Whether you’re currently struggling a little for cash, or you have some free time and want to top up your income as a supplement to your wage, here’s our guide on how to make extra money in the UK.
This article will list some legitimate and effective ways to make some extra money, many of which you can implement starting today! Some will be one time boosts to your bank balance whilst others will involve a certain degree of ongoing commitment to fully realise their potential.
How To Make Extra Money
#1 – Online Tutoring
#2 – Switch Bank Accounts
#3 – Investing
#4 – Sell stuff you don’t need online
#5 – Freelancing
#6 – Airbnb
#7 – Start a blog or website
#8 – Publish an ebook
#9 – Set up an Etsy store
#10 – Rent out a spare room
#11 – Do paid surveys online
#12 – Make money from YouTube videos
#13 – Sell online with dropshipping
#14 – Walk dogs in your free time
#15 – Sell your photos on a stock website
#16 – Test and review websites and apps
#17 – Upcycle items
What To Do Next
I’ve used many of these methods myself, and still do use some of them. I’ve also advised other people on how to get started and, as a Chartered Accountant, how to make sure they’re setup from a tax point of view.
And remember, if you do start earning regular extra money from one of these methods it’s always good to check with an accountant in case it affects your tax position.
Online Tutoring
What is it?
Although you may think of tutoring as a full-on business that you need to grow, nowadays with the advent of the Internet, it’s now possible to tutor anyone, from anywhere in the world!
Who’s it for?
Do you have a specific skill or passion in mind you think you could teach? Perhaps the subject you were best at in school or university? If not, you could always go down the classic route of tutoring English as a foreign language.
Teaching does require you to have a lot of patience and to be good at breaking subjects down into easy to understand steps.
What’s involved in tutoring?
To be a successful tutor, you must be an organised individual. This means having lesson preparations done in advance and consistently sourcing new material to teach your students.
However, this is neither nearly as daunting nor hard as being a full-time teacher, educating a classroom of students, so it is a lot more suited to beginners.
Perhaps the two most important qualities to being a competent teacher are patience, and the ability to break subjects down into easy to follow steps.
How do I start?
There are now plenty of online tutoring sites that you can sign up for and start straight away. For example, check out tutor2u or VIPKID. Simply sign up and wait for the communication, they’ll guide you about your next steps from there.
A friend of mine personally earned some decent extra cash on tutor2u from tutoring A level psychology whilst completing her degree!
Switch Bank Accounts
What is it?
You know those advertisements on T.V stating that you can claim up to £100 (or however much) when you switch bank accounts? Well, this is a legitimate and one-off way to earn extra money pretty quickly.
Who’s it for?
Anyone with a U.K registered bank account who is willing to switch to a different bank to make some extra money.
How do I start?
Simply type the bank’s offer into Google or go onto their website. They should have information as to the terms and conditions of their offer and when you can expect to receive your money.
Investing – ISA/Bonds/Crypto
What is it?
With the accessibility the Internet provides, investing isn’t only available to the traditional “Wolf of Wall Street” traders. Investing apps, educational Youtube videos and numerous investment guides have made investing considerably more accessible and easier to follow.
Who’s it for?
A registered U.K. citizen who is eligible to open a U.K. based bank account.
It also helps if you already have an interest in the financial markets!
How do I start?
Investing is a huge topic that we will dive deeper into in many upcoming articles. However, as a general rule to start, simply open an account with any investment app.
The largest ones in the U.K. that you may have heard of are Freetrade, Hargreaves Lansdown, Moneyfarm, eToro and Plum.
If you’re completely new to investing, it is strongly recommended that you research extensively (or discuss with an expert) before committing any of your money.
It’s completely within your discretion as to what you want to invest in. For high-risk, high-reward investments, try researching cryptocurrencies or unicorn tech companies.
If you’d rather steadily grow a pot of money over time, try low risk and stable stocks and index funds. These could be large companies such as Tescos, the National Grid or GSK, or the S&P 500, or FTSE 100.
