This article lists the best overnight jobs based on factors like earning potential and ease of getting hired.
Our list is divided into two sections:
- Work from home overnight jobs, which are ideal if you’re looking for a side hustle or something with a high level of scheduling flexibility.
- Traditional overnight jobs, which offer stable work with solid pay.
We’ll also answer some of the most frequently asked questions about overnight jobs.
Work From Home Overnight Jobs
These work from home jobs can be side hustles or full-time positions, and some can be turned into a small-scale business. All of them allow you to work on your own schedule.
#1. Teaching English Online
Online language education is a large and growing industry, with many jobs available teaching English to students in Asia (who are on about a 12-hour time difference, depending on their specific location).
One of the best-known online education companies is Education First, which hires people to teach English to students all over the world. Teachers are not required to speak any language other than English, and while you do need at least a bachelor’s degree to apply, it can be in any subject.
You can learn more about Education First, as well as some of the other top options, in our list of the best online tutoring jobs.
#2. Freelance Writing
Freelance sites like Upwork and Fiverr have thousands of job postings for writers on hundreds of topics, and many of these jobs are open to people with no previous professional writing experience.
As a freelance writer, you can work on website content, marketing emails, research papers and everything in between.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out these resources:
- How to start freelancing
- How to become a freelance writer
- Where to find freelance writing jobs
- How to get your first job on Upwork
- How to get get started on Fiverr
Another way to make money by writing is to start a blog.
Getting started as a blogger is easy, but it can take a little while to see a return on your time investment. As a freelance writer, you can get your first client today. As a blogger, it might take six months to a year before you earn your first dollar.
You can learn more in our article on how to start a blog and make money.
#3. Customer Service
A number of companies hire overnight customer support agents to take incoming calls and/or provide support via chat.
The largest of these companies is Amazon, and you can learn more about how to find and apply for these positions in our Amazon work from home jobs guide.
For more options, refer to our list of the best work from home customer service jobs (if you’re willing to take phone calls) and the best work from home chat jobs (if you only want to provide chat support).
#4. Data Entry
Data entry is one of the most versatile of the overnight jobs.
- You can work with companies that specialize in hiring data entry clerks (and other kinds of typists) like AccuTran Global and Axion Data Services.
- You can find freelance clients on sites like Upwork and Fiverr.
- You can find full-time work from home opportunities on a remote work job board like FlexJobs. (Learn more in our FlexJobs review.)
- You can start your own company by soliciting business from places like medical and attorney’s offices.
Even full-time positions with dedicated companies typically don’t require specific hours; as long as you complete your assignments, they don’t care if you work overnight.
Check out our list of the best work from home data entry jobs for more options.
#5. Transcription
Transcription jobs typically require some experience and special equipment (such as a foot pedal to stop and start the recording), but it’s an in-demand skill and there are opportunities for beginners to break into the field.
Being willing to work overnight can be a big advantage in the transcription field, as many businesses want a quick turnaround. If they get a project to you at the end of their business day, and you can return the completed work to them by the opening of the following day, you can provide significant added value.
Learn more in our guide to the best online transcription jobs for beginners.
#6. Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants do many of the same tasks as in-office assistants, such as reading and composing emails, scheduling meetings and appointments, and making travel arrangements.
But the clients they work for either work from home themselves (with no room for an assistant) or only need occasional help. People in these situations often turn to a virtual assistant.
And while it might not seem like this makes sense as an overnight job, there are many small businesses and entrepreneurs who are either overseas and need a U.S.-based VA, or who are based in the United States and need someone available to coordinate business abroad.
If you’re interested, read our guide to getting started as a VA and sign up for the next session of the Virtual Assistant Internship program’s free online workshop.
#7. Website and App Testing
Before companies launch new websites or apps (or updated versions), they need to be user-tested so that any bugs that will be annoying to customers can be detected and eliminated.
These companies hire outside firms to conduct this research, who in turn hire work from home testers to provide feedback.
One such site is UserTesting.com, which pays $10 for every 20-minute test completed (and more for interviews).
Market research platforms such as User Interviews and Respondent primarily offer online focus groups (which take place during business hours) but they sometimes have website and app testing opportunities. The pay rate on these platforms can be excellent ($30 to $60 per hour in our testing), so they’re worth checking out in addition to UserTesting.com.
Traditional Overnight Jobs
While these positions may not have the same scheduling flexibility as work from home overnight jobs, they often pay more for the same work when compared to the day shift.
#8. Delivery Driver
Many restaurants deliver 24 hours a day via services like Uber Eats and DoorDash, and couriers can earn premium rates by working the overnight shift on these apps. GoPuff offers 24-hour delivery of things like snacks, household goods, drugstore items and even alcohol.
For those who want to make money with their car but don’t feel safe picking up strangers at night, these delivery jobs are a good alternative. Depending on the platform, you may also be able to deliver by bike, moped or scooter.
You’ll typically earn between $15 and $25 per hour and you have the flexibility to work as little or as much as you want. Plus, most platforms allow for immediate withdrawal of your earnings, so you can get paid the same day you work.
You can learn more in our list of the best app-based delivery jobs.
