularly during a pandemic.
For the past four years, I have continued to work 50 to 60 hours per week earning a living and running the business, while he has not even come close to completing the remodel. He never went back to work, and his son is now nearly 13 years old. His son spends about 50% of his time at my partner’s mom’s house, so it’s not like my partner is even a full-time parent. My partner’s mom continues to pay the mortgage on the “rental” every month, and she also puts money into the house here and there, although it has never been rented this entire time.
I pay for the entire cost of our housing because I own the house we live in. I also pay for all utilities, and he pays for groceries. He doesn’t pay rent. For about a year and a half, I paid for 100% of our cost of living while he was “working on the rental,” but I demanded that he start paying for something after all that time, which is how we settled on just household groceries.
He has a part-time seasonal job on weekends for two months out of the year, and the rest of the time he works on hobbies and spends time hanging out with friends. Whenever I try to ask about “the rental,” he blows up at me and it turns into a huge argument.
I am becoming extremely resentful of the situation, and I’m afraid it will go on forever. It’s not like he’s home taking care of the household and preparing dinner when I’m at work. He’s 100% focused on his hobbies and seems to have no motivation at all to complete the remodel or go back to work. What should I do?
-C.
Dear C.,
The reason your boyfriend blows up at you when you ask about the rental is that he never intends to be done with the rental. He’s lived the sweet life for the past four years. Being a gentleman of leisure is way more fun than setting your alarm and going to work and paying bills. Can you blame him for milking this arrangement as long as he can?
You have three options: You can absolve him of all responsibilities and support him for life. You can give him an ultimatum. Or you can end this relationship. Please, please, please take Option 1 off the table.
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Since we’ve nixed the first option, let’s focus on the other two. If you want to make this relationship work, give him an ultimatum and a deadline. Tell him he has 90 days to find a job, or he can move out. Should he choose the latter, it sounds like he has a convenient place to go, which is the empty house he claims to be remodeling.
I have to ask, though: Do you really want to make this relationship work? Maybe you failed to mention that your boyfriend has some wonderful qualities. But I’d rather be alone than stay with a partner who’s content to watch me work 50 or 60 hours a week while he gets to do whatever he wants. His claim that he couldn’t do the home remodel while staying employed is nonsense. Even if doing both was truly impossible, any mature adult would choose the job.
Accept the fact that you have several big arguments with your boyfriend ahead. Conflict is never pleasant, particularly when it involves someone you live with. But don’t back down on this one. Even if he claims he’s doing his best. Even if he claims the time is wrong. Even if he calls you a nag. The fact that you feel resentful is a sign that you’re a rational person.
Once you’ve solved this problem — meaning your boyfriend finds a job or you kick him out — you might want to reevaluate your own career choices. It doesn’t sound like running your business is making you happy. Perhaps if you’re not supporting 2.5 people, you’ll have more freedom to work less or pursue traditional employment instead of entrepreneurship.
This situation isn’t changing until you put a stop to it. So let your boyfriend know that his free ride has ended.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. Send your tricky money questions to [email protected]
There’s a shortage of blood at many hospitals around the country, but no shortage of places to roll up that sleeve and give a pint.
Along with helping save a life, donating blood is also a good way to get free stuff like $10 gift cards, beach towels and movie tickets. You could also get the chance to win a few thousand dollars, a vacation or tickets to a big game.
Blood bank Vitalant, which operates in 28 states, is citing a “blood emergency.”
“The blood supply for about 900 hospitals nationwide recently dipped to its lowest level in a year,” the nonprofit said in a recent press release.
One in seven people who go to the hospital need a blood transfusion including accident victims as well as people battling cancer, leukemia, sickle cell or chronic anemia.
While high school and college students are the biggest donors by age group, much of the blood donated for decades has been collected at workplace blood drives. With the transition to remote work workplace donations have taken a big dive. Vitalant alone saw a 50% decrease in business-hosted blood drives last year compared to 2019.
“Just like our pantries need constant restocking, so does the blood supply,” said the American Red Cross said in a statement.
To attract donors, blood banks offer gift cards, chances to win money and even tickets to major sporting events.
Perks for Pints
These days you get a lot more than a T-shirt and some peanut butter crackers when you donate. Of course, for many donors, knowing that one pint of blood can save three lives is enough. And it only takes 45 minutes to donate.
With blood collection organizations routinely giving out $20 worth of gift cards to Amazon, restaurants and major retailers at blood drives, a couple who gives six times a year can average $240 worth of free stuff and save 36 lives.
For a family of four with kids above 16 and old enough to donate, that’s about $500 in gift cards per year and 72 lives saved.
“One time we went to Kohl’s and there was a blood drive in the parking lot,” said Beverly Mattis of Wake Forest, N.C. “They gave us each a $20 Kohl’s gift card so my daughter and I went in and did some shopping afterward.”
You can net much more than $20 for giving blood depending on the promotion. Right now, OneBlood, which serves Florida and parts of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, is offering a set of two tickets to see the Orlando Magic to anyone who donates.
Give blood through the Red Cross March 1 to March 31 and you’ll have a chance of winning a $3,000 prepaid Visa card. Five will be given away. Everyone who gives will get a $10 Visa card.
Restaurant certificates, store gift cards and other rewards, sometimes even cash, are often offered to people who give blood. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
How to Get the Perks of Being a Regular Blood Donor
If you register to be a blood donor with the blood collection organization in your area, you will receive texts or emails with dates of upcoming blood drives and the perks. There are many blood collection organizations around the country. Here are three of the biggest, and how to register:
Most people can donate every two months. There’s no requirement that you give a certain number of times a year, but there is encouragement. Some blood banks offer a second gift card of a higher value if you give blood twice within a certain period.
OneBlood has a new Blood Donor Milestones Program that rewards repeat donors with points toward merchandise and gift cards as they achieve certain levels of giving.
Along with gift cards and tickets, many blood collection groups also give out swag such as beach towels, fleece blankets, car sun shades and insulated water bottles.
More Perks for Donating Platelets
Platelets are small cells that stop bleeding by forming clots. Donated platelets are used for cancer patients, transplants, burn patients and traumatic injuries.
When someone donates platelets, a machine extracts them from whole blood then returns the rest of the blood back to the donor. The process takes about three hours.
Because it takes longer than donating whole blood, often more perks are offered for people who give platelets, which can be donated every seven days. OneBlood has a big offer ongoing: Donate platelets six times before March 31 and you will collect $420 in egift cards, which can be used at most major retailers as well as many smaller stores and restaurants. Each time you donate, you get a egift card worth more money as well as one worth $20. You can accrue $420 worth of cards after six donations. That’s a good way to afford that new TV or buy groceries for a while.
Vitalant is also encouraging people in certain regions to organize a “platelet party” with friends the same as they might host a party at their homes selling Tupperware, jewelry or clothes. An organizer can invite eight friends to a private catered party at a collection center where donors receive gift cards and other swag.
With many people working from home because of the pandemic, donations at mobile facilities during traditional work hours has fallen. Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
Organize a Blood Drive and Win a Scholarship
High school blood drives are crucial to supplying the nation’s hospitals with much-needed blood. About one-third of the blood collected nationwide comes from high school students.
Many adult donors started as high school kids lining up in the gym to do a good deed and get out of Algebra class. In most states, 17-year-olds can donate blood and 16-year-olds can give with a parent’s consent. They must weigh at least 110 pounds and be in generally good health.
Blood collection agencies across the country offer competitions for local high schools.
The Red Cross is offering gift cards and the chance to win college scholarships worth $1,000, $1,500 or $2,500 to high school students who organize blood drives in the summer of 2023. The number of pints collected determines the amount of scholarship money they could win in a drawing. But you definitely get a gift card worth $50 or more if the blood drive collects at least 25 pints.
Along with the gift cards and chance for a scholarship, organizing a blood drive shows leadership skills and really stands out on a resume for a job or college application.
How to Make Donating Blood, Scoring Gift Cards or Game Tickets Easier
Here’s some info from the American Red Cross to make your donation go smoother before you even get to a donation site. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in.
Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions on the site or download the Blood Donor App from the Apple Store or Google Play.
Veteran journalist Katherine Snow Smith is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. She covers ways to make money, save money and other topics. Her work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, Charlotte Business Journal and Greenville (S.C.) News
Consumers who file a claim before February settlement deadlines could receive cash payments and other benefits. Settlements are available for defective products, false advertising, non-compliant receipts and more.
February 2023 Class Action Settlements
LeafFilter Debris Accumulation Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
LeafFilter agreed to a class action settlement to resolve allegations its gutter filter system doesn’t work as intended and can become clogged with leaves and other buildup.
The settlement benefits consumers who appear in LeafFilter’s customer care database with a debris-related final issue code for their service request between Jan. 1, 2016, and June 24, 2022.
According to plaintiffs in the LeafFilter class action lawsuit, the company’s gutter filter system fails to work as advertised. The system allegedly becomes clogged with leaves, twigs and other items, preventing water from passing through gutters as intended. As a result, rainwater allegedly flows out of gutters and onto homes — causing water damage.
In order to receive settlement benefits, LeafFilter purchasers must submit a valid claim form by Feb. 4, 2023.
Root Insurance Total Loss $1.5M Class Action Settlement
Missouri policyholders can benefit from a $1.5 million class action settlement with Root Insurance resolving claims that the insurer failed to include sales tax on total loss payments.
The settlement benefits Missouri policyholders with automotive insurance policies from Root Insurance who submitted a total loss physical damage claim between Jan. 5, 2011, and Aug. 4, 2022.
Plaintiffs in the total loss class action claim that they were significantly underpaid as a result of Root Insurance’s alleged failure to include sales tax in total loss payments. This policy allegedly denied policyholders hundreds or thousands of dollars in violation of policy terms.
The deadline to submit a claim with the Root Insurance total loss settlement is Feb. 4, 2023.
Celsius Beverages False Advertising $7.8M Class Action Settlement
Celsius agreed to pay $7.8 million to resolve a class action lawsuit claiming that the company falsely advertised its beverages as containing “no preservatives.”
The settlement benefits those who purchased Celsius beverages between Jan. 1, 2015, and Nov. 23, 2022. The settlement covers Celsius Live Fit, Celsius Heat, Celsius BCAA+Energy, Celsius with Stevia, Celsius On-The-Go powdered drinks and Flo Fusion powdered drinks.
Celsius allegedly advertised its beverages and powdered drinks as containing “no preservatives” despite containing citric acid — a flavoring agent and preservative ingredient. Consumers say they wouldn’t have paid as much for the drinks if they knew the truth about their ingredients.
In order to receive a settlement payment, purchasers must submit a valid claim form by Feb. 13, 2023.
Salmon Antitrust Indirect Purchasers $33M Class Action Settlement
A $33 million class action settlement between salmon farms and indirect purchasers will resolve claims that the salmon companies conspired to raise and fix the price of salmon products.
The settlement benefits consumers who indirectly purchased (not from the manufacturer) farm-raised salmon or salmon products in certain states between April 10, 2013, and Nov. 17, 2022. The settlement covers purchases made in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia or Wisconsin.
