There are many ways for seniors to make money online and offline. This post will show you 27 of the best options available. The internet has made it pretty easy for those over 50 to make money online, so we'll focus on those first. Our website is all about helping to shine a light on opportunities for those over the age of 50 and open doors for changing lives for the better.
This includes how to get part-time income while working from home or even while still working a 9-5 job and looking for a side hustle. You can even enhance your retirement income and generally live better with some of the options here.
These opportunities can also provide a first step to help you break free to unleash your entrepreneurial spirit and become an online business owner before or during retirement.
It’s never too late to change your life. These 27 ways for seniors to make money with online and offline opportunities will get you started.
In this article you will discover all types of part-time and full-time money-making jobs for the AARP “baby boom” generation.
We start with online opportunities because technology today makes it possible for everyone to make money via the interest.
Yes, this means you! We promise it is true. There are many ways for seniors to make money online.
You will also find driving and teaching jobs for retirees, as well as at-home and around-town jobs for seniors to check out.
All we ask is don’t be afraid of the online opportunities shared here, no matter your background or experience.
Do you dream of changing your life before retirement or building some income while you are retired? If yes, the odds are good you will find good opportunities in here. There are a lot of jobs for seniors and retirees that offer personal satisfaction and extra money.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, meaning we receive a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, but this is at no additional cost to you. Please read our disclosure for additional details.
ONLINE WAYS FOR SENIORS TO MAKE MONEY
Start a Blog Built for Business
Blogging is one of the best work-from-home jobs – or from nearly everywhere in the world – anyone can do. One benefit of starting a blog is you can learn about and share information about a topic you are interested in.
Blogging can be financially beneficial full-time career or a side hustle you do while still working your 9-5 job. You can truly start a blog regardless of your age, location and experience level.
As we enter the new 20’s decade, millions of people around the world are looking to make money online. Some move from a traditional job to work from home, some set up an office and others travel the world with their laptop.
Starting our first blog wasn’t easy, but a little time and focus made all the difference. There is quite a bit of competition out there these days, but don’t worry.
There are so many easy-to-use tools available today to create your blog, find and know your audience and be certain you can compete in your topic area.
Here are the key things to think about when looking to start a blog:
- You want a topic without large retail/corporate competition
- It’s good to have a topic you are personally interested in and can share your interest with your audience. You do not need to be an expert
- You need to have an audience interested in the topic. It doesn’t have to be as large as you might imagine
- You want to be sure there are ways to make money with your topic through affiliate marketing or advertising
Remember it can be whatever YOU want to make of it. You can start a blog covering whatever subjects your heart desires and/or what can make you money over time.
Blogging can be one of the most profitable online businesses with very low costs, if you do it the right way. And the best part is, the small amount of time you put into writing a blog post today can make money for you long into the future.
Ready to start your blog already? Start by visiting Bluehost to get your url (your address on the internet). They have a step-by-step process to help you along.
You can also visit our post that will walk you through the process here.......
Freelance writing
Companies are always looking for people to write for them. Writing can provide opportunities for seniors to make money part-time or even full-time.
You need to have strong English and grammar skills. In addition to being able to write well, you also need to be organized and self-motivated to work at home.
If you enjoy writing and want to work from home, this could be ideal for you. There are many website platforms that promote writing and proofreading jobs:
- Flexjobs
- Upwork
- Freelance Writing
- Pro Blogger
As a writer, you may be hired to develop blog posts, magazine articles, academic reports, advertisements, books, press releases and even video scripts.
An experienced freelance writer can easily make $25 per hour or more, which makes this a great way for seniors to make money if they enjoy writing and creating content.
There are a wide variety of good freelance writers’ courses, but this one offers a great place to start for a reasonable price:
Proofreading
Proofreading is the process of reading a document or manuscript to identify grammar and punctuation errors.
There aren’t any official requirements for this job. You don’t need a license or degree to become a proofreader. You are officially a proofreader once you find someone willing to pay you to proofread.
That’s about it!
You need to understand basic grammar and sentence structure.
Are you quick to pick up errors and misspellings in things you read? Do you know where to insert commas and where to leave them out?
That’s basically the job description.
While most grammar and business skills can be taught, there are some things you need naturally in order to become a proofreader. The most important proofreading skills are:
- Strong knowledge of the English language
- Excellent written and oral communication
- Good attention to detail
- Ability to consistently meet deadlines
- Familiar with Microsoft Word
If you are confident about these skills, becoming a freelance proofreader might be a great way for seniors to earn money.