To get an idea of the differences between trading and investing, check out our guide to the key differences you need to know:
Sell stuff you don’t need on eBay or Vinted, FB marketplace or Gumtree
What is it?
This one’s relatively straightforward. As long as you have a marketplace account such as the ones I’ve listed in the heading, you can start making a bit of extra cash from old items you don’t need, starting today.
Who knows, that old furniture you no longer use could be just what somebody is looking for.
Particularly for clothes, I recommend using “Vinted”. Sellers aren’t charged anything for shipping fees, so it’s all paid for by the buyer! I’ve used Vinted countless times in the past and love the user interface and ease of use.
Who’s it for?
Anyone is eligible to open an account. Some popular ones are Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Vinted.
How do I start?
First, have a scour around your home and collect anything you think you no longer need. Then just go right ahead and start listing!
You may need to do a bit of advertising to draw some traffic to your products, so consider posting them on social media or letting your friends and family know if there’s anything that they might like.
Freelancing
What is it?
Freelancing is another fantastic extra money making opportunity, particularly with the advancement of the Internet.
Many people are starting to take notice of prominent freelancing platforms, where you can advertise your services to potential clients for free.
Although many exist, I’d recommend giving Upwork and Fiverr a try as they’re the most popular and beginner friendly. In exchange for a 20% commission based fee, these two platforms provide the chance to earn some, or even a sizable, amount of cash.
I know at first glance 20% might seem like quite a large fee, but this is easily earnt back by the sheer exposure these platforms provide you for potential clients.
Perhaps you could work on it in the evenings after your day job? Or in the morning before you leave?
Who’s it for?
Have a passion or skill you think you can sell? On these freelancing platforms, there will very likely be a client willing to buy it!
From writing, graphic design, social media management to virtual assistance, almost any service can be freelanced on the Internet today.
The freelancing landscape is exploding, with 40-50% of the U.S. workforce alone being predicted to participate in freelancing in the next year. Why not jump on the opportunity?
How do I start?
For most of the popular freelancing sites, such as Fiverr and Upwork, opening an account is completely free. So the best chance of attracting clients is to make your gigs and services professional-looking.
A word of caution though, these sites can be competitive depending on the service you’re offering, so you may have to do some extra marketing in person and on your social media accounts to get the ball rolling.
Airbnb
What is it?
Airbnb has quickly become the world’s most favoured travel accommodation service aside from regular hotels.
If you don’t know how Airbnb works, in summary, property owners list either a room or the entirety of their property for visitors to use as a accomodation. Airbnb then takes a proportion of the transaction as commission.
Who’s it for?
You’ll need a property that you’re happy being used as accommodation for guests. However, even if it’s just a room in your home, you can still list it on Airbnb.
This money making technique could be particularly lucrative if the property that you’re listing is situated in a sought after or popular area, such as a city centre.
How do I start?
Simply open an Airbnb account, follow all the guidelines and list your property.
Be sure to take great quality pictures to display your property in the best possible light. Perhaps even consider hiring a professional photographer if you have the money.
Start a blog or website
What is it?
Blogs have been around for a while now, and they’re no longer just places for people to post their opinions. There are plenty of blogs (such as this one!) that write and post tips, advice and guidance.
Once you’ve grown a certain following, you can contact companies to advertise on your blog.
This could be either in the form of pop-up ads, or if you can arrange a partnership with a brand, who will supply you with affiliate links for their products or services.
Subsequently, each time someone orders something from your partnered brand through your affiliate link, you’ll earn a commission!
Who’s it for?
Anyone who considers themselves a competent writer and/or knows a lot about a certain subject area.
Alternatively, you could provide interesting insights and commentary for popular niches, such as politics or lifestyle.
How do I start?
It will likely be harder to start earning money immediately without an initial readership.
What’s more, blogs are in abundance nowadays, so it’s advised you sit down and thoroughly brainstorm how you could differentiate yourself from everybody else.
Next, go ahead and create a website by either using modern website builders such as Squarespace or you could pay somebody to build it for you.