Plaintiffs in the antitrust class action lawsuit accused Mowi Ducktrap, Grieg Seafood, Sjór, SalMar, Lerøy Seafood and Cermaq of conspiring together to raise the price of salmon products by manipulating a salmon price index. As a result of this scheme, consumers allegedly paid an inflated price for salmon when purchasing the products from retailers.
Consumers can file a claim with the settlement until Feb. 17, 2023.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers Unsolicited Faxes $19.75M Class Action Settlement
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to pay $19.75 million to resolve claims the team sent unsolicited faxes to thousands of customers.
The settlement benefits individuals who received one of the 343,122 faxed advertisements sent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between July 14, 2009, and June 9, 2010.
According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action lawsuit, the Buccaneers sent junk faxes promoting its football games and prompting recipients to order tickets through Ticketmaster. Plaintiffs in the case say they never consented to receive these faxes, making the communications a violation of federal law.
In order to receive a settlement payment, fax recipients must submit a valid claim form by Feb. 6, 2023.
American Airlines Bag Fees $7.5M Class Action Settlement
American Airlines agreed to pay $7.5 million to resolve claims it incorrectly charged customers baggage fees despite promising them free checked bags.
The settlement benefits consumers who were charged to check a bag with American Airlines after Feb. 24, 2017, for tickets issued before April 9, 2020. Consumers must also meet one or both following criteria:
They received an email from American Airlines confirming the purchase of air travel that stated passengers could check one or more bags for that ticketed trip for no charge (or for “USD 0.00”).
They were traveling within the United States and held an American Citi or Barclays credit card entitling the passenger to check the first bag for free. This includes passengers on international trips who were charged to check their first bag for the entire domestic portion of their itineraries in addition to checking bags for the international portions.
Passengers in the American Airlines class action lawsuits accused the airline of false advertising. The airline allegedly promised travelers they could check their bags for free, only to charge them baggage fees regardless of its previous promises.
The deadline to submit a claim with the American Airlines settlement is Feb. 22, 2023.
Avis Budget e-Toll Related Charge Class Action Settlement
Avis Budget Group agreed to a $45 million class action settlement to resolve claims it charged hidden toll fees on car rentals.
The settlement benefits consumers who rented an Avis Budget vehicle and paid Avis, Budget and/or the Highway Toll Administration for the use of e-Toll services. For rental transactions originating in Florida, Texas or Colorado, the class period is March 2, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2015. For rental transactions originating in all other states, the class period is April 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, 2015.
According to the Avis Budget class action lawsuit, the car rental company violated consumer protection laws by charging undisclosed fees for electronic toll, or e-Toll, payment systems. Renters say they weren’t properly informed of these fees, causing them to pay more to rent an Avis Budget vehicle than expected.
In order to receive a settlement payment, car renters must submit a valid claim form by Feb. 28, 2023.
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Great Lakes Educational Loan Services Debt Collection $1.275M Class Action Settlement
Consumers who received excessive debt collection phone calls from Great Lakes Educational Loan Services could benefit from a $1.275 million class action settlement.
The settlement benefits Massachusetts residents who received more than two phone calls from Great Lakes Educational Loan Services regarding a debt within a seven-day period since Oct. 28, 2015.
Plaintiffs in the debt collection class action lawsuit claim that Great Lakes Education Loan Services violated Massachusetts law by contacting consumers more than twice in a seven-day period regarding a debt. These calls were excessive, the plaintiffs contend.
The deadline to submit a valid claim form with the debt collection settlement is Feb. 27, 2023.
Hibbett Receipt Privacy $6M Class Action Settlement
Hibbett agreed to pay $6 million to resolve claims that it violated federal law by showing too many digits of payment card numbers on receipts.
The settlement benefits consumers who used a credit or debit card at a Hibbett, City Gear or Sports Additions store and who received a receipt that displayed more than the last five digits of their payment card number between Dec. 15, 2020, and Feb. 23, 2022.
According to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) class action lawsuit, Hibbett unlawfully printed too many digits on point-of-sale receipts at its stores. Hibbett has denied willful violations of federal law and maintains that any non-compliant receipts were caused by software errors.
To receive settlement benefits, class members must submit a valid claim form by Feb. 8, 2023.
Circle K Discrimination $8M EEOC Settlement
Circle K agreed to pay the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) $8 million to resolve claims that it discriminated against disabled and pregnant workers.
The settlement benefits Circle K workers who sought reasonable accommodations for a disability or pregnancy and were subsequently fired between July 10, 2009, and Sept. 26, 2022.
The EEOC took legal action against Circle K under federal law, arguing that the company refused to provide disabled and pregnant workers with reasonable accommodations. According to the EEOC, this conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.
Current and former Circle K workers have until Feb. 26, 2023, to submit a valid claim form with the settlement.
Chipotle plans to hire 15,000 new employees. Michael Dwyer/AP Photo
The football season may be winding down, but burrito season is on the way.
According to Chipotle, that’s the busiest time of the year — from March to May — when many of us are more than happy to scarf down a burrito or two. With that, the fast-food chain is planning to hire 15,000 new employees in preparation for the coming burrito storm.
“Our restaurant teams are the core of this organization and with a goal of more than doubling our footprint to 7,000 locations in North America, we are targeting employees today to serve as our leaders of tomorrow,” said Scott Boatwright, chief restaurant officer. “We will continue bringing in new crew to support Chipotle’s aggressive growth plans, while simultaneously promoting and upskilling those currently in role.”
It’s also all part of a larger campaign in which Chipotle plans to “pull back the foil” and feature behind-the-scenes footage of the daily culinary tasks of its restaurant employees in video clips and documentary-style television spots.
The chain also plans on highlighting employees’ career progression inside Chipotle. The company said 90% of all restaurant management roles were internal promotions in 2022. Overall, Chipotle promoted 22,000 employees internally.
The hiring announcement comes as the restaurant industry continues to fight a labor shortage post-pandemic. According to the National Restaurant Association, 62% of restaurant owners said they didn’t have enough employees to support existing demand in November 2022. The industry has slowly added jobs since the height of the pandemic, but overall employment is still down nearly 500,000 since February 2020.
Robert Bruce is a senior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder covering earning, saving and managing money. He has written about personal finance for more than a decade.
Getting paid to write may sound easy, but the reality is a little more complicated. Freelance writing can be hard to break into, and the pay can be low (or nonexistent) for beginners.
The trick is to get your first few articles or creative pieces published and then use them to score bigger clients and better pay. And even if long-term freelancing isn’t your goal, building a portfolio that showcases your published work can bolster your career as a writer or subject-matter expert.
However, publishing those first few pieces is typically the hardest part of your writing journey. To help, we’ve compiled several places where you can get paid to write now. We’ve also included tried-and-true techniques to allow you to grow as a writer and, ideally, make more money writing in the long-term.
Get Paid to Write for Flat-Rate Websites, Blogs and More
If you’re new to freelance writing, one of the first things you may notice is how opaque the whole process is. Websites, blogs and publications often rely on armies of freelancers, but their contributor guidelines and pay are often nowhere to be found.
Instead of diving straight into negotiations with editors about assignments and pay, first try to find a site or publication that has a straightforward process for contributors so that you know exactly what they’re looking for and how much they’re paying. (We’ll cover pitching and negotiating further below.)
Ready to make money writing online? Here are 20 sites to try pitching:
1. Copyhackers
Copyhackers is a content company based in Canada. It provides educational materials to help new copywriters as well as paid opportunities for writers to publish lengthy articles on Copyhackers’ blog.
Its submission guidelines are clear: You should be well versed in the topic that you’re pitching. And you should expect to be writing blog posts that are 2,000 words or more “unless it’s extremely wonderfully amazingly readable reading.”
Pay: $300 to $1,000 per blog post
Categories/Topics: Advertising, branding, UX (User Experience) or marketing concepts; freelance lifestyle or advice; entrepreneurship
2. Listverse
As its name implies, Listverse specializes in listicles aka list posts. These are highly clickable posts where each main point is part of a numbered list (sort of like the article you’re reading right now!).
The contributor guidelines mention that you can write articles related to “any topic you like” — sports, self-help, personal stories, or gaming excluded — so long as it’s interesting, well-researched and in the form of a list of at least 10 with two paragraphs per listing.
To narrow that down ever so slightly, the website is broken into several topics: bizarre, entertainment, general knowledge, lifestyle, science, society and more. Your articles should roughly pertain to those areas.
Note: Listverse will only pay freelance writers via PayPal.
Pay: $100 per list post
Categories/Topics: Bizarre, entertainment, general knowledge, lifestyle, science, society and more
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3. Narratively
To understand what type of articles Narratively publishes, look no further than its tagline: “Human stories, boldly told.” All sections of the website are open to submissions. Just be sure that your story is longform, gripping and has strong narrative elements.
For an in-depth breakdown of the different sections and story types, read Narratively’s submission guidelines. You’ll need a Submittable account to send in your draft.
Pay: $300 to $400 per article
Categories/Topics: Personal essays, extraordinary high school sports stories, unexpected family businesses, hidden history, and reported articles with a narrative, human-interest approach
4. Reader’s Digest
Reader’s Digest needs no introduction. But what you probably didn’t know is that it offers one of the funnest and low-risk ways to get paid to write.
But instead of swinging straight for the big leagues with a front-cover feature story, you can submit jokes and micro-stories to Reader’s Digest, which will publish them online and in the print magazine. If your submission is selected, you’ll get $100 a pop. (That’s among the highest per-word rates in the industry.)
Categories/Topics: Jokes or true personal stories (100 words or fewer)
5. Unemploymentville
According to its website, Unemploymentville is “a place for anyone who has felt the sting of being out of work.”
It also happens to be a place you can write guest blog posts if you have interesting small-business ideas, helpful job-searching techniques or personal stories about dealing with job loss.
Unemploymentville accepts submissions every other month. You can only submit stories in January, March, May, July, September, and November.
Pay: $25 to $75 per blog post
Categories/Topics: Unemployment, job hunting, side hustles, personal essays related to finding work
6. Writer’s Digest
Writer’s Digest is a century-old magazine dedicated to publishing “everything writers need to stay inspired, to improve their craft, to understand the unique challenges of publishing today, and to get their work noticed.”
According to the submission guidelines, Writer’s Digest accepts submissions for a variety of sections of the magazine, and it occasionally accepts cold pitches for guest posts online.
Pay: 30 to 50 cents per word (print); or $50 to $100 (online)
Categories/Topics: Personal essays, memoirs manuscripts and feature stories of interest to the writing community
7. RankPay
RankPay specializes in providing business solutions with services like PPC, content marketing, and website design.
According to the Blogger Program submission guidelines, RankPay accepts article submissions that are useful, well-written, actionable, and of course 100% original content. It takes about 2 weeks for a response once you submit an article; not all submissions will receive a response.
Pay: $50 per blog post
Categories/Topics: SEO, content marketing, small business
8. B. Michelle Pippin
Michelle Pippin is the founder and CEO of Women Who WOW, an organization of women entrepreneurs. Writers with first-hand business experience can earn money by being published on the company blog or through a private newsletter.