There are several proofreader courses that will help you gain confidence and learn how to be successful. They also teach you how beginning proofreaders can find paying customers.
We recommend Caitlyn Pyle’s Proofread Anywhere course.
She offers the best and most complete course available about proofreading for beginners.
Click here to go to the Proofread Anywhere course.
Caitlin is a savvy businesswoman and her course teaches all the technical and important business skills. You’ll learn how much to charge, how to write contracts, how to market yourself and where to find paying clients.
Check out the FREE introductory course by clicking here: https://proofreadanywhere.com/
It might be the best hour you’ve ever invested in yourself.
Becoming a Virtual Assistant is perfect way for seniors to make money
You can have the freedom, financial security and flexibility you dream about every day as a virtual assistant (VA).
Work from home or anywhere in the world as the owner of your very own virtual assistant business. You likely already have many of the skills needed to get started and it’s easy to learn the rest in no time.
How would it feel to really enjoy the work you do as a VA and then take a vacation whenever it feels right?
You can even take your laptop on the road. There will be times when you need it, but the ocean, mountain or lake will be there when you set it down.
What is a virtual assistant?
As a virtual assistant, you’ll provide services to businesses while working from home or anywhere you find an internet connection.
The internet has made it possible for the explosive growth of virtual assistant opportunities in the world.
While there are different niches a virtual assistant can specialize in, the job is like what an office manager or admin assistant provides in an office setting.
For example, you can be hired for email monitoring, project management, blog writing or supervision, managing appointments or sales calls, handling social media content, and more.
30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success Course
The course creator, Gina Horkey, became a VA in 2014. She was able to start making $4,000/month working part-time within 6 months. And this was before most people had even heard about the concept of virtual assistants.
Her program is without a doubt the most comprehensive Virtual Assistant course you can find online.
It will give you the confidence and training needed to succeed, make money and grow your business.
Transcription offers a great way to make money
Transcription is a job where you listen to an audio or video file and type out the information into a Microsoft Word document.
It may seem like a simple thing to do but it helps to be a fast typist and a good listener to make really good money.
It’s best to get some training successfully start a transcription career if you are a beginner.
One of the best courses out there is:
General Transcription: Theory & Practice
It was created by Janet Shaughnessy, a highly-paid transcriptionist and owner of Zoom Transcription Services for the last decade.
She has incorporated her 24-years’ experience into a great source of knowledge and tips you can use to move from a newbie to a professional transcriptionist in just a couple of months or so.
In addition to her paid course option, she also offers a FREE 7-Lesson Mini-Transcription Course offering the basic information on how to succeed in this niche.
Scoping
Once a court reporter has taken down the last word in a legal proceeding, there’s still work to be done.
You may feel like I do – I’ve never heard of this before. But it might be a great job for the right folks.
Court reporters attempt to take down every spoken word on a stenographer machine and doing it at up to 170 words per minute. So some errors are inevitable. The final documents need to be spot on, since imperfect documents can impact the results of a trial.
Scopists listen to audio recordings and check them against the written transcripts of court and deposition transcripts they’ve downloaded to their computer. Their job is to look for any inconsistencies.
These include misunderstood words, mistranslated words, even complete gaps may need to be caught by the scopist. Once all problems have been identified, the scopist sends the transcript back to the court reporter for final corrections.
Most people in the business believe the Internet Scoping School offers one of the best courses available.
You can be a part of a trained group of individuals who, on average, earn $30,000 to $50,000 annually. It will take you time to build up to this, but the opportunities are there for seniors to make money with the right training.
Virtual Bookkeeper
One of the BEST part-time online jobs for anyone with an office manager or general financial background is a Virtual Bookkeeper.
We recently heard about a stay-at-home mom with nine children and home-schools six of them. She is working online part-time as a Virtual Bookkeeper and earning over $2,000 per month.
How much can you earn? $25-50 per hour is a good average income level.
How to get started: Check out this free class on How to Become a Virtual Bookkeeper to see if this is right for you.
Data Entry
Data entry requires very little specific training, so it’s easy to get started. There’s no ramp-up time and no need for prolonged training. In most cases you can just get up and get going.
Becoming a freelance data entry professional doesn’t require special education or professional background. This makes it available to nearly everyone who’s interested in working online.
A data entry clerk may be asked to transfer information from an offline book to a Word document. This content could then be used to create an online eBook or part of a blog post… or vice versa.
Many of these jobs get paid by the word or the page, so seniors can make more money if your typing speed is good. Here are the key skills and attitudes that will help you be successful and profitable:
Typing Skills: You also need to be able to type quickly and efficiently while maintaining a high degree of accuracy.
