We’ve all had a time or two in our lives when we needed money fast. A quick influx of cash — even just $50 — can help put food on the table, pay the utility bills, or provide some extra spending money.
In situations like this, you want to start working immediately and get paid as soon as possible. Unfortunately, getting paid quickly isn’t always the norm in the online job space. Some companies make you wait 30 or even 90 days before cash hits your bank account.
That’s why we put together this list of legit online jobs that pay weekly. Here, you’ll find both part-time and full-time work-at-home jobs that you can start today and have cash in your bank account in seven days or less once the work is complete.
Below we reference only legitimate online jobs that pay on a weekly basis. For the fastest ways to earn money — whether that’s through an online job or other activities — see our post on how to make quick money.
How to Choose the Right Online Job
Figuring out which of these legit online jobs is best for you requires careful consideration, because there’s no dead-set best job — each one has its own list of pros and cons that you need to think about.
Only you can determine which job you should pursue, but here are some questions to help you narrow down your search.
- Enjoyment level: Do you like the work involved?
- Skill level/experience: Do you have any experience that can help you get your foot in the door?
- Expected hourly pay: What can you expect to earn, and do you feel that’s a fair price for your time?
- Short-term potential: How quickly can you start making money, and are there any requirements to get started (such as a background check or interview process)?
- Long-term potential: Can you grow within this field, and will you make a higher income over time?
- Flexibility: Will this job fit well with the rest of your life? For example, do the hours work with your schedule, considering both your regular job and/or family obligations?
The Best Online Jobs That Pay Weekly
#1. Sell Any Service on Upwork and Fiverr
Quick summary: Upwork and Fiverr and the two best websites to start with when you’re looking for online jobs. As the world’s two biggest freelancing marketplaces, they have millions of clients seeking almost every service imaginable. If you have a skill, chances are you can monetize it on one or both of these sites.
The best route to go to earn your first gig is to choose a highly-specialized task that uniquely matches your skillset. For example, one top freelancer on Fiverr specializes in French Canadian voiceovers, while another specializes in voice work with an Australian accent.
The two sites work in slightly different ways:
- On Upwork, clients posts jobs and freelancers submit proposals. The two parties go through an interview process and then sign a digital contract.
- On Fiverr, freelancers post service offerings at set prices, which clients can purchase on-demand — there’s no need for an interview, and you may not even communicate with the client.
We’ve ranked this as the best overall opportunity because both sites offer job opportunities in hundreds of categories, with gigs suitable for people of all backgrounds and experience levels. For example, you can find entry-level work — like data entry, web research and transcription — as well as expert-level jobs that pay $100+ per hour.
You can learn more about how the sites work in our complete beginner’s guides:
Expected hourly pay: $15+ per hour with unlimited upside.
Pay cycle: On Upwork, payments for fixed-priced projects are available immediately upon completion, and payments for hourly projects are available on the Thursday after the week in which they were completed.
On Fiverr, all payments are available 14 days after project completion, or seven days for Top Rated sellers. (You need to have lifetime earnings of at least $20,000 to hit Top Rated status).
#2. Freelance Writing
Quick summary: Demand for freelance writers is high and the earning potential scales up quickly. Experienced writers with knowledge of a niche (like parenting, fitness or personal finance) can earn as much as 25 cents per word.
I’ve worked as a freelance writer multiple times during my career, and I wrote a guide on how to become a freelance writer to help others get started. It explains more about all the opportunities that are out there, and it outlines the next steps you should take if you’re ready to get started.
What’s to like about freelance writing is that it’s a field where, in a year’s time and by choosing the right niche, you can be making a very good living. As noted above, many writers charge 25 cents per word ($250 for a 1,000-word article).
Expected hourly pay: $10+ to start, and up to $100 per hour with experience.
Pros:
- There’s strong demand for quality freelance writers, so getting started is easy (even as a beginner).
- Offers great scheduling flexibility — if you can meet your deadline, it doesn’t matter when or where you work.
Cons:
- If you don’t have a portfolio of published writing samples, you may need to bid low when you’re first starting out.
- Since you’re usually paid on a per-word basis, your hourly earning rate depends on your efficiency. If you’re a slow writer, get distracted or have trouble managing your schedule, an assignment can end up taking a full day instead of a few hours.
Best site to start: As a beginner, your best bet is to apply for writing jobs on Upwork (here’s a guide that outlines the tips and tricks you need to know for landing Upwork writing jobs).
Pay cycle: Upwork pays immediately upon completion of fixed-price jobs and every Thursday for hourly jobs.