Pippin requires hires writers with actual first-hand business experience, particularly on topics relating to women entrepreneurs. You’ll earn more money if your article is published in the members-only print newsletter, though it can never be republished elsewhere.
Pay: $50-$150 per blog post
Categories/Topics: First-hand business experience, marketing and profit “hacks”
Chris Zuppa/The Penny Hoarder
Get Paid to Write Using Freelance Websites
To diversify your income as a freelance writer, you can also sign up for freelance marketplaces, sometimes referred to as content mills. For these types of freelance websites, there’s typically some kind of screening process involved before you start working with clients.
Sometimes the companies will feed freelance gigs to you, and you can accept or decline them. Other times clients will reach out to you personally through the marketplace’s messaging system. Payment varies by marketplace, but it is always funneled through the marketplace instead of coming directly from the client.
Pro Tip
Freelance marketplaces are a low-risk way to test the waters as a freelance writer, but they aren’t the most lucrative long-term option.
9. CopyPress
CopyPress is a content-marketing agency that provides its own content management system that freelancers can use to connect with projects from CopyPress’ clients.
While it offers some freelance gigs for designers, developers and influencers, content writing and editing is CopyPress’ bread and butter.
Pay: About 6 to 10 cents per word (writer); 1 to 2 cents per word (editor)
Categories/Topics: Varies by project
10. Fiverr
Started in 2010, Fiverr is a freelance-service marketplace that has grown to become almost synonymous with freelancing. You can offer almost any professional service imaginable on the site, but freelance writing services are especially popular.
And contrary to its name, you are allowed to charge whatever amount you want — not just $5. However, Fiverr takes 20% of the cut.
Pay: Your rate minus 20%
Categories/Topics: Varies by project
11. iWriter
With iWriter, you can earn a fixed rate for every article. The rate largely depends on your star rating, which you receive based on a trial article and subsequent projects with clients.
According to the site’s FAQ section, you earn 65% of the price that clients pay for typical assignments, which will translate into very low rates as you’re starting out.
For example, the lowest tier of assignment is 150 words and would earn you 91 cents. Becoming an “elite plus” writer (4.85 rating or higher) will drastically increase your earnings. Complete a writer application to get started.
Pay: 91 cents to $282.75 per project
Categories/Topics: Varies by project
12. nDash
Founded in 2014 as a one-person operation, nDash now boasts a network of more than 10,000 freelance writers, which it connects with its clients, some of whom are household brand names.
To get started with nDash, you need to sign up, create a free profile that highlights your expertise and past experience, and set up an account with Stripe so that you can get paid.
You’ll be able to set your rates based on project type (blog, whitepaper, email, article, etc.). nDash does not take a cut of pay like other marketplaces. It charges its clients instead.
Pay: 100% of your set rate ($150 to $450 on average, according to nDash)
Categories/Topics: Varies by project
13. Upwork
Upwork is another massive online freelance marketplace. It caters to all kinds of industries, including and especially writing services.
Before you accept gigs, you’ll need to register for free and set up a freelancer profile. With Upwork, you set your own rates and find work by pitching clients directly, accepting work from clients who reached out to you or by bidding on projects that clients posted.
Get Paid to Write Poetry, Fiction and Other Creative Works
To get paid to write creative work, forget almost everything you know about freelance writing. Getting your creative writing published is an entirely different beast, and very few people make a living writing poetry or fiction alone.
Still, seeing your name in a literary journal can be a gratifying experience, and that experience is only heightened when you get paid for your creative masterpiece.
Not all creative writing publishers pay. In fact, it’s common to see “submission fees,” meaning you are paying them to review your work. In those cases, publication isn’t guaranteed. You want to avoid those scenarios entirely when you’re just getting started.
Below, we’ve included several publications that do not charge any such fees and will pay you a modest sum to boot.
14. Blue Mountain Arts
If your poetry has a more lyrical, feel-good vibe, consider writing for greeting cards. (Literary journals are notoriously snobbish toward this type of writing.)
First place receives $350. Second place receives $200. And third place receives $100. Winning poems are published in greeting cards and online. Outside of the poetry contest, you may also submit seasonal poems that follow these guidelines.
Pay: $100 to $350 per poem
Categories/Topics: Feel-good poetry related to special occasions
15. Rattle
Rattle is an online and print journal that publishes only poetry, and it offers poets weekly opportunities to get paid to write.
While the print magazine publishes quarterly, Rattle also holds a weekly “Poets Respond” contest online that asks poets to write about a current event that has happened within the past week.
Pay for acceptance into the print issue is $200 per poem, and online publication pays $100 per poem. Reference the appropriate submission guidelines before sending in your work.
Pay: $100 to $200 per poem
Categories/Topics: Poetry
16. The Threepenny Review
A quarterly literary magazine, The Threepenny Review publishes nonfiction essays, memoirs and reviews, fiction stories and poetry in print.
Depending on the type of piece, you can expect between $200 and $400 per published work.
According to the writer guidelines, The Threepenny Review doesn’t accept email submissions and doesn’t accept any submissions between May 1 and Dec. 31.
Pay: $200 to $400
Categories/Topics: Reviews, criticisms, memoirs and other nonfiction works; poetry and fiction
17. Poetry Nook
Poetry Nook is a website and forum for poets and poetry lovers. It’s operated by the literary magazine Plum White Press.
Each week, Poetry Nook holds a free-entry poetry contest (for 350 weeks and counting). Multiple winners and honorable mentions may be chosen. Winners receive a $20 payment via PayPal, and honorable mentions receive $10.
Poetry Nook’s competition is a great way for budding poets to get paid to write. There are no theme or length requirements for the poems, it’s “organic impression and memorability that matters,” according to the entry guidelines.
Ensure you’re entering the correct contest, as the link changes each week. You can find the latest contest on Poetry Nook’s homepage.
Pay: $10 to $20 per poem
Categories/Topics: Poetry
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Other Strategies to Get Paid to Write
There’s much more to writing than freelance websites and open-calls for submissions. Once you feel comfortable (and perhaps after you have a few successful projects under your belt), you can start to implement some longer-term strategies to build your reputation as a successful writer.
They might not be as clear cut as the options above, but they’re nonetheless important.
Pitch to Your Favorite Publications
Pitching unsolicited article ideas is a tricky and vague process. But pitching is a crucial skill for freelance writers, especially freelance journalists and content writers. There are untold opportunities to get published by your favorite alt-weekly, local newspaper, magazine or online publication, and they’re rarely (if ever) advertised.
Pitch the correct editor or your email will never get read.
Have a deep understanding of what the publication has already published on the topic.
Craft a short and sweet email that shows a busy editor that No. 1, your pitch is a good idea and No. 2 that you are the best person to write it.
Pro Tip
Finding an editor’s email can be difficult. Scour the publication’s masthead or staff page and use tools like Hunter.io to guess and verify specific editors’ email addresses.
Even if the editor likes your idea, the work doesn’t stop there. You then need to be ready to negotiate your pay — another vague and informal process. Our guide will help you figure exactly out how much to charge for your freelance work.
Start Your Own Blog
If you’re interested in freelance writing or launching a freelance writing business, chances are you either already created a blog or you’re considering it. Blogging is incredibly popular among writing hobbyists, and it’s one of the first steps many new freelance writers take when they want to get paid to write.
The truth is, blogging is tough to monetize. It’s certainly not a quick way to get paid to write, but it’s not obsolete either. It will take sustained effort to become a successful blogger. Luckily, we have a plethora of resources to help you.
Selecting a catchy domain name and finding a web host for your site
Building a user-friendly blog
Once the basics are set up, you’ll want to make a dedicated plan to monetize your blog. Successful monetization strategies often include:
Writing informative and authoritative blog posts that are optimized for search engines
Writing for other blogs and publications that allow you to link back to your own site
Signing up for affiliate partnerships with brands related to the topic you cover, so that you can earn a commission on sponsored links in your blog posts
Allowing advertisements on your pages, usually via Google AdSense, so that you can get paid when people visit your page and interact with the ads
Due to the time investment of blogging, we recommend that you simultaneously write for some of the publications mentioned above so that you get some money coming in while you build your website. And don’t fret if it doesn’t take off. At the very least, your blog can double as a portfolio site to help you land other clients and gigs.
Launch a Career as a Writer
The freelance writing business isn’t for everyone. There are a lot of unpaid hours and late nights involved in getting things set up. (And that’s not mentioning additional tax burdens and lack of benefits.)
The good news is that you can break into a career in writing by temporarily freelancing to build up a portfolio. Then you can use that portfolio to land a full-time job with health bennies and paid time off.
What writing jobs are out there? Plenty — and aside from the obvious journalist and author jobs, too.
Everywhere you look, there are words. Words on book covers. Words in your vehicle’s manual that teach you what that dang squiggly exclamation point symbol on your dashboard means. Words that entice you to buy stuff.
You get the idea. There’s a person (or maybe even a team of people) behind all of those words, and they’re getting paid. Their titles include copywriter, UX writer, product writer, technical writer, content marketing writer and more.
Even more good news: These types of jobs were already remote friendly before the pandemic. In fact, writing jobs are among the most commonly listed openings in The Penny Hoarder’s Work-From-Home Jobs Portal.
So whether or not freelancing was your end goal, the published clips you rack up along the way can help you build an impressive portfolio, establish yourself as an expert on a certain topic and even launch your career as a full-time writer. The options are endless.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Writing for Money
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about getting paid to write.
Who Will Pay Me to Write?
Plenty of people and publications will pay you to write articles, blog posts and more. If you’re freelancing, it all depends on how you find your client. Many companies hire writers as employees. Advertising agencies, online publications and marketing firms are among the most popular types of companies that directly hire writers.
If you’re using a freelance website like Upwork, the pay will come from Upwork — not directly from the client, since Upwork operates like a matchmaker.
If you’re submitting your article or creative writing directly to a publication, it will pay you usually by direct deposit, check, PayPal or some other established payment method.
Where Can I Submit Writing for Money?
The easiest places to submit writing for money are publications that have clearly stated submission guidelines. Some websites, including content mills, online magazines and literary journals may accept submissions year-round and have their rates publicly displayed. We cover several such places to submit your writing in this article.
Alternatively, you can cold pitch magazines, newspapers and some blogs with your story idea and then negotiate your pay if they like your idea.
How Can I Make Money Writing Online?
Blogging and freelance websites like Fiverr and Upwork are among the most popular options for making money online by writing. But they’re not always the fastest and most lucrative options.
In addition to those popular methods, you should also consider writing articles for blogs as well as more traditional types of publications like magazines, newspapers and literary journals — all of which are very likely to publish online.
No one method is a cash cow, but if you combine them, it’s possible to make a living writing.
Where Do I Find Freelance Writing Jobs?
Finding freelance writing gigs is much easier if you diversify your sources. In addition to pitching publications directly and signing up for freelance websites, you should set up email alerts for a job board or two.
Mediabistro, The Penny Hoarder Work-From-Home jobs portal, FlexJobs and sometimes even the standard job boards like Indeed and Glassdoor can be useful tools in hunting down quality writing jobs.