Once you’ve grown a reasonable following, contact potential companies who you’d think would want to advertise your blog or sponsor you via an affiliate link.
Publish an ebook
What is it?
This one can be a particularly effective passive money generating method. The process is relatively straightforward but does require time and effort to do the initial writing.
You need to first write a book and then sell it on online marketplaces such as Amazon. So although there’s quite a lot of time and effort required upfront to produce an ebook, if it starts to sell, you can potentially make a decent amount of extra money.
Who’s it for?
You’ll either be required to possess a certain amount of knowledge in a particular field, or an engaging creative writing ability for people to buy your book.
Likewise, you might be expected to do a reasonable amount of marketing for it to sell.
How do I start?
Start with formulating and brainstorming a plan for what your book is going to be about.
If it’s a non-fiction book, I’d advise asking the question: where can I really provide value to someone? For creative story writers, try and ensure your story is as captivating as possible.
After the writing stage, set up an account with a selling website such as Amazon and start marketing your book. A great way to start is by utilising your social media profiles and real life contacts – just get the word out there!
Set up an Etsy store
What is it?
Etsy stores are an excellent way to sell, typically, creative physical products. They specialise in selling bespoke designs, which are incredibly popular amongst people looking to give a personalised gift to a loved one.
Who’s it for?
Anyone with a creative streak! If you can make it, then you can list it on etsy.
How do I do it?
Simply set up a store and list the products you’re going to sell. Make sure to read the Etsy guidelines to make sure your product is eligible to be sold.
It is also advised you consider shipping costs.
Rent out a spare room
What is it?
If you have the space, renting out a spare room is a good way of making extra money over time.
In a decent city location, you could expect to make upwards of £500 per month, possibly £800 per month in London, which adds up nicely.
Who’s it for?
You’ll need to have a spare room (obviously!) and either own the property or get the property owner’s permission to rent it out.
Think carefully about how comfortable you would be having a stranger living with you, though. That said, there are plenty of safety features and vetting when using a company like Spare Room (see below) to make sure your lodger is the right fit.
How do I do it?
You can get started by listing your spare room on a website like Spare Room. They even have the option of letting your room Monday to Fridays only, so you can keep your house free for yourself on weekends!
Another bonus is that the first £7,500 of rental income from a spare (furnished) room each year is tax-free. That works out to £625 a month, which is a great tax-free income boost!
But remember, if you’re unsure, always seek professional advice when it comes to tax matters.
Do paid surveys online
What is it?
Paid online surveys incentivise participants with small rewards, often offering cash or vouchers for popular online stores. Many surveys aim to gather generic data, so almost anyone can participate in them. Some require you to meet specific eligibility criteria. So you’ll probably be paid more for this type of online survey, but they’re harder to come across.
Many paid surveys can be filled in within a few minutes and are really easy to do. So, while they might not pay a lot individually, you can do a lot very quickly. For example, while you’re commuting or chilling in front of the TV.
Who’s it for?
Anyone in the UK can participate in online surveys.
What’s involved in doing online surveys?
Online surveys collect large amounts of data on a specific topic by asking participants a series of questions.
The length of time it will take you to fill out an online survey varies depending on the platform, the topic, and the data they are trying to collect. They can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to larger ones that might take around 30 minutes to complete.
How do I start?
There are tons of platforms out there where you can complete online surveys for money or rewards. I’ve used Swagbucks myself, and I recommend it if you’re just entering the world of online surveys.
Make money from YouTube videos
What is it?
We’ve all been guilty of sitting for hours on end watching YouTube videos. But did you know you can make serious money by making and uploading your own YouTube videos?
Who’s it for?
Anyone in the UK can create and upload videos to YouTube. It helps to have some charisma and a great idea for a channel that people will be interested in.
What’s involved in making YouTube videos?
Making the videos is easy. Once you choose what you want to share through your videos, you can record videos with your phone camera and upload them straight to YouTube.
The amount of money you receive depends on your views and the number of subscribers you have. You’ll have to wait a while to start making a noticeable income, but the returns can be huge once you surpass that threshold. Plus, you’ll keep receiving payments for the videos you have posted in the past, so it’s a great way to earn passive income.