Computer Skills: As a data entry worker, you need to understand how to use a laptop or computer and keep it updated and safe.
Organization: It helps to be good at keeping things you are working on in good order. You should be good with organization and always pay attention to detail. This is a job where focus and keeping your mind on the job at hand helps you to earn more money.
Here are three well-known online platforms who offer business operations for companies. These services include data entry.
English Tutor for Chinese Children
VIPKID
You can teach English to children in China for only 3 hours a day and earn $2,000 a MONTH working for VIPKID.
This could be a good way for seniors to make money if you have any kind of bachelor’s degree. You’ll need to be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. or Canada with any kind of teaching experience (tutoring, mentoring, Sunday school, etc. are all good).
Apply to VIPKID here.
Tutoring is one of the best work-from-home jobs for seniors who love to help others. There are many online tutoring opportunities for making money on the internet, but these are two of the best:
VIPKID is one of the most popular sites offering online English tutoring jobs paying over $20 per hour. You can easily make more than $2,000 per month working 4-7 hours per day. They also give all new teachers a $300 sign-up bonus.
VIPKID was established in 2013 and you will teach Chinese children from Kindergarten to the ninth grade level.
Every class or lesson lasts about 25-30 minutes and the pay ranges from $15 to $25 per hour depending on your experience level. .
QKIDS
Qkids connects Chinese young learners (age 5-12) with instructors with a passion for education. You have to reside in the U.S. or Canada (due to internet restrictions) and have a bachelor’s degree.
They make it easy for you by booking the classes and the hiring process is typically quick. This company received a 4.4/5 star rating and generally pay between $15-$21 per hour.
They have a friendly and supportive staff along with good flexibility and decent pay.
Virtual Travel Agent
This is perfect for seniors and others who love to travel and enjoy sharing their expertise with clients. It usually pays between $12 to over $40 an hour according to some Indeed listings.
What better way to feed your travel addiction than working as a remote travel agent or consultant? You can work part- or full-time and spend your working time dreaming up itineraries, flight plans, hotels, and activities for clients looking to travel far and wide.
Then (here’s some of the good stuff…) take advantage of your travel discounts (a major benefit of the job) and go wherever and whenever your heart desires.
Home-based travel agents generally work for a host agency (a company bonded and accredited by the Airlines Reporting Corporation or the International Airlines Travel Agents Network) as an independent contractor.
You can also work as part of a consortium or a franchise, but as a beginning agent, a host agency offers the oversight, access, and background to help you learn and succeed.
Do a search for remote travel agent or consultant jobs using a typical job listing platform like Indeed, Zip Recruiter, and Glassdoor.
Course Hero
At Course Hero you can earn at least $3 per question asked by high school and college students in nearly any subject, including biology, math and English.
This is a type of tutoring where you help students, learners and researchers to find answers to their homework quizzes and essays.
Course Hero tutors not only help students get to the right answer but work with students to provide step-by-step explanations.
They offer a growing community of passionate educators, subject matter experts and students, working together to help students with the knowledge they need to succeed in their courses.
You should consider joining them if you want to help students learn, choose when you work, and earn extra money.
Customer Service Representative
This is perfect for people who are good at talking on the phone while on the computer. Your pay can run from $10 to $20 per hour according to industry stats.
Companies are looking for workers with excellent speaking abilities and solid computer skills to help customers place an order or deal with an issue.
Full- and part-time positions are available and you are generally required to work a minimum of a four-hour block of time.
Customer service is the biggest work-at-home field, with companies including Spiegel, Hilton, Best Western, HSN, 1-800-FLOWERS and many others using at-home or virtual reps.
Fill out an application with staffing companies such as Arise, Alpine Access, VIPdesk, LiveOps, and Convergys, all of which vet the companies who are hiring through them.
If you are searching for a job with benefits, do so through a staffing company that will hire you as an employee (Alpine Access, VIPdesk and Convergys do this) rather than as an independent contractor.
Online Surveys
One advantage of this income opportunity is that survey websites are free to join. They generally have many survey offers you can apply for and fill out.
Most surveys take less than 20 minutes, which means you can complete more than 20 surveys per day. While this doesn’t provide another near a full-time income, it is a way for seniors to make money from home.
Surveys are available in many subjects and cover topics like health, online shopping, financial products, electronics and internet usage.
Four of the Best Survey Sites
Resell Flea Market and Thrift Shop Items Online
Did you know you could make a decent amount of money flipping items from flea markets and thrift stores on eBay?