And instead of waiting for the gig to be posted on a job board, you can go directly to the source. Big online publishers such as DotDash (which owns Verywell, Investopedia, The Spruce and several other online publications) and Vox Media (which owns The Verge, Vox, Eater, Polygon and others) post freelance writer openings on their own job boards all the time.
How Do I Start a Writing Career?
Writing careers don’t always start by getting a degree in journalism or English, either (though a related degree certainly helps). Lots of writers find success by falling in love with writing later in life, choosing to freelance and slowly building up expertise and a portfolio before finally applying for a full-time job as a bonafide writer or journalist.
One thing is for sure, whether by credentials or previously published work, you must be able to demonstrate your writing skills to land a job.
Matt Matasci is a Southern California freelance writer who writes on technology and business, plus travel and lifestyle topics.
Applying for jobs is hard work, especially if the positions you want don’t match your experience. Even if they are entry level jobs.
Fortunately, job postings don’t tell the whole story when it comes to landing a job that you know that you can do. The career path might not be totally clear, but you still want to jump on it.
There are a lot of ways to successfully apply for your dream job even if your resume doesn’t exactly match a job listing. And even if you are applying for a job with no experience no one is going to ding you for that, though you’ll need to go up-and-beyond to land the job. Or at least muster your confidence and sharpen your communication skills.
6 Tips for Landing the Job
We spoke to several career experts to bring you their top tips for job seekers struggling to find work with little-to-no experience and without being a college graduate. Here’s what they had to say.
1. Change How You Look at Postings
The first bit of advice we heard over and over was that job seekers should change the way they look at job postings no matter their work experience. Does this mean using different sites or methods of exploring job opportunities to get your foot in the door or even snag that assistant position?
Not exactly. According to career coach Kyle Elliott, it’s more of a change in mindset and attitude.
“Know that the job posting is a wish list,” says Elliot. “You do not have to have all of the qualifications listed in the job posting. Instead, focus on the experience, knowledge, and skills you do have that align with the job posting.”
In addition to highlighting the skills you have on your cover letter and resume, Elliot also suggests avoiding the time-old mistake he often sees as a career coach. You can still get a job with no experience but you don’t need to continually point out your lack of experience. After all, you are trying to get a job with no experience.
“Consider instead how you can strategically market your non-work experience on your resume. If you’ve started a side hustle, launched a business, or pursued relevant extracurricular activities, you may wish to include them in your career marketing collateral,” says Elliott.
2. Speak Their Language
While keeping things positive is important when it comes to job application success, you’ll also want to get in the habit of mirroring a company’s language on your application.
Are they looking for a team player with a good worth ethic? Talk about that employee of the month award or that you had zero sick days last year.
“Speak the language of your target company,” says Elliott. “Use the job posting as a recipe card to write your resume, LinkedIn profile, and other career documents.”
For example, he says, if you’re targeting a customer success role and previously worked in restaurant service, focus on how you successfully dealt with customers. Explain how you were routinely able to persuade customers to order an appetizer and A dessert to make more money for both you and the restaurant.
“While an experience or accomplishment may seem unrelated on the surface, nearly every story can be translated,” says Elliott about the effort to get a job.
3. Work Backwards to Show How You Fit
To expand on this last point, “working backwards” is a great strategy for writing a resume or application for a specific job, especially if it’s one you feel underqualified for. It’s important that you show the ways you will make up for this be it work ethic, education or attitude.
“Your role as a job seeker is to connect the dots between your experience and the target role,” says Elliott. “This makes the hiring manager’s job easier when they’re reviewing your job history.”
Be sure you’re capitalizing on experiences that match what your employer is looking for, but also remember to leave off anything that’s irrelevant. This will weaken your application and torpedo your chances for job interviews.
For example, if you spent a summer picking berries and this doesn’t have a strong tie to the job posting, this might be one of those things you cut. However, if you can show how you gained soft skills — communication with colleagues and maybe customers — then you make your experiences more relevant.
The same could be said for volunteer work which brings in no money but plenty of on-the-job education including problem solving skills, plus time management and team building experiences.
By selectively including experiences in your efforts to get a job, you’re not only flaunting your skills as a qualified employee, but also conveying your understanding of the role. Companies want to know they’re hiring someone who understands what they need, which is what you prove by using their posting as a blueprint for your application.
4. Highlight Motivation on Cover Letter
Another great way to get an employer siked about your application is by highlighting your motivation.
If you love the work a company is doing or their mission aligns with your values and goals, you should include this in your application.
“Convey a deeper understanding of the company and more particularly, the industry or sector it’s operating within to show your personal motivation to move into the industry,” suggests networking expert and author J. Kelly Hoey.
This is more than saying something generic about your interest, says Hoey.
“Tell the story of why you’re committed to entering the industry, as your ‘why’ reveals that you’re more than yet another applicant grasping for any job opening.”
5. Remember: Quality Over Quantity
The Internet makes it easy to get caught in the race of applying to as many jobs as you possibly can. You can copy-and-paste a slightly tweaked cover letter and resume dozens of times for dozens of postings in the span of an hour.
But somewhere in the rush, you may find the quality of your applications start to slide, or even that you’re inadvertently applying to jobs you really don’t want.
This is where it helps to keep a simple “quality over quantity” mantra in mind. “Focus on quality over quantity when applying to roles,” says Elliott. “Rather than applying to all of the open roles at a company, select a few key roles that you are well qualified for.”
Not only will being selective help you come off as a more serious candidate to employers, but it will also ensure you’re able to bring your A-game to every application.
6. Grow Your Network
The time spent searching for your next job might feel long and unproductive. But keep this in mind as you hunt for jobs and wait for the job offers to roll in: As you apply for jobs and get job interviews, you are growing a professional network. Every recruiter, hiring manager and prospective co-worker that you connect with are now part of your network.
“Have patience and make it part of your job application routine to stay in contact with every person who helps you along the way,” says Hoey. “By doing so, you’ll have mentors to turn to when you land the job, plus you’ll stay top of mind with those closest to the job market you’re seeking to enter.”
You never know when new opportunities will present themselves. Go the extra mile to have positive interactions with everyone you encounter on your job search.
Contributor Larissa Runkle specializes in finance, real estate and lifestyle topics. She is a regular contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
If you’ve ever considered starting your own business, then the thought has probably crossed your mind: What’s an LLC, and do I need one?
LLC, which stands for limited liability company, is a great option for small business owners looking for a way to get legally established.
Not only does this business structure make your company sound more official, but it also comes with certain legal benefits (like liability protection) as well as tax benefits for business owners.
We talked with seven experts — from lawyers to financial coaches — to help us understand the ins and outs of an LLC. Their (free!) advice will help you decide if an LLC is right for you.
What Does LLC Mean?
A limited liability company is a way of organizing your business that also comes with a few extra perks. Tony Grenier, CEO of Instrumental Global, an online music instruction site, breaks it down for us.
“A limited liability company (LLC) combines the best of a sole proprietorship, C Corporations, and partnerships,” Grenier said. “It basically offers flexibility in management, division of profits and losses, as well as taxation benefits.”
Unlike other business structures, limited liability companies are also relatively easy to get started, especially for solo business owners
“An LLC is a type of business in which only one member or employee is required, and that individual can participate in the business’s daily operations,” said financial coach Annette Harris of Harris Financial Coaching.
Another unique aspect of LLCs is that the applicant doesn’t necessarily need a lawyer to start one. Depending on the state where you live, you may be able to register your LLC online. Once you get your business entity started, you also won’t have quite as many restrictions on how you operate your company as you would with a corporation.
“With Corporations, it’s easy to drown in mandatory red tape, meetings, and admin” said Adam Garcia, founder of The Stock Dork, an education investment site. “LLC’s have less of that and as mentioned before are easier to set up and run.”
What Can an LLC Do for My Business?
One of the main reasons to get an LLC is that it provides quite a bit of protection for you as a business owner.
“An LLC allows business owners to limit their personal asset liability exposure for the financial obligations of the business,” said business attorney Kimberly M. Hanlon of Lucere Legal.
Since all businesses assume some level of legal risk, LLCs are one way to protect your net worth from being dragged into any type of legal battle as a result of your business. But LLCs aren’t just for protection, they also offer great tax benefits for business entities as well.
“Taxwise, LLCs are attractive as there isn’t any double tax at play,” said Garcia, of The Stock Dork. “This is different from corporations, where you get corporate taxes as well as owners being taxed on their dividends.”
As a result of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, LLC owners are also entitled to a tax deduction called the Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction (which isn’t set to expire until 2025).
Tips to Form an LLC
If you’re serious about forming an LLC, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. Here are some high-level tips for successfully registering and owning a limited liability company.
Only Use a Lawyer if Your State or Special Situation Demands It
Working with a law firm can be incredibly expensive, and while there are cases where you may want a lawyer, you don’t need one to form your LLC.
There are instructions online on reputable law blogs like Nolo or on the department of corporations website for your state,” said Mark Chen, founder and CEO of BillSmart.
You may need legal assistance if your state requires you to have an operating agreement (which outlines the agreement between LLC members), if you’re applying for a copyright or trademark, or if you’re applying for certain state or federal business certifications.
Keep Your Finances Organized
Starting a new business venture is a lot of work, and it can be all too easy to get lazy when it comes to how you organize and record your finances. But this is definitely one aspect of your business you won’t want to cut corners on, as explained by financial planner Logan Murray of Pocket Project.
“Ideally, once an LLC is created, it’s advisable to keep income and expenses flowing only through that entity by setting up LLC bank accounts, getting debit or credit cards in the name of the LLC, etc,” Murray said. “This is helpful for legal purposes and also for tax purposes, as it keeps personal and business expenses separate, which makes your life a lot easier come tax time.”
Register at the Right Time
Creating an LLC comes with a whole new set of responsibilities, and you’ll want to be sure you’re starting it at the right time — and not before.
“Choosing a business structure will be one of the first major decisions you make as a business owner, so give yourself the grace to move forward when it’s right for you and no sooner,” said Terra Gross, founder of Attuned Legal, LLC, which specializes in providing services to micro businesses. “Look closely at startup timing in light of how expensive it is to register and maintain an LLC wherever you plan to set it up, as well as whether you’re personally ready to spend hours keeping up with, or outsourcing, the bookkeeping.
Even though there are perks, Gross said, you should stay on top of reporting and tax requirements. If you’re in a regulated profession, you should also double-check whether there are restrictions on adopting an LLC as your business structure.
Be Prepared for Annual Costs
In addition to the time investment of registering and maintaining your LLC, you’ll also want to be prepared for the monetary expense of getting your LLC up and running, and renewing its annual registration.
“LLC costs depend on the state,” said business attorney Hanlon. “There are registered agent fees and the annual fee that you’ll need to pay to the chamber of commerce in your state. Registered agent fees are about $50 a year. State LLCs range from $100 to $700.”
Another thing to keep in mind is that you may end up paying two different state fees if your LLC is registered in one state, but you live in another. Before you begin the process of forming an LLC, be sure to calculate exactly how much it will cost you and start saving up. That way, you won’t encounter any surprises down the road.