Sell online with dropshipping
What is it?
Selling products online won’t be a new concept to you. But dropshipping is something not everyone has heard of.
Dropshipping is where you have an online store selling products, but someone else stores and sends your customers the products. It’s a great way to make money as an online store without storing all of the inventory in your home or dealing with packaging and posting.
Who’s it for?
Again, anyone can sell with dropshipping. But it would help to have good knowledge of what you’re selling and have a good plan to market it.
How do I start?
You will have to decide what you’re going to sell and find a provider for your products. This will be tricky as you want to make sure you’re using a quality, reliable dropshipper. Then come up with your marketing plan, create a website if necessary and start making money!
Walk dogs in your free time
What is it?
Dog walking is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll simply be going to people’s houses and walking their dogs on their request for a fee.
Who’s it for?
If you love animals and are available during common working hours, this is a great way to make extra money. On average, a dog walker will charge £12.50 per walk. If you can walk a few dogs at a time, that’s a pretty good hourly rate.
How do I start?
Start by advertising yourself to a small area around you and test out the market. You can hand out flyers and advertise yourself on social media. Local community Facebook groups are an excellent way to do this if they allow it.
Sell your photos on a stock website
What is it?
Pretty much everyone has access to a good camera on their phone. Did you know you can actually sell your photos online?
Many platforms offer this as a service. These sites simply offer your photos for people to purchase and use as content.
Who’s it for?
If you consider yourself a shutterbug, this is a great way to make extra money.
What’s involved in selling your photos online?
Many companies will look for images online that they can use on their websites, emails or leaflets. This means there really is a market for anything in this industry. Motivational or work-related photos seem to be everywhere, so this could be a good area to start in.
How do I start?
Shutterstock and Shopify are well-known websites in this area and could be a great place for you to start. You’ll earn money every time someone downloads your image from the website.
Test and review websites and apps
What is it?
Testing websites or apps involves using and testing them and feeding back your findings. After a company has updated its website, it will pay people to ensure a seamless user experience.
Who’s it for?
You don’t need to have the experience to test and review websites, but a background in tech would be desirable. You’ll need to speak English fluently and know what to look out for. Plus, you’ll need to communicate your findings back to the company and tell them how to improve the site.
How do I start?
There are lots of websites where you can find website testing work. I recommend TryMyUI or UserTesting to get started as a website and app reviewer. You’ll usually get paid through PayPal, and these platforms work in dollars. It’s pretty standard to be paid $10 for one test, which usually lasts around 20 minutes.
Upcycle items
What is it?
Upcycling is a term used for when people update items others have previously given or thrown away and sell them for a profit.
It’s a spin on recycling, where you give the item a new lease of life by modernising it, painting it, or simply making it look more appealing to potential buyers.
Who’s it for?
Ideally, you’d be creative and crafty when it comes to upcycling. But you don’t necessarily need to do DIY to upcycle items. Sometimes people throw things or give things away that simply need a little cleaning or sprucing up. If you have a good eye for a bargain, it’s a great way to earn extra money.
What’s involved in upcycling items?
The downside is the time that you may need to spend sifting through charity shops, car boots sales or eBay to find high-quality items, but it can really be worth it.
Sometimes no work is really involved, and people are just keen to sell something quickly and aren’t bothered about receiving the full market value — you can then sell it for what it’s really worth, but it might just take some time to find the right buyer.
How To Make Extra Money – What to do next
From one-off cash boosts to on-going dedication and businesses, there are plenty of possibilities for you to earn some extra money.
For methods that require a little more commitment, such as Freelancing, my advice is to provide a service or product that you’re genuinely passionate about. Not what is popular and may make quick money at the current moment.
This will provide you with on-going motivation if you start to lose some steam or don’t acquire an immediate reward.
This article will be regularly updated with new ideas, so feel free to bookmark it for later!
For now, you might also want to check out our guide to genuine work from jobs you can start today.
