15 Solid Companies That Let You Work From Home and Set Your Own Schedule
Whether you want to make extra money on the side of a full-time job, work around your kids’ busy days or build a full-time career on your own terms, opportunities abound.
But not all are created equal.
You shouldn’t have to settle for sketchy, scammy or sub-par work-from-home companies to get the flexibility you want in a job. We’ve weeded through the junk for you and found some legit work-from-home opportunities.
These companies offer full-time, part-time or contract work — and even let you set your own schedule. And to ensure they’re legit, each has a B+ rating or higher from the Better Business Bureau.
1. Bookkeepers.com
BBB rating: A+
Want the freedom to work from anywhere while earning up to $69/hour?
Those are the perks of working as a bookkeeper, says Ben Robinson, a certified public accountant and business owner who teaches others to become virtual bookkeepers through his online course, Bookkeepers.com.
You don’t have to have a CPA to start a bookkeeping business. In fact, all you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems.
According to the 2019 Intuit Rate Survey, bookkeepers can make up to $69 an hour. But Robinson pointed out that as a freelancer or contractor, you could actually earn a higher hourly rate while working fewer hours.
Get your first three online courses for free. And if you stick with it, you could be running your own business in just a few months.
2. Care.com
BBB rating: A-
Help out your neighbors with housekeeping or caring for children, adults or pets.
Care.com connects you with people who want to hire a caretaker.
On the site, you’ll create a profile, which can include a background check and references. Browse job listings in your area and apply. Care.com can take care of pay through Direct Deposit.
Caretaking and housekeeping can be demanding work. But this company helps you find the right match so you can create a schedule that works for you.
3. InboxDollars
BBB rating: B+
By signing up for a free account with InboxDollars, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket. They’ll present you with short surveys to choose from every day, which you can fill out while you watch tonight’s broadcast.
You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but it’s already paid its users more than $56 million.
Signing up takes about one minute, and you’ll immediately receive a $5 bonus to get you started.
4. Amazon
BBB rating: A+
Retail giant Amazon offers a plethora of money-making opportunities for the creative side-hustler.
From reselling used products through Fulfillment by Amazon to publishing a book to list in the Kindle Store, you could earn a living on this marketplace alone.
Or, if you just want to earn some extra cash completing simple tasks, you can sign up for Mechanical Turk.
Turkers select quick tasks — or “HITs” — that users submit. Complete HITs like transcription, internet research, surveys or writing assignments, and earn money per task. Some are quick and pay just a few dollars, while some more in-depth tasks can pay over $100.
Realistically, users expect to earn $6-$10 per hour completing MTurk tasks, around $50 a week.
5. Papaya Gaming
User rating: 4.7/5*
Love playing mobile games in your spare time? Solitaire Cash and Bingo Cash are two of our favorite mobile apps from Papaya Gaming that can score you up to $83 every time you win a game.
Each game is totally free to download and there’s no risk involved, since you can play for free, too.
Even better? None of the apps have annoying ads to deal with, so you can keep on playing and earning.
Download your game of choice for free and you could earn nearly $170 in your spare time.
6. K12, Inc.
BBB rating: A+
K12 provides online education resources for K-12 students.
If you’re a teacher but want an option more flexible than working in a school district, you could use the platform to work with students from anywhere.
You’ll work with homeschooled kids, military families, advanced learners, traveling performers and other students who prefer a non-traditional K-12 education.
K12 offers many traditional workplace benefits like paid time off and medical coverage, in addition to the telecommuting option and flexible schedule.
7. Swagbucks Video
BBB rating: A+
You could earn up to $2,400 per year just watching videos in your idle moments.
Think: monetizing your time standing in line, riding the train, waiting for a bus, etc.
Swagbucks offers you the opportunity to earn points (SBs) by watching shows on its video channel. And they’re not just ads!
Swagbucks will pay you to watch cooking shows, DIY tutorials, travel shows and more, so you should have no problem finding something entertaining.
About 100 SBs turn into $1 on a gift card of your choice — including PayPal, which is practically the same as cash — and you can cash out whenever you want.
You’ll get $5 for signing up and watching your first video.
8. Rev
BBB rating: B+
If you have a little more experience as a transcriptionist, consider Rev.
You can work as much or little as you like, and pay works out to about $24-$39 per audio hour.
9. WyzAnt
BBB rating: A+
If you have expertise in a subject and enjoy working with children, you could earn money as an online tutor.
WyzAnt is a popular online tutoring agency that connects you with students who are homeschooled or looking for extra-curricular help.
You’ll apply and connect directly with students, create lesson plans and support students through video and audio lessons, plus live chat and a shared whiteboard hosted on the platform.
Pay is per lesson, so you can earn as much or little as you have time for. You’ll report tutoring hours to WyzAnt, and the company will collect your pay from students and pay you twice a month.
10. ToursbyLocals
BBB rating: A+
Aside from a few cities that require licenses, anyone can become a local tour guide!
This is a fun, flexible way to make extra money in your area.
You should be knowledgeable and passionate about your region’s landmarks, history and hotspots. Then, the sky’s the limit.
ToursByLocals will connect you with tourists or transplants looking to learn more about the area. You’ll craft your own tours and set your own availability based on customer requests.
11. RentAFriend
BBB rating: A+
Did you know your friendship alone could be worth up to $2,000 a week to the right buyer?
Members use RentAFriend to find people like you to hang out with. They might be new to town and want you to show them around, or maybe they’re learning a language and want to practice with a native speaker.
Maybe they just don’t want to go to a bar alone.
You can “work” as a friend whenever you want, so it makes a great flexible full-time or side gig. The site suggests charging between $20 and $50 per hour and says you could earn up to $500 — even if you only work weekends!
12. Quicktate
BBB rating: A+
If you want to launch your work-from-home career as a transcriptionist, Quicktate is a good place to start.
The company hires new transcriptionists, as long as you pass a skills test.
This a smart place to start, because the files you’ll transcribe are simple. Most of them will be short voicemail messages — instead of lengthy conversations or lectures — where you can hone your chops.
Once you have some experience, you could be promoted to sister company iDictate, which pays about twice as much for more challenging transcription work.
In general, transcriptionists earn $15-$25 per hour, and even more if you learn to specialize in a medical or legal field.
13. Alorica at Home
BBB rating: A+
Be an at-home agent for customer service agency Alorica at Home, and build a flexible full-time career or a part-time job to make extra money while you go to school, work another job or raise a family.
As an Alorica at Home agent, you’ll answer customer calls for various clients. You may offer technical assistance, book reservations or answer customer inquiries.
14. iQor
BBB rating: A+
No interview necessary to join the iQor team!
Just fill out the online application and aptitude test.
iQor offers call center positions in-house at locations around the world, as well as at-home positions. Both boast flexible schedules, so you could set your own hours from home or in the office.
15. Grand Canyon University
BBB rating: A+
Grand Canyon University hires part-time and full-time adjunct faculty for online courses or on-campus positions.
This institution integrates a Christian worldview into its curriculum, so it’s a great fit for anyone looking for flexible faith-based work.
*Because Papaya Gaming is based outside of the US and Canada, it is not listed in the BBB database. However, they are an accredited business with over 21 million users, worldwide.