Start Simple
One of the best pieces of advice we’ve heard with regards to creating an LLC is to keep things simple, and if you’re not sure whether to form an LLC or a C corporation, consider starting with an LLC.
“Review the different types of legal structures: sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation and S corp and see what structure works for your needs,” Chen, of BillSmart, said. “Keep in mind that it’s easier to go from an LLC to a corporation than a corporation to an LLC. Start simple, and then go deeper if you need to.”
Looking for more advice on starting your own business? Check out our 10-step guide.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Does Having an LLC Mean?
An LLC, or limited liability company, is a type of business structure that gives business owners certain legal protections (like limited liability) and tax benefits. It’s also a relatively simple business entity to start, and only requires one owner.
What Is an LLC Used For?
An LLC is a legal entity used by small business owners who want a more formal business structure than a sole proprietorship or partnership. It offers certain legal protections and tax benefits as well.
Is LLC Good or Gad?
LLC’s can be a great option for small business owners, depending on the goals and needs of their company. For larger companies, or those wishing to raise venture capital funding, forming a c corporation might make more sense.
As Always, Think About the Money
Starting any new business venture is a big deal, and forming an LLC is no exception. Before you get started, take some time to outline your company goals and decide if this type of business entity is the best model for your company.
You should also consider setting aside some cash for registration and other startup costs. If you have business partners, be sure to get them involved in the conversation, and consider drafting an operational agreement to designate various responsibilities. The more planning you can do in advance, the better your transition into a limited liability company will be.
Contributor Larissa Runkle specializes in finance, real estate and lifestyle topics. She is a regular contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
If you’re like most people, you enjoy watching TV. But what if you also made money doing it?
Yeah, that would make it even better.
You can actually make a living watching TV and entertaining videos. Those positions are difficult to get, but may be worth the effort.
Then there are the other opportunities to make a little cash for tuning in to your favorite shows and videos. Here are some examples of both ways to get paid to watch TV.
10 Ways to Get Paid to Watch TV and Videos
Whether you’re looking for a whole new career or just want to make a few bucks on the side, we found ways to get paid to watch TV and other videos.
1. Become a Tagger for Netflix
Yes, Netflix will pay you to watch their shows.
Becoming a Netflix “tagger” isn’t an easy-to-get job, but they are out there.
Netflix pays “taggers” to watch movies and TV shows and properly categorize them. Simply put, you’ll watch a series, then determine what category it falls into – such as comedy, drama, action, plus many other potential categories on Netflix.
The hours are long, but the work is remote – so you can even do it from the comfort of your own bed!
It might sound like a dream job, and it kind of is since the competition for them is fierce, according to Netflix Junkie. And the only place to find them is through Netflix’s job site, so you’ll need to visit often.
2. Watch Videos on Swagbucks
If your screen time is mostly gobbled up by following the news, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket by signing up for a free account with Swagbucks.
They’ll present you with short news clips to choose from every day, then ask you a few questions about them.
You just have to answer honestly, and Swagbucks will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but it’s already paid its users more than $429 million.
Nielsen is famous for tracking viewing and listening habits to provide ratings for television and radio programs. Along with surveys, the company uses small digital boxes that transmit to Nielsen what your family is watching every night.
If you are one of the random households chosen for the Nielsen sample, you not only get paid, but you get to help determine what is put on TV.
If the web is more your thing, Nielsen will pay you up to $50 a year to surf the web while it collects information from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
And,you’ll automatically be entered into its $10,000 monthly sweepstakes — where over 500 people win part of the $10,000 pot… Every. Single. Month.
All you need to do is sign up and download Nielsen’s secure app or software onto any of your qualified devices.
Nielsen actually takes a limited number of participants per device type, so sign up now to get started before all the spots fill up.
4. Watch TV with Elderly People
Sometimes, it’s not about what you watch, but who you watch it with. And there are people out there that could simply use someone by their side watching a favorite show.
A search for “watching TV jobs” on ZipRecruiter produced several caregiving related job opportunities that simply involved watching television with elderly people.
Often, watching TV is just one responsibility for these caregiving jobs. Check the job listing for additional qualifications and duties.
5. Watch Videos on Earnably
You’re not going to get rich using Earnably, but you can make some extra spending cash. All it requires is to sign up, then you can earn money watching videos, completing simple tasks, taking surveys, and referring friends.
Earnably partners with video companies like Hideout.TV, which provide original videos like cooking demos, esports highlights and music videos. You’ll make a small amount of cash for watching each one.
Then, as you build up points on Earnably, you can redeem them for instant cash or gift cards at popular retailers like Amazon, Dominos, Best Buy, AirBnB, Whole Foods, and many more.
6. Review Videos on Slicethepie
Instead of just watching random videos, Slicethepie lets you contribute to people’s careers by offering feedback through reviews of new songs, fashion items, accessories and commercials before they are released. The reviews are delivered directly to the artist/designer/producer.
Your earnings are based on your star rating and the quality of your review. More detailed, constructive, well-written reviews will make more money.
7. Write Captions or Subtitles for TV Shows
Closed captioning involves watching a video and transcribing the audio into a text version that someone can read on screen. It may involve translating dialogue into a different language or transcribing live for events like sports.
This job isn’t passive income, so you’ll need to be engaged in whatever show, movie or video you are watching. You’ll also need to format the transcription and verify its timing against the original video.
This is a particularly good job option if you are bilingual. Plenty of transcription jobs are available through companies like Rev and Scribie.
Jobs typically pay either per video minute or per hour — often between $15 and $25 per hour.
8. Join Focus Groups
You can make a couple of hundred dollars an hour watching TV shows as part of a focus group. The trick is to know where to look for paid focus groups and check in often, as spots can fill up fast.
Sites like focusgroup.org and Focus Groups USA have TV watching opportunities but also routinely offer focus groups in other areas. You’ll need to create an account and list your interests, then they will contact you when the right opportunities come up.
9. Visit CableTV.com
Our friends at CableTV.com (they’re owned by Clearlink, who also owns The Penny Hoarder) often come up with interesting ways to pay people to watch TV shows or movies.
In 2022, they paid two people $250 per week to watch one show from a list of options. And just last Christmas, they paid one lucky winner $2,500 to watch 25 holiday movies in 25 days. If you’re serious about making cash to watch TV, visit this site frequently for additional opportunities.
10. Become a Pet Sitter
While your primary responsibility, of course, will be to take care of your client’s pet, you will most certainly have downtime – especially if the pet is a sleepy cat. You can use that time to catch up on the latest binge-worthy Netflix or HBO shows, all while making sure the fluffy friend is safe and sound.
Pet sitters can make anywhere between $20 to $30 an hour, and you could turn this side gig into a full-fledged business.
Robert Bruce is a senior staff writer at The Penny Hoarder covering earning, saving and managing money. He has written about personal finance for more than a decade.
Does your dog love to play tug of war? Is he really into chasing a ball? Does he always go after the squeakers in his chew toys?
If you have a dog or cat that loves toys, we’ve found a lucrative job opportunity for your pet.
PetSmart is looking for one dog and one cat to take on the job of “chief toy tester” for its 1,660-store chain of pet supply shops. Each pet — and its human parents — will get paid $10,000 for a year of testing out toys and treats.
(It’s about time Fido and Simba started carrying their weight financially, don’t you think?)
Specifically, PetSmart is looking for a photogenic, friendly, sociable dog and cat to serve as brand ambassadors on social media.
During their year on the job, the canine and feline chief toy testers will be expected to participate in product unboxing videos for pet toys and treats — once per quarter, for a total of four videos. They’ll also appear at a variety of PetSmart events as a celebrity VIP (Very Important Pet).
They’ll also get quarterly salon treatments, or “spaw days,” at their local PetSmart.
Meanwhile, the pet’s human parents will be expected to capture compelling video footage of all this for social media. They’ll also need to commit to a yearlong contract on behalf of Rover or Fluffy.
How to Apply
To apply on behalf of your pet, go to AnythingForPets.com to fill out an application by Feb. 17. You’ll be required to submit a 10- to 30-second video of your dog or cat, showcasing your furry friend’s winning personality.
“Pet parents are encouraged to think creatively with their submission — whether it’s their cat strutting the catwalk in the latest fashion, pups having a ball with their new toys, or pets showing off their skills when the zoomies hit,” PetSmart says.
You’re required to have public Instagram and TikTok accounts, and you’re encouraged to have accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
You’ll also upload a photo of your pet, and you’ll write a review of your pet’s favorite toy in 200 words or fewer. Because with this gig, it’s all about the pet toys.
“We are recruiting two playful and eager team members to bring into our PetSmart pack as the first-ever chief toy testers,” said Will Smith, the company’s chief marketing officer. “These C-suite pets will let pet parents know they are getting the best tried-and-true products for their beloved furry family members.”
You spend a lot on Sparky and Muffin. Let’s see if they can earn you some money for a change!
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
As we start a new year and consider how to bring in extra cash, it’s time once more to look at weird ways to make money.
Some of the following ideas might be worth trying if you’re looking for another source of income. Others, well, let’s just say they make for interesting reading.
So for entertainment or entrepreneurial inspiration, here are some weird ways to make money you might want to consider.
41 Weird Ways to Make Money
1. Sell Your Breast Milk
Given the recent baby formula shortage, breast milk is in serious demand. Only The Breast provides an online classified forum and community for moms looking to sell breast milk. Standard prices start at $1 an ounce, so get pumping.
2. Get Paid to Stand in Line
You’ve heard the adage: Time is money. And you don’t have to waste hours of your life in line at the DMV or post office. Enter one of the weird ways to make money: minding someone’s spot in a physical or virtual queue.
TaskRabbit is a great site to find odd jobs like this, including one-time gigs like furniture assembly or hanging pictures.
3. Win Cash as a Professional Eater
If you’ve seen eating contests on TV, you may have wondered if you could make a living with this “sport.”
Boil 50 eggs or hot dogs and start practicing (on second thought, that sounds too dangerous).
4. Become a Professional Weight Loser
After you end your competitive eating career, you can win big money betting on your weight loss and losing a few pounds with Healthy Wage.
Your potential prize money depends on how much you bet and your personal data. Healthy Wage explains, “We give bigger prizes to people who statistically have a harder time losing weight.” At the moment, the maximum prize to lose weight is $10,000.
5. Sell Your Plasma
You see ads everywhere imploring you to sell plasma. Is it really as easy as rolling up your sleeve for an hour?
The short answer is yes, provided you’re in good health and have iron levels above a certain threshold. Read our guide to selling plasma, and if you’re not a good candidate, consider donating blood instead through the Red Cross.
6. Become a Personal Ad Consultant
If you think keeping your dating profile updated and attractive to potential love interests is a full-time job, you’re not wrong. Enter e-Cyrano, where they’ve made a virtual business of crafting dating profiles that’ll get you noticed.
Becoming a dating profile wordsmith seems like one of those crazy life stories ripped right out of a rom-com, but profile makeovers start at $99 so don’t swipe left on this opportunity.
7. Become a Lice Removal Technician
As a lice removal technician, you can make $30 per hour plus travel expenses, according to a posting by LiceDoctors.
