How To Make Money in One Hour: 25 Proven Ways To Boost Your Income

With more than half of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, most people could use a little extra cash. So whether your landlord is breathing down your neck or you’re interested in a temporary side hustle, we racked our brains, scoured the internet, and came up with 25 (legal) ways to make money in one hour. 

Rather than focusing on long-term strategies to make a passive income or work from home, we honed in on easy methods to make extra money fast. Here's how to make money in one hour online (and off) as fast as possible.

Average Expected Pay: varies

The most reliable way to get cash in an hour or less is to sell your possessions. If time is of the essence, you can sell the item outright at a pawnshop (we don’t recommend loans). Otherwise, try your luck on sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, eBay, and OfferUp.

Average Expected Pay: varies

Smash your piggy bank and take the spoils to an exchange machine. Although you technically aren’t making money, your stray coins will be a lot more useful as bills. Keep in mind that some coin kiosks charge a small fee.

Average Expected Pay: $12 per hour

Head to Craigslist's gig board and you’ll find plenty of spam and scams, along with the occasional short-term job. Users request house cleaners and maintenance workers, alongside a whole slew of more niche gigs.

Average Expected Pay: $20 to $75 per donation

Although it ranks as one of the most painful ways to make quick money in one day, donating plasma can get you $20 to $75 in cash. Redditors who’ve donated report that it can be an unpleasant experience — you’ll lose blood and develop a large bruise — but it has the added bonus of saving lives.

Related: This Top U.S. Export Is Banned in Many Other Countries

Average Expected Pay: varies

While it could put strain on your relationship with your boss, you can ask for a salary advance if you’re in dire financial need. If your employer agrees, you will receive a portion or the entirety of your paycheck before your usual payday. Indeed recommends that you write a detailed, tactful request letter.

Related: Underpaid? Here's How ChatGPT Can Help You Negotiate a Raise

Average Expected Pay: varies

Getting a loan from a loved one is far better than relying on a predatory payday or title loan. To make an official family loan agreement, you’ll need to draft the loan’s terms, sign, and have the document notarized.

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Average Expected Pay: $15 to $20 per hour

Offer to look after a neighbor’s kids, pet sit, go grocery shopping, or mow their lawn. Unlike some shady Craigslist gig, neighbors are (generally) more trustworthy, especially if you’re already friends.

Average Expected Pay: $10 to $15 per hour

While signing up to be a food delivery driver with DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, or Postmates is certain to take longer than an hour, it is a quick way to make extra cash in the long run. And you don't even need a car. Provided you have a driver's license, all four companies allow bike or scooter deliveries in certain markets.

Average Expected Pay: $15 to $22 per hour

Provided you can wait a week or two to be approved, signing up to drive for Uber or Lyft is a good way to boost your income. Apart from needing a valid driver's license, an eligible four-door car,  and a few documents, you'll need to wait a couple of days to pass the platforms' screening processes. According to Salary.com, the average Uber driver makes around $38,402 a year.

Average Expected Pay: $10,000 per year

You don't need to drive your car to make money off of it. Through peer-to-peer car rental services — Turo is one of the most popular platforms — you can lend your car to strangers online. While the average annual income for someone with a single car is around $10,000 on Turo, it's not necessarily a simple process. Progressive, a leading car insurance provider, says that some auto policies prevent customers from renting out their cars. 

Average Expected Pay: $13,800 per year

With the average Airbnb host making $13,800 a year, signing up for the apartment- and home-sharing service can be an easy way to supplement your income. Of course, starting a profitable Airbnb or Vrbo business takes time and preparation, and so it's unlikely you'll make money in 60 minutes. But once you have prepared your space and made your listing, you can rake in cash with relatively little work.

Average Expected Pay: varies, depending on your task

TaskRabbit is a catch-all platform for miscellaneous gig work. If you sign up as a Tasker, you could make money running errands for clients, assembling furniture, or even making minor repairs. The appeal is that pretty much anyone — and really, we mean almost anyone — can find their niche, regardless of formal training.

Average Expected Pay: $23 per hour

With the average babysitter making $22.68 an hour to watch one child, caregivers can earn far above the minimum wage. The Red Cross offers babysitting and childcare courses that will make you a more desirable hire. Though you can try to find clients through Craigslist, Facebook, and word of mouth, there are also plenty of online platforms that can connect you with families.

Average Expected Pay: $16 per hour

As far as odd jobs go, housesitting is about as chill as you can get. Sure, maybe you'll have to take out the trash and water a few plants, but for apartment dwellers, the larger space will be a welcome change. There are a plethora of websites — Trusted Housesitters and HouseCarers, for example — where you can apply to become a pro sitter.

Average Expected Pay: $15 per hour

OK, so there is one gig that's potentially sweeter than housesitting — if you like animals, that is. Pet sitting is essentially the same job, except you get to take care of a cuddly ball of fur without any of the long-term responsibilities. Oh, and you get paid. Popular pet sitting websites include Rover, Wag!, and Care.com.

