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Table of Contents
- Do You Pay Tax on Your Second Job in Australia?
- 1. Rent Out Your Driveway
- 2. Hire Out Your Storage Space
- 3. Explore ‘Passive Income’
- 4. Sell What You Don’t Need
- 5. Become a Dog-Sitter or Walker
- 6. Rent Out Your Spare Room
- 7. Rent Out Your Car For a Fee
- 8. Tap Your Skills
- 9. Turn Your Home Into a Film Location
- 10. Take Paid Surveys
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As the cost of living continues to bite, millions of Australian households are looking for ways to cut back. But spending less isn’t the only way to boost your bank balance. With remote, or partly remote, working becoming the norm for many, there are plenty of ways to earn a little extra cash from the comfort of your own home.
In fact, that is what many Australians are already doing. According to the ABS, there were 961,400 multiple job-holders—or 6.5% of employed people—with multiple jobs as of June 2024.
Do You Pay Tax on Your Second Job in Australia?
Before you start earning some additional cash, it’s important to understand that any additional income will be taxed accordingly by the ATO.
If you take on additional work through an agency, second employer or as a freelancer with an ABN, you can nominate to claim the tax-free threshold of $18,200. This means that the first $18,200 you earn will be tax-free, thereby reducing your bill come tax time. You can nominate the employer from whom you would like to claim the tax-free threshold, which is usually the payer whom you earn the most income from.
However, if you do not plan to earn more than $18,200 a year in total then you can opt to claim the threshold from each and every payer.
Visit the ATO site for more information on the tax implications of second jobs.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the additional jobs you can do from your own home.
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1. Rent Out Your Driveway
If your driveway or car park is empty for most of the day, renting it out through websites like Parkhound, Parkable AU, and YourParkingSpace could be an easy way to boost your income. Your space doesn’t have to be available all the time, although the most popular spaces are the ones that allow 24-hour access.
Parkhound claims that owners can make up to $300 per month for renting out their driveway and up to $450 per month for an indoor or lock-up garage.
Earnings are likely to be higher the closer you are to transport links, shopping centres, attractions or hospitals.
2. Hire Out Your Storage Space
If you don’t have a driveway to spare, renting out your home’s unused storage space could be another lucrative option. In Australia, you can use sites such as Spacer or SpaceOut to list your extra storage, which may come in the form of a storage cage or unit, shed, spare bedroom, carport or even a garage (see above). It’s free to list on the Spacer site, which then adds a fee to handle payments and adds it on to the price you set for your space.
Before renting out your storage space, contact your home insurance provider to check your existing cover will still be valid and if you will be covered if a renter causes damage. If you live in a unit or a villa, check to see whether the body corporate allows for this type of arrangement.
3. Explore ‘Passive Income’
As the name suggests, passive income refers to income that—after an initial investment of time, money or resources—can generate an ongoing, steady cashflow with relatively minimal effort and monitoring.
Examples of passive income include asset sharing, such as renting out a spare room (more on that below) or car park, and asset building, such as creating your own revenue stream. This may include passive financial investments, such as a high-interest savings accounts or even a term deposit. You can find out more about this aspect of generating income in our guide to passive income investments.
Just bear in mind that, as with any investment, your returns can go down, as well as up. Also that, income tax may be payable on passive income, so speak to your tax agent or financial advisor.
4. Sell What You Don’t Need
Getting rid of clutter at home can be a great way to reduce stress. It can also be a tidy little earner if you successfully sell any items online. In fact, research from online marketplace Gumtree estimates Australians could make an average of $5,800 per household by selling about 19 unwanted items—be it a chair, fridge, clothes or tech equipment.
When you list an item for sale on eBay in Australia, you only pay to list if you choose a premium upgrade, such as being listed in more than one category. Sellers generally are billed with one final value fee for items you sell, calculated as a percentage of the total sale amount per item (item price + postage and handling charges), plus a fixed charge of $0.30 per order.
Once you’ve created an eBay account and completed verification, you can create a listing straight away. Alternatively, you can sell on Facebook Marketplace or another online platform. Don’t forget that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure: a drawer full of unused gadgets—think mobile phones, tablets and computer games—can be sold to second-hand shops, such as Cash Converters, or to online marketplaces, such as We Buy Back or Greener Mobile.
Some businesses such as Recycling Enterprises, will also buy a large range of used computers, laptops, phones, TVs, general electronics, motherboards, CPUs, RAM, Power Supplies.
5. Become a Dog-Sitter or Walker
With Australians resuming their overseas travel since the pandemic ended, there is plenty of dog-minding work for those with a fenced back-yard. You can list your services on sites such as Pawshake or Mad Paws, detailing your availability, rates and the size of the dog you can accommodate. Some of the top dog-sitters can earn $100 a night via the sites.
If you don’t have the space to accommodate a pooch, you can list your services as dog-walking only. You may also be able to charge for visiting, feeding and playing with pets that stay in their own homes while their owners travel.