You’ll be an independent contractor, but LiceDoctors will train you in how to use its “all-natural 100-percent-effective” methods. You’ll need to make house calls, and you’ll spend up to five hours on each one.
8. Get Paid for Your Sperm
In the last 30 years, an estimated 120,000 to 150,000 babies were born by anonymous donor insemination, so this is one weird way to make money that’s especially meaningful.
Most sperm banks, which pay anywhere from $25 to $140 per ejaculation sample, have the following requirements:
At least 5-foot-7 and up to 6-foot-6
Between 18 and 40 years old (none accept donations from minors)
Height and weight proportional
In good overall health, based on general physical health screenings and fertility tests
College graduates, enrolled in college or military veterans. Some banks pay more if you have a doctorate or attended an Ivy League school (because recipients pay more for those donor qualities).
A nonsmoker and non-drug user
Able to provide a biological family medical history
See our step-by-step guide to becoming a sperm donor, including how to screen sperm banks and what you should consider before you donate.
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9. Sell Your Feet Pics
Cultivating a side hustle to sell pictures of your feet may seem a little creepy, but it’s a relatively painless gig TikTok swears by.
Riley, a 21-year-old college student who has been selling feet pics online for years, told Business Insider it’s a lucrative way to make extra cash and can be safe as long as you take steps to protect your anonymity.
10. Trade Your Way to Riches
Everything old is new again. You’ve seen those TV shows where someone barters their way from a paperclip to a house. As odd jobs go, bartering can be slow, but being persistent pays off.
Check out our guide to bartering, featuring tips on trading effectively and how to avoid getting swindled.
11. Become an ASMR creator
That weird tingling sensation in your brain when someone speaks softly can turn out to be the key to making money on YouTube. The highest-earning ASMRtist, Jane ASMR, from South Korea, has 9 million followers and banks $500,000 a month.
While you won’t garner an overnight following, Adobe has a tutorial on how to make ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) videos that excel on YouTube.
RentAFriend.com claims you can make up to $50 per hour on its platform, plus get free meals, concert tickets and more.
And don’t worry: RentAFriend.com says it’s “solely a platonic friendship website only.”
13. Be a Virtual Babysitter
Will parents pay money for you to entertain their children online with puppets? Yes, they absolutely will. The Virtual Babysitters Club has online performers available for individual sessions and parties that do everything from juggling and snakes to trivia games.
The rate for virtual babysitting is around $15 an hour, although those with special skills make much more. Indeed offers a guide for virtual babysitters detailing what skills you’ll need and how to get started.
14. Get Paid to Fly Drones
If you already fly drones as a hobby, you can turn that passion into profit. You need a certification to fly unmanned aircraft professionally, but it’s not as difficult or rigorous as obtaining a traditional pilot’s license.
You do have to be 16 years old to become a drone pilot, and the average pilot makes $33 an hour.
15. Sell Weird Toilet Paper
Perhaps one of the weirdest ways to make money on this list is customized toilet paper. Etsy abounds with rolls printed with games, camouflage designs and bright colors.
You can just buy rolls and customize them or make your own toilet paper from scratch, which, in retrospect, would have been a handy skill during the pandemic.
16. Become a Bridesmaid for Hire
It sounds like the plot from the movie “27 Dresses,” but you can become a professional bridesmaid. Hiring a professional creates a drama-free big day for the bride, but be warned, it’s serious work.
Jen Glantz of Bridesmaid for Hire walks down the aisle with complete strangers to the tune of glowing reviews.
“Being a Maid-of-Honor feels like you just adopted a second full-time job, but not when you hire Jen to help,” reads her testimonial section.
17. Sell Your Poop
You can sell plasma and breast milk for profit, so why not poop? Medical companies look for donors of healthy stools to treat patients with colon infections. They pay anywhere from $25 to $500 per donation.
Pro Tip
Before you rush to the bathroom, get the lowdown on how to sell your poop, who’s buying and how to ship samples.
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18. Rent Your Shed
Tiny homes are trendy, but can you honestly house someone in your shed for cash? The answer depends on where you live and what your shed provides. The Tiny Life has discussed living in a shed as a housing alternative.
Of course, you can also rent out your shed as storage space.
19. Be a Human Guinea Pig
The Penny Hoarder has reported on how to make money as a test subject more than once. Most of the time the pay is low, but at one time you could get paid $5,000 per month to stay in bed. Let’s hope that opportunity comes up again.
Pro Tip
You don’t have to undergo experiments to earn money as a test subject. See the companies that pay money for toy testers or market research and surveys.
20. Join a Mock Jury
Real jury duty certainly isn’t the best gig, but lawyers pay big bucks to practice with mock juries. Mock jury services provide in-person and virtual jurors who fit certain demographics for all kinds of cases.
Keep in mind there are a few qualifications for mock jurors. You’ll have to be 18, a U.S. citizen and have a clean criminal record to be considered.
21. Be a Train Pusher
If you have the job of “oshiya,” or “train pusher,” in Tokyo, you use brute force to push people into the subway and train cars, to squeeze in as many as possible. But watching oshiya in action is a bit disturbing to those of us who don’t like crowds.
Don’t live in Japan? There are plenty of ways you can profit from public crowds — like these authors who took notes from a public typewriter and turned them into an award-winning book.
22. Sell Your Hair
Although it seems a bit Victorian, you really can sell your hair, and sometimes for big money.
Depending on the length and color of your hair, those gleaming locks could fetch anywhere from $300 to $1,000.
However, professionals suggest you do some things to encourage growth of healthy hair before chopping it off for extra money.
23. Become a Beekeeper
Being a beekeeper can be a pretty sweet side hustle if you’re not allergic. Backyard beekeepers are usually amateurs with a passion for winged pollinators and an affinity for all things honey.
Before embarking on beekeeping, connect with The Honey Bee Society to learn more about what you’ll need to get started and how to help your hive thrive.
24. Play Video Games for Prizes
The best way to turn playing video games into cold hard cash is to become a content creator and stream your play. If you’re really talented, you could make money playing games on the highly competitive esports circuit.
A look at a list of games that award prize money shows that there are still millions to be made. Plus, professional gamers often enjoy perks like free accommodation and gaming systems.
25. Collect Dog Poop
Yeah, nobody really wants the work, but numerous businesses come to people’s homes to clean up dog poop in the yard.
If you aren’t sure you’re ready for a business, Doody Calls is looking for workers at the moment.
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26. Be a Professional Sleeper
Get paid to sleep on the job? Yep, it’s a thing. There are research companies that will pay sleep study participants thousands, but these studies require you to sleep in a laboratory setting. If that feels a bit weird, there are some at-home sleep studies, but those opportunities pay less.
Interested in making money in your sleep? We’ve got the details on your dream job, including the different types of sleep studies available and how much you could get paid.
27. Become a Living Statue
You might be surprised how much you can make standing still. Living statues are the latest craze in street performers, and they make a lot in their spare time standing around in parks and at festivals.
Maggie Karlin, who has been a living statue for nine years, makes as much as $100 a day during the summer. She says that, like poker players, the hardest part is keeping a straight face for hours at a time.
28. Be a Professional Whistler
If you can whistle well, you might make money with your skill. After a 2005 documentary called “Pucker Up,” Molly Lewis decided to take a deep dive into the world of competitive whistling.
Now she’s a regular in the LA music scene and even has her own recording career. So pucker up for a few hours and see if you can’t whistle while you work your way into financial freedom.
29. Clean IMAX Screens
Working on a large-format movie screen is not your typical cleaning assignment. In fact, not many cleaning companies can handle an IMAX dome.
That’s why Michael Quaranto and Andrew Brown started 1570 Cleaning Services. As Quaranto explains, cleaning an eight-story screen involves special patented equipment and can take up to eight hours. You also have to travel quite a bit if you do this work.
30. Sing Strange Songs
Matt Farley has produced 23,000 songs, according to Paste Magazine, singing about anything from news headlines to songs about going to the bathroom. He fills Spotify and iTunes with songs containing popular keywords, and makes money when people listen.
While certainly a weird way to make money, Farley has also leveraged his fame to start a low-budget film career that’s starting to get him noticed in Hollywood circles.
31. Be an Ice Sculptor
You’ve seen those fancy ice sculptures at events, and maybe you’ve wondered if you could make them too. There’s actually good money in this craft, especially as part of a culinary or catering business.
But how much can you sell them for?
Most ice sculptors don’t publish prices online because each job is different. But the price list for Sculpted Ice Works starts at $425 to $475 for a single block sculpture and goes up from there.
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32. Test Ice Cream
Professional ice-cream-tasting jobs are not an urban myth. In fact, Dreyer’s official ice cream taster, John Harrison, samples 60 packages of ice cream daily and has taste buds that are insured for $1 million.
He grew up in a family that worked in the ice cream industry, though; it’s not clear how an outsider would go about getting hired for one of these jobs.
33. Provide Strange Subscriptions
No matter how strange, if you’re into it, there’s probably a subscription for it. For example, the Dive Bar Shirt Club sends members a limited-edition T-shirt “from the best of America’s most interesting and unusual dive bars” each month. The subscription costs $24 monthly.
Think of some other odd thing people will subscribe to (apples?, underwear?) and you might have your own business!
34. Be a Restaurant Cliff Diver
Casa Bonita is a real restaurant, not just an invention of “South Park,” and yes, there are people diving off cliffs inside. The famous Colorado restaurant was saved from bankruptcy by the “South Park” creators and is reopening this year.
And in case you don’t live in Colorado, there are other restaurants that hire cliff divers, although you might have to suffer through a summer in Jamaica or Mexico to snag the job. Such a hardship.
35. Provide Doggy Day Care
The Penny Hoarder has reported on the business of pet sitting, and most of the work involves visiting animals in their homes.
But there is also a demand for drop-off pet day care. Even PetSmart has doggy day camp, so owners can leave their pets somewhere safe while at work.
If your dog or cat is as cute as you think, it may be time to cash in. Winning competitions is one way to make money with Kitty or Fido, but making your pet a YouTube or Instagram influencer may be an easier route.
Some pet influencers make $1 million or more per year, making this paws-down one of the cutest ways to make money online.
Cuddlist’s code of conduct specifies each cuddler gets to set their boundaries with clients. “Sometimes we feel lively and playful, sometimes we feel quiet and introspective. There are a gazillion right ways to cuddle! As long as you are following the code of conduct and respecting your Cuddlist practitioner’s boundaries, you are doing it right.”
38. Sell Deer Pee
Sam Collora is a pee farmer. He has a herd of more than 100 deer (and a few elk), from which he collects urine. He sells the urine for $15.50 for a 2-ounce bottle. It’s bought by hunters to attract deer.
Not sure you have room for a herd of deer? You could sell other animals’ urine. For example, Predator Pee sells everything from bear to coyote urine. If your dog is part wolf, you might be ready to go.
39. Sell Your Coffee Mugs
This weird way to make extra cash involves saving your vintage coffee cups from the trash heap. Experts say some vintage mugs in high demand could fetch big bucks.
