14 Retirement Side Gigs to Make Extra Money in 2025

There are many great side gigs that are perfect for retirees who have spare time and would like to keep earning. Here are my favorite ideas, which are neither physically demanding nor require more than 20 hours per week. 

Renting Your Space ($25-200/day) 

If you're lucky, you might be spending a lot of your retirement travelling, and if that's the case, renting your space while you're away is a no-brainer. 

Of, course, this suggestion is only available to those who actually own a space to rent, but you don't necessarily need a whole home, you could rent out a single room with platforms like Airbnb. And the great thing about this side gig is that it requires very little work while bringing in great money. 

I recommend that you include a professional cleaning price and hire someone to prepare the space between each rental, saving yourself time and effort. I also want to urge readers to be careful about who they accept for each rental, but thankfully platforms like Airbnb allow you to see the profile of potential renters. 

Pet Sitting ($15-50/hour)

Pet sitting is perfect for retirees who enjoy animals' company and are looking for a flexible, relaxing way to earn extra money. Through platforms like Rover, you can connect with pet owners in your area in need of sitters, and get started in less than an hour. 

There are lots of obvious benefits to this approach, but the one trap you need to avoid is accepting jobs with badly behaving animals. I suggest asking each new client whether you can meet the animal first before accepting any sitting work. 

Pet sitting platforms:

Online Surveys ($5-30/hour)

Mobility issues are a major barrier for many older earners. And for those individuals, I cannot recommend online surveys enough, as this side gig allows you to work from the comfort of home. 

You might not have heard of platforms that offer this kind of work, as they are fairly new, but there are now quite a few websites that will pay you for completing small tasks online like responding to surveys. This side gig is definitely the easiest, and you can work as much or as little as you want. 

As long as you have a computer or smartphone, you can complete surveys on these platforms and build up earnings. You can then withdraw the money in a multitude of ways, including PayPal and gift cards. I recommend Freecash as the most trustworthy GPT platform. 

Tutoring ($20-$60/hour)

Retirement doesn't mean your wealth of knowledge should go to waste. You've got the experience that many younger people would benefit from, and in this way tutoring has the potential to be hugely fulfilling. 

Of course, you need some kind of expertise to begin teaching, but you would probably be surprised at the range of subjects offered on tutoring platforms. For instance, you could teach a language you speak or an instrument you play, no matter how obscure, and you will probably find students. 

Tutoring platforms:

Freelance Writing or Editing ($20-$100/hour)

Freelance job sites:

House Sitting ($30-$100/day)

Although house sitting often means spending prolonged periods of time in someone else's house, this is the easiest suggestion on the list, as all you need to do is physically be there and perhaps water a few plants. You could actually double up on side gigs by house sitting and then completing online surveys while doing so. 

House-sitting platforms:

Selling Handcrafted Goods ($10-$50/hour)

For those looking for a creative outlet in retirement, you could consider turning consider making and selling handcrafted good with online marketplaces like Etsy. 

As long as you have the skill and materials to create handcrafted items, like knitwear, pottery, paintings, jewelry, or whatever else, you can set up a shop. 

This venture allows you to share your passion with a global audience, connecting with customers who appreciate the craftsmanship and story behind each piece. It’s a wonderful opportunity to turn what you love doing into a supplementary income.

How to get started:

Market Research ($10-$200/study)

Here's a fun suggestion for retirees who don't want to work much, but are looking for a little extra cash and some interesting experiences.

Market research is usually fascinating, and often involves quite simple tasks like trying a new food product and then sharing your opinion about it. It also pays well for how little time you need to spend, often only a few hours at most each week. 

It does rely on luck to be chosen for the market research, but as retirees are quite big spenders, it probably won't be difficult for you to be selected as a tester. I recommend the market research group, Respondent, as a good place to start. 

Local Tour Guide ($50-$200/day)

Many older folks know their local area very well, and enjoy the chance to share that knowledge with visitors. If that sounds like you, I can't recommend trying tour guides enough. 

Becoming a local tour guide is a wonderful way to share your knowledge and passion for your area, and it pays quite well while also being flexible. It does require that you live in an area that receives tourists, but that's true of most cities, at least to some extent. 

First steps: 

Teaching an Online Course ($500-$2000+/course)

Rather than tutoring one on one, you could also consider creating an online course. This does require a lot more work upfront as you need to create material for the course, and you need a significant knowledge base to draw from, but it also pays very well. 

If you create a particularly successful course, it could become an ongoing form of passive income for you, but you will need to make a course worth paying for. 

Course building platforms:

Virtual Assistant ($5-$20/hour)

If you're older and want to keep working, but it isn't viable for you to leave the home regularly, becoming a virtual assistant could be the perfect way to keep earning. 

Virtual Assistants effectively do the work of a secretary but online. Professionals will hire you to do basic tasks like data entry and calendar planning, and you will complete the tasks from home. 

The pay is decent and the ability to work remotely is of course a massive advantage, buy sadly this is becoming a very competitive side gig, and it can be difficult to find work without an impressive profile. I suggest you start by signing up to a platform like Upwork

Photography ($50-$200/session)

If you were a photographer in your younger days, this one is obvious, but even if you were not, retirement could be a great time to start. The work is flexible and engaging, and you get the chance to meet lots of new people. 

You should at least take an online course in photography if you don't have experience, but as long as you know the basics and have a half-decent camera, you can get started. 

To get clients, I suggest you offer free photography for the first few weeks or months to build up a portfolio and garner a few reviews. Then build an online profile on Instagram using those photos and reviews. 

Gardening ($25-$75/hour)

If you are retired but still feel able to do physical work, gardening can provide a great side gig. You will get to work outside in the fresh air, and the pay is decent. It will be far easier to find work in the suburbs, but no matter where you are, you should be able to find clients if you price your services correctly. 

To advertise your services, we suggest putting up flyers in your area, and using local Facebook groups or NextDoor to get the word out online.

Delivery or Rideshare Driving ($15-$30/hour)

And last but not least, for those retirees who still drive, I recommend delivery and rideshare driving as a great way to keep earning. The work is always there, the pay is good for the time you put in, and there's a lot of flexibility regarding when you work and for how long.

How to get started:

Retirement Side Gigs Recap

I hope you found a few suggestions that interest you, and I wish you luck with your next side gig!