Check out our post on five freelance writing sites that pay daily for more opportunities.
#3. Online Tutoring
Quick summary: If you’re interested in tutoring students from the comfort of your own home, there are now dozens of sites that connect you with willing learners all over the world. Subjects can vary depending on experience and/or educational background.
Expected hourly pay: Between $15 and $25, on average.
Pros:
- A very fulfilling way to earn money by making a difference in children’s lives.
- The pay is on the higher side, even for beginners.
- The work is very consistent, as most sites have a strong demand for good teachers.
- Most sites provide the curriculum for you, so you can focus on teaching.
Cons:
- It takes one to two weeks to sign up, interview, and go through the proper training.
- Different sites have different requirements, but most require a bachelor’s degree.
- If working with overseas students, you’ll have to adjust your schedule to their time zone.
Best site to start: The online tutoring site Chegg is one of the few that pays weekly. With Chegg, you’ll be teaching primarily U.S.-based high school and college students in a variety of subjects. A test is required to show that you clearly understand a subject before you can start to teach.
Pay cycle: Pays every Thursday.
Other sites to check out: The best websites to find online tutoring jobs.
#4. Proofreading
Quick summary: Proofreading is a freelance job with steady demand as the growth of online content isn’t slowing down. As a proofreader, you’ll be checking others’ work for grammar and punctuation errors. There is some room for growth, such as going from a proofreader to an editor of books or blogs (where you’ll have more say in what gets published).
Expected hourly pay: $10+ to start.
Pros:
- It can pay a decent rate with a few months of experience ($20+ an hour).
- There are high-paying niches within the field.
- It’s easy to get started, as no skills or credentials are necessary.
- Most clients produce content continuously, so there’s an opportunity for steady income.
Cons:
- As the skill is very generalized, scaling up your earnings beyond a certain point can be difficult.
- The work requires extreme attention to detail and can become monotonous.
If you’re interested, read my guide on how to become a proofreader, and check out Caitlyn Pyle’s free proofreading training webinar. These two resources will give you all the details you need to get started.
Learn How to Become a Proofreader
Proofread Anywhere is the go-to resource for people looking to break into the work-from-home proofreading industry. The free 76-minute workshop explains how to know whether proofreading is a good fit for you, and how to get started if you decide that it is.
#5. Virtual Assistant
Quick summary: Virtual assistant is a catch-all term for a remote administrative support associate. You can get started working as an independent contractor for a company like Virtual Office VA, find clients locally via Craigslist or Indeed, or find gigs on Upwork.
The work itself will vary based on your client’s needs, but you should expect to do anything from posting on social media, to managing email or customer service requests, to editing.
Expected hourly pay: $10 to start with good upward potential with the right experience and training.
Pros:
- It tends to be steady work, as clients usually need someone to handle the same tasks on a daily (or regular) basis.
- Has the potential to generate a higher income once you learn new skills and develop experience.
Cons:
- It’s not as flexible as other jobs on this list, as some employers require you to maintain specific office hours.
Free Resource: How to Become a Virtual Assistant.
#6. Transcription
Quick summary: Transcription involves transforming audio and video recordings into text. While there are multiple job sites that offer general transcription work, if you’re looking to make money fast check out TranscribeMe, which allows you to request payment once your work is approved (which usually takes about three days).
Expected hourly pay: $5.
Pros:
- There’s good demand right now for transcriptionists, thanks to the growth of both podcasts and video content.
- You can set your own hours.
- The work requires little to no experience to get started.
- Because you’re typically compensated on a per-project basis (based on a set rate per audio hour), the faster you transcribe the more you can make.
Cons:
- Earnings are on the lower side.
- Many transcriptionists use special software. The most popular is Express Scribe, which costs about $80. Serious transcriptionists pair Express Scribe with a foot pedal (about $50 on Amazon) which allows them to control playback (i.e., start and stop the audio track) without taking their hands off the keyboard.
- There’s limited upside in general transcription. The legal and medical fields are two areas where there is room for growth.
Pay cycle: On TranscribeMe, you can request pay daily (after the work is approved).
Other transcription sites to check out: Rev and Quicktate.
#7. Translation
Quick summary: If you’re bilingual, job sites like LanguageLine allow you to translate audio and text (both live and recorded) to make money.
Expected hourly pay: $12.50.
Pros:
- Decent pay at $12.50 per hour.
- May be relatively easy work if you’re fluent in an in-demand language.
- There can be opportunity to earn more as you gain experience and increase your efficiency.