6. Rent Out Your Spare Room
If you have a granny flat or studio at the rear of your home, or wouldn’t mind some company in the form of a flatmate, you can advertise your spare residential space on sites such as Airbnb, Stayz and Flatmates.com.au
Short-term rental sites are perfect for those who only wish to let-out their rooms some of the time, while flatmate sites are better suited to those who are seeking a long-term tenant. As a general rule, the closer you are to your local attractions and transport, the more you will be able to charge for your space.
If you’re using a third-party app, such as Airbnb, check to see whether you are covered for any damages a renter may cause. In any case, it may be worth taking out landlord’s insurance to protect yourself.
If you’re a renter yourself, check the residential tenancies act in your state to ascertain whether you are able to sub-let.
7. Rent Out Your Car For a Fee
If you’re working from home on a regular basis, your car could be sitting unused on your driveway. But while this will help you save money on fuel, you could earn some extra cash by renting out your car to others through Australian sites like Drive Mate, Go Get and Drive My Car.
You’ll be able to set your own ground rules and customise when your car is available. Drive Mate’s rental rates start at $30 per day and go up to $100 for larger vehicles.
There is likely to be a range of conditions attached to renting-out your car. For example, your vehicle will need to be in reasonably good condition, with comprehensive insurance in place.
8. Tap Your Skills
Whether you work in education, you’re a keen writer or an avid photographer, there are plenty of ways to use those skills to help boost your income.
Research from online marketplace Airtasker and YouGov reveals that 70% of Gen Z workers are embracing the “flexible economy”, with Zoomers reporting that they are earning an extra $429 a month through side projects, while the top-earners are raking in $14,000 a month. According to the survey results, many Gen Z’ers are making money through app development, which has an average task price of $255 but can extend up to $5,000.
Other popular skills on Airtasker include graphic design ($160 average task price) and social media support ($122).
Alternatively, if you’re a writer, designer or web developer, you could pick up some freelance work by signing up to dedicated freelance platforms, such as Upwork. You’ll then either be matched to jobs that suit your skills or you can bid on certain projects.
Demand for online tutoring has risen since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many students still playing catch up after missing so much school during lockdowns. Take a look at Australian tutoring sites such as Learnmate, The Tutoring Company or Superprof (among many others). Superprof asks tutors to set their rates at between $20 and $80 per hour.
Budding photographers can sell their snaps online to stock photography sites like Alamy which lets you earn up to 50% of any sale. You’ll receive payments once your cleared balance reaches $50 and you can be paid in USD, GBP or EUR via Paypal, Skrill, or bank transfer.
9. Turn Your Home Into a Film Location
Picturing your home as the next Neighbours TV set? Businesses such as Pure Location or Set Book specialise in connecting homeowners with location scouts for film, TV or even photography.
Pure Location offers more than 1500 location houses across Australia and New Zealand for photo shoots, filming and corporate events—and specialise in everything from outright luxury to suburban homes.
Set Book notes that homeowners could earn between $500-$3000 per hire, and listings are free to set up. They will also market your property and ensure all crew are fully insured.
10. Take Paid Surveys
If you’re good at answering questions and don’t mind a bit of one-way probing, you can earn money through paid surveys.
Some of the best-known paid survey companies in Australia include Octopus Group or Opinion World. Some sites may claim you can earn up to $50 per hour, but that is not very common. More likely you will receive points for answering surveys that can be redeemed in cash or gift cards. It’s more pocket money than a lucrative second job.
It won’t be for everyone, but if you’ve got some spare time and the patience for answering queries, it could pay dividends. Be sure to read the privacy policy, however, to make sure you’re comfortable with the amount of data you’re sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the fastest way to make money from home?
It depends on your skills and money-making abilities. If you want money to arrive quickly, then look for money-making ventures that pay dividends almost immediately. While signing up to freelance platforms can be a reasonably fast way to make money—depending on the payment cycles—selling unwanted items online might be the fastest of all. After all, you don’t need to complete any work or jump through administrative hoops before you are paid.
How do I make from home as a teen?
There are many ways that teens can make money from home, without relying on parents to provide pocket money. You can walk the neighbours’ dogs for cash, baby-sit or tutor younger students. Perhaps you can try your hand at competitions and win prizes? Do a search of live competitions that are open to minors and spend an hour or two each day entering them: you may be surprised at your success. A lot of teens are also turning to Youtube or TikTok to monetise their skills, but be aware that these routes are crowded with young aspirants and there are easier and faster ways to make money.
How can I make online from home?
There are plenty of things you can do to make money online from the comfort of your home office. You can join freelancing sites, such as Upwork or Freelancer, and sell your skills as a side hustle. This could be as complex as graphic design or as straight-forward as data entry. You can complete paid surveys, enter competitions, become a virtual assistant, or list your unwanted items online. Perhaps you can type quickly and turn that skill into transcription work? If you have a knack for writing, you can start a blog, which you may be able to monetise down the track with affiliate advertising. Be aware though that online scams are rife in this area, so be cautious of anyone promising high daily rates for working from home. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
How can I legitimately make money from home?
There are many legal and above-board ways to make money from home in Australia. The first-step is to conduct a skills audit: what are you good at? Do you have a strong niche you can monetise? Or, if you have a large home, you could rent a room out or even your garage. You can also sell your own stuff on Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace to raise money quickly.