Average Expected Pay: $17 per hour

Rover and Wag!, both of which offer pet sitting jobs, also allow people to sign up to become professional dog walkers. While you won't necessarily need any formal qualifications, platforms will perform a background check and ask you to complete a pet care quiz.

Need money fast but can't leave home? You don't have to with the following remote side hustles, which run the gamut from selling your hair to strangers for thousands of dollars to becoming a virtual assistant online. 

Average Expected Pay: very little

If you want to make money in a day but can’t leave the house, consider earning money via a rewards app. Many — like Rakuten and Drop — reward you for shopping at partners’ sites. It should go without saying, but avoid this method if you’re truly strapped for cash.

Related: How to Earn Money Working From Your RV

Average Expected Pay: varies

Be honest: Will you ever use that $15 Cold Stone gift card that’s been stuck in your wallet for three years? If the answer is no, then you might as well sell your balance for cash on a site like CardCash or Raise. While you won’t earn 100% of the gift card’s value, some sites pay upwards of 90%.

Related: Gift Card Mistakes to Avoid

Average Expected Pay: $22 per hour

If you have a degree and prefer teaching, consider tutoring. Virtually, there are a wealth of English as a second language positions that cater to adults and children. Although qualifications vary, some platforms only ask that you're a native English speaker. Of course, you can also tutor locally through an agency or on your own, though you'll have to find your own clients if you choose the latter option.

Average Expected Pay: $15 to $25 per hour

Have a college degree and an internet connection? That's pretty much all you need to become a virtual assistant on Zirtual, a platform that connects administrative assistants with remote professionals. As you can imagine, the tasks are clerical: Travel planning, calendar management, and data entry will all be part of your job description.

Average Expected Pay: $100 to $4,000 per head of hair

Your luscious locks could fetch as much as $4,000 on online marketplaces like HairSellon and BuyandSellHair.com. But buyers (usually wigmakers) have standards, only paying top dollar for long, healthy, untreated, and undyed hair. Serious vendors even pay special attention to their diets and vitamin intake to produce the best head of hair they can. You can use HairSellon's hair price calculator — yes, this exists — to find out how much your locks are worth.

Average Expected Pay: very little

While it sounds too good to be true, you can get paid to play video games. There are crypto-based NFT games like Axie Infinity, online poker rooms, and simple puzzle apps, all of which can earn you a quick buck. Will you earn a lot? Probably not. Is playing games for money the best use for your time? Also no. But yes, you can technically make money playing video games.

Average Expected Pay: varies

Since you're reading a guide about how to make money in an hour, we're going to assume you're not flush with cash. If that's the case, then don't invest in the stock market. Stocks are volatile, meaning that they're a long-term investment, according to Investopedia. Technically you can make money in an hour by investing in stocks, however. Just be prepared for the worst (losing it all).

Average Expected Pay: $15 to $65 per hour

Have a knack for the written word? Put your writing and editing skills to use as a freelance editorial professional, applying for projects on sites like LinkedIn and Upwork. You'll be able to find work more easily — and for higher pay — if you have a portfolio and references.

Average Expected Pay: varies

Whether in marketing or the sciences, researchers need guinea pigs for their experiments. Survey sites like Survey Junkie pay a pittance (a dollar or two an hour) but are easy to sign up for online. For clinical and market research, Craigslist’s volunteer and gigs section might yield a few leads, though users should exercise caution.

Thanks to the internet and a shift to remote work, making money in one hour (legitimately) has never been easier. Gig platforms and apps abound, and work-from-home freelance jobs have flooded the market. Will you consistently be able to make money in just 60 minutes? Maybe not. But with a little extra time, you can set yourself up to have a flexible side hustle that can generate cash fast. 

Our final piece of advice: Be realistic about how lucrative each job will be. Whereas playing games to make money might make you a few bucks, selling your possessions at the pawn shop or becoming an Uber driver can net you some real cash.

Related: Side Hustle Nation: 33% of Workers With Side Gigs Need the Extra Money To Survive

What's the most I can earn in an hour?

That depends. If you truly have just one hour, you'll have to sell your things, ask a relative for money, or exchange your coins for bills. The amount of money you can get from all three of these methods will vary widely. Otherwise, we recommend you try to set up a side hustle, as this will be a more reliable source of supplemental income. Some gigs, like babysitting or tutoring, pay well over the federal minimum wage.

How can I get cash immediately?

The fastest ways to get cash immediately (without breaking the law) include: selling your stuff, asking for a salary advance, getting a loan from a family member, converting your loose change into bills, and donating plasma.

How can I make $100 in a day ASAP?

Making $100 in a day on top of your normal job won't be easy, especially if you haven't set up an account with a gig service like Uber. As we explained in the previous answer, your best bets are: selling your things, asking for a salary advance at work, getting a loan from a family member, converting your loose change into bills, or donating plasma.