#9. Night Stocking
The average grocery store contains almost 40,000 items, and stores that carry a mix of groceries and consumer items offer tens of thousands more. Someone needs to keep all those items on the shelves — a task that’s harder during the day when the aisles are full of shoppers.
Even stores that are open around the clock employ more stockers overnight because the store is less busy. Large grocers like Kroger, and big-box stores like Walmart, Target and Lowe’s, are almost always hiring for the night stocker position (both full-time and part-time).
Indeed is the best place to look for night stocking jobs, but not all companies post there, so be sure to check the websites of individual grocery and department stores. Often, they allow you to upload your resume to a database for review when there’s an opening.
#10. Warehouse Work
Amazon is a big player in the area of overnight jobs, employing more than a quarter of a million people full-time in their warehouses (which the company calls fulfillment centers).
A warehouse associate at Amazon does things like accept and shelve inventory, pick and box customer orders, and load the boxes onto trucks for shipment.
Working in an Amazon fulfillment center is one of the better-paying jobs on our list. Pay varies by job title, but the minimum wage is $15 per hour and it doesn’t matter if you’re full-time, part-time or seasonal, or whether you’re hired directly by Amazon or via a staffing agency.
This pay rate, paired with the fact that it’s an entry-level position with no educational requirements, makes it a good job if you don’t have a high school diploma.
Learn more on Amazon’s dedicated jobs page.
#11. Cleaning
Cleaning jobs are a great way to make money, especially if you want to work independently. But cleaning houses is not on any list of overnight jobs. Rather than residential homes, focus on cleaning businesses — most of which are closed overnight after all of the employees and customers have gone home for the day.
Think of places like restaurants, offices, clothing stores, bars and coffee shops. These kinds of cleaning jobs also need to be done more frequently than residential cleaning, which means you’ll have more work with fewer clients (and thus won’t have to work as hard as residential cleaners to find customers).
When you’re starting out, staffing agencies can be a good way to find this work. But don’t overlook gig economy apps like Angi and TaskRabbit, as local businesses hire cleaners on these platforms. You’ll make more money than working through a staffing agency, and as you gain more clients, you can add people to your team and turn your job into a business.
#12. Child Care
Many people work overnight jobs, including parents. Daycare centers often revolve around traditional working hours, which makes it tough for parents who work nights to find reliable child care.
There are also parents who need overnight child care when they’re traveling for work or just going on vacation and don’t have close family or friends nearby who can take care of their kids.
Care.com is a platform that connects people who need help with independent contractors, making it an ideal place to find overnight child care jobs.
#13. Hotel Clerk
People check in and out of hotels at all hours, and guests sometimes have issues that need to be addressed during the night. So all hotels employ overnight clerks (which are also called night auditors) to staff the front desk.
Being a night auditor is an ideal job for students who need to study. It’s the perfect work environment because while you might deal with the occasional check-in, check-out or guest need, your shift will usually be quiet — perfect for getting your class assignments done.
Job sites like Indeed and LinkedIn often have listings for these positions, but your best bet is to check the websites of individual hotel companies.
#14. Retail Clerk
Some big-box drug stores like CVS and Walgreens are open 24 hours a day. And not everyone is suited to overnight stock jobs, as they can involve lots of bending and lifting.
A retail clerk working the night shift may have a few more duties than those on the day shift (some light cleaning, straightening shelves, etc., since there are fewer customers to deal with), but nothing overly physical.
Check individual company websites for openings, and see if there’s an option to upload your resume. If there is, specifically highlight your desire to work overnight (third-shift workers are harder to find than day-shift employees, and they need to be replaced more frequently).
Overnight Jobs FAQ
There is no law that requires employers to pay night shift workers more than day shift workers. But many will do so in order to attract enough employees who are willing to work overnight shifts, as these hours are typically less desirable than day shifts.
Job boards like FlexJobs and Indeed allow users to search their job descriptions for certain keywords including “overnight jobs” and “nightshift jobs.”
FlexJobs is especially valuable for those who are looking for a work from home overnight job because it’s completely dedicated to remote work opportunities. You can learn more about how the site works in our FlexJobs review.
Working at night disrupts your natural sleep cycle, and that can have adverse health effects. There are some things you can do to help prevent this, including using a sleep mask and black-out curtains to keep the sunlight from impacting your sleep during the day. Using a white noise machine can also help block noise.
If you’re new to working overnight, keep in mind that there will most likely be an adjustment period, and make a plan to ensure that you’re still eating healthy and getting sufficient exercise.
The Best Overnight Jobs: Final Thoughts
Whether you’re a permanent night owl or a temporary one due to a family situation or school schedule, there are plenty of overnight jobs that can accommodate your needs.
Keep in mind that long-term, overnight work can be both physically and mentally taxing. If you have trouble adjusting to the sleep schedule, you may find yourself dragging. And if your friends and family are all on a traditional schedule, you may have to deal with some degree of social isolation.
As with most things in personal finance, the key is to be clear about your reasons for making a decision while keeping an eye on your long-term goals. If working the overnight shift helps you with short-term financial goals like building an emergency fund or getting out of debt, that’s great.
But if it disrupts your long-term trajectory, then it may not be the best choice.