Cons:
- The hiring process can be long, as an interview and proficiency test are required.
Pay cycle: LanguageLine pays weekly by direct deposit or check.
Other translation sites to check out: Lionbridge.
#8. Data Entry
Quick summary: Amazon MTurk is a micro job site that allows people to post HITs (human intelligence tasks) for users to perform for a fee. While MTurk offers all types of work, one of the most popular is data entry.
You can also find web research jobs on Upwork and Fiverr. These gigs usually entail finding, collecting and inputting data into a specified interface (such as a spreadsheet). For example, I just hired someone to find the number of app reviews, BBB rating, Trustpilot rating, etc., for 50+ online survey companies.
Expected hourly pay: $5 or less on Mturk, $10 per hour on Upwork.
Pros:
- No experience, interview or application process is required.
- More opportunities open up as you complete more HITs.
- The work is extremely flexible.
Cons:
- MTurk is notorious for its low pay rates. You can make as much as $5 per hour, but you may also make less depending on the types of tasks you choose to complete.
- There’s very limited upside.
- The requester has the right to refuse your work, and therefore deny you compensation if your work contains errors.
Pay cycle: MTurk pays weekly through direct deposit for U.S. workers. Non-U.S. workers can get paid in Amazon gift cards.
Other data entry sites to check out: Clickworker.
#8. Review Websites
Quick summary: Sites like UserTesting.com let you earn extra cash by providing feedback on websites. This involves visiting a website, performing a few simple tasks, and recording your thoughts via video or audio. Most tests pay $10 each.
Expected hourly pay: $20.
Pros:
- Offers decent earnings for entry-level work.
- You can get started quickly, as all that’s required is a sample test.
Cons:
- There isn’t always work available and getting accepted into tests is hard. We applied for 46 when testing the platform and got approved for none.
- There’s no upside: only a handful of websites offer this work, and your experience isn’t directly portable to another platform (i.e., you won’t find any website reviewing jobs on Upwork).
Pay cycle: UserTesting pays via PayPal seven days after a test is complete.
Other sites to check out: TrymyUI.com.
#9. Set Appointments
Quick summary: If you have the ability to make phone calls that book appointments, there’s a great opportunity to make money. A popular appointment setting company is Blue Zebra, where you’ll work a part-time job that involves a set number amount of hours per week spent cold calling prospects.
Expected hourly pay: $15.
Pros:
- If a sales professional finds someone that can book appointments, they’ll happily keep paying for their services. So the experience you gain working for Blue Zebra can be transferred to other, better-paying opportunities.
- Blue Zebra gives you the chance to earn bonuses the better you perform.
Cons:
- The work isn’t the most enjoyable, as you’ll face a lot of rejection.
- It’s not as flexible as other jobs, because you’re required to work a minimum number of hours per week.
Pay cycle: Blue Zebra pays weekly via direct deposit.
#10. Take And Review Phone Calls
Quick summary: Two popular work at home job opportunities are taking inbound customer service calls and reviewing customer service calls for quality. Humanatic is one company that is currently hiring for call reviewing.
But before you go apply, I would recommend checking out a site like FlexJobs (read our FlexJobs review) to see if there are any similar remote positions available working directly for a company. (Note: FlexJobs is a paid membership site, but you can get a 14-day trial for $2.95.)
My research showed that pay rates for call work tends to be low. So spend some time trying to find a job directly with a company; getting hired as a W2 employee means you’ll at least be subject to minimum wage standards.
Expected hourly pay: $5 on average.
Pros:
- Little training is necessary to get started.
- Flexible hours.
Cons:
- Low pay with minimum to no upside.
Pay cycle: Humanatic pays on a weekly basis via PayPal.
Other sites to check out: Call Center QA and Ver-A-Fast.
Online Jobs that Pay Weekly FAQ
If you’re looking to get paid daily, Amazon MTurk may be your best bet. With MTurk, you complete small tasks. Once your work for a task is approved, the funds can be withdrawn in as little as a few hours. Most other sites have a clearance period of at least a few days.
Freelance writing on Upwork has the most earning potential of any job on this list. Beginners can earn well above minimum wage, and talented writers with experience can earn as much as $100 per hour.
Closing Thoughts on Online Jobs that Pay Weekly
Whether you’re in need of quick cash or looking to dive headfirst into a new career, there are no shortage of opportunities. There are even some jobs that pay the same day you work.
If you’re looking to start earning quickly, you can and should start right now. If you’re looking for something with more long-term potential, make sure to check out our guide to getting started freelancing.