A coffee mug from Disney World can sell for $50 or more, and some collectors pay more than $250 for specific mugs. Check those cupboards!
But Rent a Mourner, in the U.K., currently supplies “professional, discreet people to attend funerals and wakes,” and it’s still a common practice in many parts of the world. So maybe it’s time to start crying a river of dividends.
41. Be a Clown
This is not a joke. Dressing up as a clown or a princess for birthday parties is big business. And while putting on clown shoes might not be your dream gig, you’ll be the one laughing all the way to the bank. The average clown salary is about $63,000 a year.
You also don’t have to join the circus to live that clown life. Lots of performers make quick cash doing weekend work for event planners and local entertainment companies.
Your Turn: What’s the weirdest way you’ve made money?
Kaz Weida is a senior writer with The Penny Hoarder. Steve Gillman, author of “100 Weird Ways to Make Money,” contributed.
Ready to join the ranks of the gig economy and start your own freelance business? Being your own boss has a lot of advantages, but there are some pitfalls. From concerns about cash management to worries about being personally liable, a freelancing business is a bit more complicated than grabbing a listing off a job board.
Whether you’re looking to start a freelancing career or you want to create your own business as a side hustle, here’s a step-by-step guide to freelancing for beginners.
What Is a Freelance Business?
One way freelance businesses are a bit different from a traditional business entity is that you’re usually selling services and not physical products. Most start their freelance journey as independent contractors hired for a specific project or paid an hourly rate.
According to the Gig Economy Data Hub, nearly a quarter of all global workers and as much as 11% of the American workforce do some freelancing either as their full-time job or as a side hustle.
Many freelancers may have one or two long-term clients that provide the equivalent of a full-time job, while other freelancers pick up a patchwork of short-term gigs. Some common freelance jobs include being a web designer or freelance writer or illustrator. Unlike other professionals or full-time workers, a full-time freelancer scouts out their own potential clients and usually works remotely.
Looking to start working as a freelance writer? Here are 19 sites that pay contributors.
What Are the Advantages of Starting a Freelance Business?
Before you run out to start a freelance business, it’s worth considering some of the pros and cons.
Pros
Set your own hours
Work from home or remotely
Determine your own rates
Choose your own clients
Cons
Paying taxes quarterly
Higher tax rate
Finding your own clients
No employer benefits such as health insurance, retirement savings plans and paid time off
Some of the advantages and disadvantages of freelance work will also depend on different factors, such as whether you’re freelancing full time or just taking on projects to make extra income on the side.
How to Start a Freelance Business in 9 Easy Steps
Before onboarding your first client, these are the critical steps you should take to ensure your freelance career will be a successful one.
Step 1: Decide what services you’ll offer.
Often, prospective clients are interested in hiring freelancers because the company lacks the skills or doesn’t have the bandwidth to tackle some projects in-house. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2020 report indicates 41% of companies are expected to expand their use of independent contractors in the coming years.
Think about what you are qualified to do, but also other niche interests and insights you might bring to the virtual table and what companies are expecting others in your industry to provide.
Step 2: Determine your rate.
What should you charge for freelancing? For many freelance newbies, this is the hardest part. And what you’ll charge depends on your industry, demand, skill level and experience.
There are two basic schools of thought on freelance rates. One method is to take the annual salary you want to earn and work backward from there to determine your monthly, weekly and hourly rate. The other method, referred to as value pricing, is a little more nuanced and relies on doing some market research.
Step 3: Build a website or portfolio.
As a freelancer, you’re not usually selling a product. You’re selling yourself. And the first step to generating a customer base is to establish a virtual presence. Secure a domain under your name or look to create a freelance site with a name that reflects your focus.
Pro Tip
Don’t have the skills to build your own website? No problem. Lots of sites like Wix, Squarespace and others offer templates and website builders for beginners.
Step 4: Decide whether to start an LLC or an S-corp.
As a freelancer or sole proprietor, the most common way to establish your business is as a limited liability company (LLC). This provides basic protection from personal liability or asset seizure if your business incurs debts or runs into legal trouble.
However, there are some advantages to taking the extra steps to make your freelance business an S corporation. Although the process is more complicated, this business structure can save a bundle on taxes in the long run.
Still unsure whether you want to do an LLC or S-corp for your freelance business? Learn more about the pros and cons in our guide.
Step 5: File for an employer identification number.
You may be wondering if it’s really necessary to go to the extra trouble of securing a federal employer identification number (EIN). And the short answer for most freelance businesses is yes. While you won’t use it every day, an EIN will let you do a few essential tasks like opening a business bank account to keep your personal finances separate.
Pro Tip
Find out more about whether you should get an EIN and how to file for one with the IRS on the Small Business Association website.
Step 6: Get your business licensed.
Even if the extent of your business operations is to pop open the computer every morning and roll up the sleeves of your pajamas, you’ll still be required to register your business in most states. This often means paying a small annual fee for a state business license.
Many municipalities and counties also require businesses, even LLCs operating from home-based offices, to hold licenses or permits. Check with your city, county and state officials to determine what the rules are in your area.
Step 7: Consider opening a business bank account.
Before you start making bank as a freelancer, you’ll have to decide how to manage your finances. While some business structures don’t require it, the IRS recommends having a separate business checking account for tax purposes if you’re an independent contractor.
Step 8: Figure out how to track income and expenses.
Tracking your income, invoices and business expenses can seem like a full-time job, especially if you have more clients than the average freelancer. In the beginning, you may do fine with a well-managed spreadsheet, then find it necessary to graduate to more advanced bookkeeping.
There are also several budgeting apps that specifically offer tools for freelancers, such as You Need a Budget (YNAB) or QuickBooks Self-Employed. The best part is you can write off budgeting app subscriptions as well as software like TurboTax or a project management tool as a business expense.
Step 9: Set up quarterly estimated tax payments.
One of the big adjustments to starting your freelance career is making quarterly estimated tax payments. The federal government and some states require self-employed contractors, LLCs and other small businesses to pay estimated taxes quarterly.
“Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, and S corporation shareholders, generally have to make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when their return is filed,” the IRS website specifies.
Calendar the following estimated tax payment deadlines to ensure you won’t forget.
April 18
June 15
Sept. 15
Jan. 16, 2024
If you take the appropriate steps to start your freelance business off on the right foot, being your own boss, working from home and setting your own schedule can be incredibly rewarding.
Looking for new clients for your business? Here are nine freelancing websites to try, including platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.
Kaz Weida is a senior writer with The Penny Hoarder and owns her own freelance business.
Unfortunately, federal income tax refunds are expected to be smaller this year for millions of Americans.
Wouldn’t it be nice to double your refund?
That’s the idea behind a new sweepstakes contest from Jackson Hewitt, the second-largest tax preparation company in the U.S. (The biggest is H&R Block.)
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the company is holding a weekly “Double Your Refund” sweepstakes from now through April 2 — and you don’t even have to file your taxes with Jackson Hewitt to enter the drawing.
Over 12 weeks, 40 grand prize winners will get their federal tax refunds matched, to a maximum of $15,000. Even if you’re not getting a big refund, the minimum prize if you win is $1,500.
Additionally, every week 40 runner-up entrants will be randomly selected to win $400 apiece. How’s that for a nice tax season surprise?
Ready to tackle your taxes? We’ve reviewed the best tax software, including the free versions.
To Enter the Sweepstakes, Do Your Taxes
There are two ways to enter the sweepstakes, and you can enter only once.
The most straightforward way is to have your income taxes done by Jackson Hewitt, which prepares 2 million tax returns a year at 5,600 locations all over the U.S. You’ll automatically be entered into the contest that way.
There’s another way to enter the sweepstakes, and you don’t have to be a Jackson Hewitt customer. You do have to physically mail something, though — and you have to do your taxes.
You mail in an entry, and you have to do it by the Monday following the week that you file your federal tax return.
This is kind of a way to encourage early tax filing. Winners are chosen weekly in random drawings during the 12-week sweepstakes period. So the sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win.
Mail your entry with your name, address, email address, phone number and the date your tax return was filed, stated as “Federal Tax Return Filed on XX/XX/23.”
Your entry must be in a No. 10 business envelope (a standard business envelope) with proper postage addressed to “Jackson Hewitt Double Your Refund Sweepstakes,” P.O. Box 16470, Rochester, NY 14616. Write your filing date on the envelope stated as: “Federal Tax Return Filed on XX/XX/23.”
All winners will be notified by email, phone or mail. For full rules, terms and conditions of the sweepstakes, go here.
Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Want to become a mystery shopper? If so, we’ve found the five best mystery shopper companies to work for.
Mystery shoppers go by a couple different names – evaluators, secret shoppers — but, regardless of the name, the job’s the same: mystery shoppers document their experiences to help businesses who deal with the public a lot.
Workers can score everything from free food to extra money when they work for a mystery shopping company.
Mystery shopping jobs are pretty plentiful, too. The mystery shopping industry has been around since the 1940s and is a nearly $2-billion-dollar-a-year industry.
Ready to learn how to get paid to shop? This post includes information about the best mystery shopping firms around (and what makes a reputable company), average pay, how to avoid mystery shopping scams and more.
What Is Mystery Shopping?
Mystery shopping is a job where a company pays you to pose like a regular customer. You’ll provide valuable feedback to the company — from how clean the store was to how the employees interacted with you. In exchange for your feedback, they pay you a fee, and in most cases, you’ll be asked to buy something and then be reimbursed up to a set amount. You will know that amount before you buy.
Many mystery shopping trips entail visits to retail stores, food markets or phone shops. However, for some gigs, you might visit local restaurants (free food!) or even theme parks. There are also phone mystery shopping companies where you interact with call centers and gauge the setup.
Typically, you’ll write up a report on your experience from the customer’s point of view and submit it to the client by a deadline. From there, you’ll get paid.
How Do You Get Started as a Mystery Shopper?
You can look up mystery shopping gigs on dedicated company websites (we’ll get to that soon) or via a job board, like Indeed.com.
After you apply and your application is approved, you simply log in to the company’s website and select the jobs you want to do. These firms will provide you with all the instructions, and after you’ve completed the shop, you’ll need to enter your feedback into their websites. Some pay via direct deposit, but most will mail you a check at the end of the month.
It varies by company, but you typically need to be 18 or older to be hired by a mystery shopping company. For assignments around liquor or alcohol, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old. Some gigs also have ranges. For example, a company might request someone between the ages of 18 and 30 so they can appear to be a college student. Some mystery shopping jobs also require you to have reliable transportation.
Qualities of a Good Mystery Shopper
To be a successful mystery shopper, you’ll need to:
Read thoroughly. Make sure you read the job description completely and understand the requirements.
Be detail-oriented. Watch and listen closely when mystery shopping plus take notes and photos. Successful secret shoppers are meticulous with their data.
Stay organized. Hold on to any receipts, business cards and other items you need to submit to get reimbursed and paid for the gig. Adhere to deadlines, too (put a reminder on your calendar!).
Mystery shopping can be a great way to earn pocket cash, but you’ll want to treat this gig like any other job. Especially since not following the rules means you won’t get paid.