Rob from the Flea Market Flipper is a Genius at this and made over $130,000 flipping items from flea markets and thrift stores PART-TIME.
You do not need to have a lot of money to start. Rob recommends his students to start with a budget under $50. Based on that, you should be able to make $100-$300 (mostly by reselling on eBay) and then take some of the profit and do it again.
One of his single mother students has been able to make $5,000 a month with this method.
Rob created a free workshop to turn your passion for visiting thrift stores, yard sales, & flea markets into a profitable reselling business – in as little as 14 days.
Virtual Receptionist
Answer calls and web chats for a variety of businesses and professionals for Smith.ai, working alongside a close-knit team from around the country.
You must be available 4 hours a day, 5 days a week (minimum of 20 hours per week, 40 hours max). Shifts are broken into 2 to 5-hour blocks. Applicants need to be from the US, Canada, or Mexico.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
Pay is hourly and starts at $10 per hour, with raises based on performance and longevity with the company.
Benefits include:
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Retirement plan
- Cash bonuses
- Weekly pay
Website Tester
Get paid to test apps and websites. Companies need feedback on the user experience of their websites, and they’ll pay you to get it. This can be an easy and quick way to make money online.
These two companies will pay you between $10 to $20 per test and usually take around 15-20 minutes each. (Check their sites for details.):
Money Making & Saving Apps
Trim: Money saved is money earned, right? This app says it will help you save more than $500 per month through better budgeting, financial planning and improving your investment decisions.
Shoptracker: Get paid to share your Amazon shopping history, receipts, feedback and experiences.
Nielsen Computer & Mobile App: Get paid to share data on your phone usage, browsing experience, and other internet related research studies.
Mint: A financial management app that will help you to create better budgets and provide tools to improve your spending decisions.
OFFLINE & COMMUNITY JOBS
General Sales & Commission Based Money Making Opportunities
Most retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers look to hire sales agents or representatives to serve as brand ambassadors, marketers and salespersons. The company will then pay you on a commission basis for the sales you make.
Avon: the third largest beauty and home care e-commerce store in the world, is one such company that are always hiring sales reps to help market their brand and drive more sales. As an Avon Sales Rep, you will be paid 40% commission on all your sales, get insurance covers, product discounts and free training.
ABC Fundraising: Get paid to organize fundraisers for schools and non-profit organizations.
Sseko: This is a high-end fashion company that is always hiring sales reps who can help to build brand loyalty, reach more customers and increase sales.
Stella & Dot: This is a community of fashion women who have come together to create a brand. You can become one of them and make money part-or-full time.
Pink Zebra: A place to make extra cash if you love home décor, scents and everything related to becoming your boss and building a business.
Pet Sitting
Do you like dogs, cats and other pets? If yes, you can turn your love of pets into a money-making side hustle. Many pet owners are looking for pet caregivers when they are busy at work or on vacation.
Rover is one of the best sites to visit and begin applying for pet care gigs you can do when your schedule allows.
Home Care for Children and Elders
Do you love taking care of children and seniors with limited mobility?
Sittercity.com is an online marketplace for families, individuals and corporate employees wishing to hire local in-home care. Types of caregivers that can be found on the site include babysitters, nannies, pet sitters, senior care providers, and housekeepers.
If interested in this job, visit Sittercity today and apply for open positions./
Handyman Jobs
Are you known to be really handy around the house? How about helping people with tasks they keep putting off? You can make good money by helping with gardening, fixing broken appliances, light construction.
Other activities like handling a house move, packaging, doing laundry, cleaning windows and even delivering stuff are good skills to know as well.
This is a good side hustle (some people even go full-time) because you expect to earn well more than $10 per hour. You can actually earn much more once you gain confidence and get great testimonials.
TaskRabbit is a good website that provides consumers with vetted freelance handy-people. It is an online and mobile marketplace that matches freelance labor with local demand.
This site helps consumers to find immediate help with everyday tasks, including cleaning, moving, delivery and handyman work. They always need more background-checked "Taskers" available to help consumers across a wide variety of categories.
You can also find handyman gigs on Handy.com. They offer homeowners services like cleaning and general handyman tasks, home improvement projects and home furniture with “assembly required” projects.
LYFT or UBER Driver
One of the best side hustles around today is becoming an Uber or Lyft driver in your spare time.
UBER: The Uber App handles all the details as you drive. You only drive when it works for you. There’s no office and no boss. That means you’ll always start and stop on your time—because with Uber, you’re in charge.
You can drive and earn as much as you want. And, the more you drive, the more you’ll make. Plus, you’ll get paid weekly and your fares get automatically deposited.
LYFT: The Lyft Driver app and its features help you make money you can depend on. When you're ready, cash out instantly. All that is needed is for you is to meet the age requirement for your region, have a smartphone, and pass an online DMV and background check.
Let Your Car Work For You
Since we are talking about cars, another great opportunity is to rent out your car when you are not using it. There are two online firms leading the way in this area.
Turo: Turo can automatically set your car’s price based on market value, location, time of year, and other data to maximize your income and boost your listing’s competitiveness. If you prefer, you can manually set your own daily price.
Turo will pay you via direct deposit within five days. You’ll earn 65% to 85% of the trip price, depending on the vehicle protection package you choose. You’re covered with up to $1 million in liability insurance, and your car is contractually protected against theft and physical damage.
Getaround: Getaround is a car-sharing platform powered by the Getaround Connect® technology which provides drivers access to rent and unlock great cars shared by people nearby.
Just enroll your car and get ready to make money. After you submit your info, their onboarding team will follow up to help set up your Connect® device and Getaround car profile. This technology provides enhanced security so you can carshare with confidence.
AirBnB Rentals
Renting part time lodging in a spare room, mother-in-law apartment or your RV is a brilliant way for seniors to make money.
No matter what kind of home or room you have to share, Airbnb makes it simple and secure to host travelers. You’re in full control of your availability, prices, house rules, and how you interact with guests.
Airbnb keeps you, your home, and your belongings safe by covering every booking with $1M USD in property damage protection and another $1M USD in insurance against accidents.
It’s not unusual for homeowners to make between $1K to $3K per month, depending on the size and quality and location of the lodging being offered.
Flex Jobs with Major Corporations
How about getting a home based part-time or full-time job at one of the world’s top companies with virtual working opportunities?
These are great companies that have been vetted by Flexjobs. You can expect to make $10 or more part-time and full time jobs are available as well. Many jobs come with employee benefits.
- Become a customer service representative at Amazon and Convergys.
- Get at translation job at Rev and Language Line Solutions.
- Find a search engine evaluation job at Appen and Lionbridge.
- Find an insurance Jobs at The Hartford and Prudential.
- Apply for a call center agent at Liveops, and Sitel.
- Become a travel agent or counselor at American Express, and World Travel Holdings
Crafting
Crafting is the process of making practical arts and handmade products from wood, glass and metal among others.
Embroidery, weaving, knitting, pottery, crotchet, shoe-making and calligraphy are some common types of crafting activities. These are all types of crafts you can make and sell online with the websites below.
Etsy: This is one of the largest marketplaces to sell decorations, vintage, jewelry and clothing among other handmade crafts.
Cafepress: Create handmade crafts, such as mugs, bags and T-shirts among others then sell them in this marketplace with many buyers.
Amazon FBA: This option is not for the faint of heart due to heavy competition in many categories. So check it out first before diving into the Fulfillment By Amazon program (FBA) to market your handmade crafts.
It can be a greatly rewarding program for anyone who is ready to market their wares or any other product.
Coach or Consultant
As a retired person or senior citizen, you probably have some knowledge in a niche or two. You can build a consultancy or coaching online business and begin to share that knowledge with audiences who need it.
The best and most successful coaches believe in their coaching skills, products, and services. They also have a strong belief in their ability to help others.
Can you be dedicated to the idea of creating a great income with a coaching business?
Can you offer value and motivate others in these areas: “helping retired single dads find financial freedom,” or “helping working baby boomers switch to entrepreneurship for a better life.”
For example, if you know a lot about health, you can consider starting an online health consultancy agency. There are coaches in every part of life. There are business coaches, life coaches, meditation coaches, exercise coaches, golf swing coaches, and the list goes on.
If you have strong skills and a passion to help others, you can easily start an online business in your area of expertise and begin making money online.
You’ll find a FREE course here that will help you decide if this is a good step for you to take.
Seniors CAN Make Money Online and Change Their Lives
We hope this list has given you inspiration to look at the opportunities all around you.
If you feel stuck in the life you are currently living, don’t worry. You are not alone.
We’ve certainly been in that place before and, to be honest, we still have to remind ourselves every day what is most important.
Dreaming is okay. Doing something about it is great.
We all feel stuck at some point in our lives. Spending time on play and adventure takes the back seat too often when you’re living a “responsible” and busy life.
There is nothing that can stop you from fulfilling your dreams and creating the life you truly want to live.