How Much Money Can You Get Paid for a Mystery Shopping Job?
It varies based on the company and assignment. Across the U.S., mystery shoppers make approximately $970 a week. Gigs run the gamut, from $12 and a free meal to $100 as a flat rate and beyond.
It’s important to note that, as a mystery shopper, you’ll be an independent contractor. That means you’re responsible for paying your own taxes. You can keep tabs on deductions (like paying for gas to get to a gig) to help with your tax burden at the end of the year. Many companies require shoppers to sign an independent contractor agreement (versus signing them on as a W2 worker), so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a full-time situation that offers health insurance and other benefits.
On the plus side — since you’re not an employee — you should be able to mystery-shop for multiple companies at one time.
How Do You Get Paid?
Similarly, it depends on the company hiring for the assignment — each one has its own rules surrounding payment, from how it’s issued to how often you’ll see your money.
Many mystery shopping companies pay via PayPal, though some do direct debit and physical checks, too. Some offer gift cards in lieu of cash payment, as well.
5 of the Best Mystery Shopping Companies
Sinclair Customer Metrics
Market Force Information
IntelliShop
Elite CXS
Mystery Shopping Service
Here are some of the companies where you can find mystery shopper jobs. Also, all of them are free to join:
1. Sinclair Customer Metrics
Sinclair Customer Metrics has been in the mystery shopping game since 1987. It specializes in the banking, retail, grocery store, (quick-service) restaurant and convenience store spaces. And on top of in-person gigs, Sinclair offers video mystery shopping to clients, too, complete with a hidden camera.
People looking for a mystery shopping assignment can sign up here.
Better Business Bureau rating: A+.
How payment is distributed: Check.
When payment is sent: You’ll be paid once a month, the last week of the following month after your last completed assignment.
What you need to get paid: Submit completed assignments on time and adhere to all specifications.
2. Market Force Information
Market Force Information works with clients in a variety of industries, from health and wellness and movie studios to specialty retail and alcohol and tobacco. The firm has offices in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, and provides gigs in thousands of locations. Market Force also has an app, Eyes:On, which allows mystery shoppers to complete assignments on the go.
People looking for mystery shopping gigs can sign up here.
Better Business Bureau rating: A+.
How payment is distributed: Direct deposit.
When payment is sent: Monthly, on the 15th.
What you need to get paid: Submit completed assignments on time and adhere to all specifications.
3. IntelliShop
IntelliShop is a customer experience research and improvement firm. The firm’s specialties are in the customer experience, online reputation management, and loss prevention and compliance sectors. IntelliShop provides coverage in more than 18K cities in the U.S. and Canada and 180 countries.
Prospective shoppers seeking a mystery shopping assignment can sign up here.
Better Business Bureau rating: A+.
How payment is distributed: PayPal.
When payment is sent: Approximately 30 days after the last day of the month in which your mystery shopping trips were completed.
What you need to get paid: All shop documentation (a business card, receipt, etc. — anything required for a particular task) must be submitted to receive payment for the shopper challenge.
4.Elite CXS
Elite CXS is a veteran-owned, award-winning mystery-shopping operation based in Hudson, Florida. The company has partnered with major brands, such as Porsche, T-Mobile and Gold’s Gym. Jobs vary by region across the U.S, but Elite CXS places evaluators in video, phone and in-person shopping gigs in a variety of industries.
What you need to get paid: Submit completed assignments on time.
5. Mystery Shopping Service
Mystery Shopping Service has been around for more than 20 years. The company serves the real estate, senior living and healthcare, retail, and hospitality industries across the U.S. Mystery shoppers could be tasked with calling a business and reporting on the conversation or touring an apartment building under the guise of a potential renter.
Prospective mystery shoppers can get more information on available gigs and apply here.
Better Business Bureau rating: A+.
How payment is distributed: PayPal or check.
When payment is sent: End of the month.
What you need to get paid: Submit completed assignments on time as outlined in the assignment instructions.
What’s Life Like for a Secret Shopper?
You can become a mystery shopper in a number of ways. In fact, our CEO started mystery shopping as a teenager. (He’s also completed more than 5,000 mystery shops to date!)
He got his start mystery shopping at local grocery stores, an Ikea, fast-food establishments, restaurants and liquor stores. On another assignment, he was asked to pretend he was shopping for a car — he took a test drive and everything — and earned a cool $60 for each dealership he went to that day.
He’s since hung up his mystery-shopping boots. But back in the day, he was usually paid between $8 and $25 per secret-shopping trip. There were months where he earned more than $5,000, but most months, he earned $400-$500 in extra money for mystery shopping.
Your mileage may vary, of course. But it can be a semi-lucrative and fun gig for the right person.
Warning: Be Careful of Mystery Shopper Scams
Unfortunately, if you’ve looked into mystery shopping before, you know there are a lot of scammers trying to take advantage of this industry’s growing popularity.
A few rules of thumb:
Never pay to join a mystery shopping company. The real ones never ask for a payment from you.
Never pay money to a company to see their list of jobs. Legitimate mystery shopping companies are always short of shoppers, so they never ask for you to pay to see a list of their jobs.
Also, legit mystery shopping companies shouldn’t force you to take a certain number of jobs.
Still confused about an opportunity? The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) is a trade organization that offers resources for secret shopping companies and guidelines for individuals who are interested in this type of work. Also, check out online reviews for any company before you work for them.
There are a ton of real mystery shopping companies, so do your due diligence to stay away from the scams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Mystery Shopping
Here are some FAQs when it comes to mystery shopping companies and gigs.
Which Mystery Shopping Company Pays the Best?
BestMark is one of the largest mystery shopping companies, so you’ll have a wide variety of jobs to pick through and choose based on pay.
Overall, though, it’s worthwhile to sign up for a couple different companies and see what’s out there. Also, consider that the types of gigs you go after (visiting three grocery stores in one day vs. answering a 10-minute survey, for example) will have an effect on your pay. If you choose more involved tasks, the pay tends to go up with the workload.
Which Mystery Shopping Companies Are Legitimate?
The five companies listed in this article are all legitimate mystery shopping companies. However, it’s worth looking at recent online reviews so you can learn from other evaluators’ experiences. (Also, note that BBB ratings do not necessarily mean that a business is BBB accredited.)
Always do some research before taking a gig and revisit the section on scams so you know what to avoid.
How Much do Professional Mystery Shoppers Make?
Mystery shoppers can make anywhere from a few bucks to several hundred a week. Depending on your availability and the job pay, you have some control over how much you can make. Remember, though, that it will typically take a couple of weeks (minimum) before you will receive the pay for your work.
Contributor Kathleen Garvin (@itskgarvin) is a personal finance writer based in St. Petersburg, Florida, and former editor and marketer at The Penny Hoarder. She owns a content-writing business and her work has appeared in U.S. News, Clark.com and Well Kept Wallet.
You survived the interviews. You deftly explained where you see yourself in five years. You managed to sparkle even when you talked about your greatest weakness.
Now there’s just one thing standing between you and your dream job: a credit check.
But what happens when you have a lackluster credit score? Will past missteps haunt your career prospects for years to come?
What Shows up on a Credit Check for Employment?
First the good news: Employers don’t see your credit score when they run your credit. Instead they see a modified version of your credit report.
Here’s what appears:
Open accounts with the account numbers redacted
Payment history
Outstanding balances
Amount of open credit
Accounts in collections
Bankruptcies from the past seven to 10 years, depending on the type of bankruptcy
Foreclosures from the past seven years
Now here’s the bad news: The things employers look for when they check your credit — primarily negative payment history or a high credit utilization ratio — are the top two factors that can crush your credit score.
So if you have a low credit score, your credit report will probably have information that could be a red flag to employers.
If a company does check your credit for hiring purposes, you don’t have to worry that your score will be affected. The pull is what’s known as a soft check, which has no impact on your score. A hard check, which occurs when you apply for credit, can ding your score by a few points.
Pro Tip
If your current employer wants to check your credit, they’ll need your written consent to do so.
When Do Employers Do Credit Checks?
For a lot of applicants, a credit check is unlikely to be an issue. A 2020 survey of more than 1,500 human resources professionals by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) found that just 6% of companies ran credit checks on all employees.
Obviously, credit checks are most common for roles that involve handling money or sensitive information. If your personal finances are in trouble, employers may worry you’re more likely to embezzle money or commit fraud.
But some companies run credit checks simply because they think that if you can manage your own money well, it’s a sign that you’ll be a good employee — though a growing number of state and local governments oppose the practice. At least 11 states, Washington, D.C., plus Chicago, New York City and Philadelphia, limit the use of credit checks for candidates who don’t deal with finances or sensitive data.
Employers usually do credit checks at the end of the hiring process. Most do them after a conditional job offer has been made, though some conduct them following a job interview.
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have to consent in writing for an employer to pull your credit.
What to Do Before a Hiring Manager Runs Your Credit
If you’re a job candidate and you’ve been asked to consent to a credit check, you’ll want to know exactly what the employer will see on your reports.
The best way to do this is by obtaining a free credit report from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Ordinarily, you’re only entitled to one free report per year from each bureau, but due to the pandemic, you can receive a free report every week through December 2023. However, checking your reports this frequently probably isn’t necessary.
Pro Tip
Your credit reports are genuinely free on AnnualCreditReport.com. Unlike some sites, you don’t need to fork over your credit card info for a temporary trial to obtain them.
If you find any inaccurate information, it’s vital that you dispute it pronto with the bureaus — and let the hiring manager know that you’re disputing it as well.
But when the report contains negative information that’s correct, the proactive approach is best. If you’ve made mistakes in the past, ask to talk with the hiring manager before they run your credit.
If your credit troubles are the result of hardship, like a death in the family, a layoff or a divorce, you may want to explain the circumstances to the hiring manager, though be careful about offering TMI.
You’ll be in a better position to make your case if you can explain how you’re working to fix things and why your previous mishaps won’t affect your job performance.
If the employer opts not to hire you because of what they found in your credit reports, they’re required under the Fair Credit Report to notify you. They’ll also need to give you a copy of the credit report they used to make the decision, a summary of your rights and ample time to dispute the decision.
While this process may seem stomach-churning, it helps to understand the employer’s reason for checking your credit: It’s usually about risk mitigation. They want to make sure they’re not hiring someone who’s likely to steal from the company or its customers, rather than judge you for missing a credit card payment.
Why You Need to Check Your Credit Reports, Not Just Your Score
Regardless of whether you’re on the job market, you need to regularly monitor your credit reports. And no, signing up for a credit score monitoring service isn’t enough.
While these services can be helpful, only the reports furnished by the official bureaus will show you what’s really causing any credit troubles.
Think of the credit score as your temperature. If you develop a fever, it could be a sign of an underlying problem. Obtaining your credit report is like getting lab work. It’s the only way to get to the root of the problem.
Trust us: Even if you’re not job hunting or applying for credit soon, it will pay off to address these problems now. Finding a job is stressful enough. Don’t add unnecessary pressure down the line by neglecting to keep up with your credit report.
Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. She writes the Dear Penny personal finance advice column. Send your tricky money questions to [email protected].
