50+ Side Hustles for Seniors, Plus Tips for Retirees

You’ve worked for 25, 35, even 45 years; now you’re ready to enjoy that long-awaited retirement. But like other newly retired folks, after several months of reduced activity you might discover the days seem empty or money is tight. You don’t need another career, but you want projects to challenge you intellectually, fill open hours, and earn income.

If this describes your situation, join the 24% of boomers with side gigs. That’s more than 16 million people ranging from 59 to 75 years old in the United States, and even more when you add AARP-eligible Gen Xers over age 50.

Good news: The opportunities for side hustles for seniors are vast. Dabble here and there or commit to something more consistent. Besides bringing in income, senior side gigs offer ways to maintain social connections and stay physically and mentally active. Plus, you can leverage your skills to give back to your community.

We’ve grouped more than 50 ideas for senior side hustles into four categories and provided tips specifically for seniors ready to reenter the working world. We also share links to help you get started and find open jobs.

Since “retiring” nearly 20 years ago, I’ve done about half of the activities I’m suggesting here. Read on and join me in a rewarding post-career life.

Apply your career skills

During the course of your career, you’ve probably developed expertise in dozens of skills, even if you never officially held dozens of titles. Think about how you can apply those skills in one-off projects or continuing assignments. Find opportunities to keep your skills up to date, help others, and continue earning.

• Teaching. Whether you’ve taught in schools or on the job, your training skills are valuable. Work as a substitute teacher or long-term sub in your area of expertise. Certified teachers may get higher hourly pay, but others can qualify and are needed. You can also check local college curricula for a match between their needs and your know-how. Find online curriculum development jobs to do remotely.
• Tutoring. Whatever skill you have, others likely want to learn it. Find online tutoring jobs across a wide range of subjects.
• Writing. In your job, you’ve likely written project reviews, performance appraisals, marketing content, and countless other documents. Find your writing niche and browse thousands of writing jobs on Upwork.
• Accounting and finance. Plenty of small businesses need help keeping their books, especially as they expand operations. Look for bookkeeping, accounting, and finance projects that match your skill set.
• Consulting. Across a wide range of subjects, you’ve built valuable skills and insights during your years of experience. Maintain a network with your work alma mater; they may want to rehire you for a short consulting stint (sometimes at a higher pay rate than you had while working full time) or market your transferable services in other industries.
• Coaching. Offer specialized services to help others build expertise. Post a specific project offering on Upwork’s Project Catalog or find open opportunities in business coaching, life coaching, career coaching, and executive coaching.
• Project management. Your project management skills are in big demand across a wide variety of organizations in every industry. Agile project management experience is a plus, especially for tech operations.
• Leadership. You can apply leadership skills as a fractional CEO or in other executive roles. Contribute valuable learnings from your experience to serve as a board member for local organizations.
• Research. From market research to academic research and data analysis, your skills can help clients in need.
• Communications. Jobs in communication run the gamut from speechwriting to creating instruction manuals to coaching communication skills.
• Web development. A new website is built every three seconds. You can apply your web design and web development skills to set up these websites. Many seniors who don’t have these skills (and want to pursue side hustles) will appreciate help getting started.
• Tax prep. If you have math and organization skills, you can help others prepare taxes. AARP trains volunteer tax aides, who provide free tax assistance to millions of Americans. Local offices of H&R Block, Jackson Hewitt, and other organizations provide expert training for paid part-time seasonal jobs.
• Business planning and development. Help clients write business plans or support startup operations.
• Marketing. A wide variety of clients are looking for people with expertise in areas like marketing communications and digital marketing. Find one-off projects or take on a role as a regular part-time marketer.
• Virtual assistant. Apply your diverse skills to help others manage schedules, provide customer service, and help with budgets. Check out these virtual assistant jobs.

A bonus for this post-career work: Many of these activities can be done remotely, so you can work from your home, a coffee shop, or even a cruise ship.

Learn (and do) something new

When you retire, the world doesn’t stop advancing. The past few years have seen dramatic growth in generative AI (artificial intelligence), autonomous vehicles, and medical innovations, among many other high-impact developments. Don’t feel prevented from learning about and participating in new areas just because your prior career was in some other specialty.

Upwork regularly assesses the most in-demand skills in technology, marketing, and customer service. Pick topics that interest you and take advantage of free or affordable courses to upskill in new areas. Then apply your new skills, starting with small projects and building up as your expertise grows. Consider these areas to expand your knowledge base.

• Generative AI. Gen AI uses natural language processing, opening worlds of opportunity for non-programmers to apply tools for improving productivity. Becoming a prompt engineer is a good starting point. (First learn the language of AI.)
• Generative AI art. Even if you’ve never been an artist, you can now learn generative AI art methods to transform your creative ideas into artistic images for clients.
• Laptop skills. Yes, you know how to do the basics on Excel or Google Sheets, but by building advanced skills, you can help others improve their productivity. Learn how to use Microsoft Copilot in Excel and apply for spreadsheet jobs ranging from data entry to data analysis and visual presentation.
• Notary. Take a few hours of training and become certified as a notary (requirements vary by state). Live signature verification is often still needed even with electronic signature capabilities available. Check out remote notary jobs as well.
• Real estate. Real estate can be a tough field to break into, but you can start learning the market by working with a local agent, helping with showings, writing listing descriptions, doing title research, and putting together mortgage documents. Look for remote real estate jobs too.
• Affiliate marketing. You can make money promoting products as an affiliate marketer, earning a commission for any product you help sell. Learning is easy and builds on other online marketing skills.
• (Re)learn programming. If your last coding class was in Fortran, catch up to today’s coding world with more user-friendly programming languages and AI programming skills. Then pursue programming side hustles ranging from WordPress projects to developing APIs, among other coding jobs.
• Language. Now that you have more free time, learn a second language or refresh your proficiency in a language you’ve studied before. You can look for translation jobs or simply help businesses serve their multicultural customers.
• Doing voice-overs. Put a pleasant voice to use by doing voice-over and narration work. Learn tips for voice-over success, including what equipment you need.
• Social media marketing. Social media isn’t just the domain of kids. Get up to speed with “new” media, like X (formerly known as Twitter) and TikTok, and help clients make an impact. Thousands of social media marketing jobs are available daily.
• Transcription. Learn how to apply transcription skills and use transcription tools; then find lucrative transcribing jobs with a variety of organizations.

On Upwork, clients classify job posts as entry, intermediate, and expert experience level, so you’ll find many opportunities to apply your skills even as a beginner. Then, the more you do, the greater your expertise and earning power become.

Learning something new and applying your knowledge can definitely help clients and is good for you, too. Numerous studies have shown that senior knowledge and skill development can improve overall cognitive abilities.

Monetize your hobbies

Whether you like crafting, reading, golf, or skiing, you can probably find a way to turn your passion into an enjoyable and financially rewarding side business. You’re going to be doing these hobbies anyway, so why not make some money while you’re at it? Some activities may start as volunteer positions, but many can transition to paid roles. Consider these hobby side hustles.

• Cooking. Cooking and baking is the number one hobby in the U.S., meaning lots of people are interested in the topic. Offer your services as a home chef or sous chef. Start a cooking blog with affiliate marketing or e-commerce monetization, or find remote cooking jobs in meal planning or recipe development. You can even look into starting a food truck business.
• Reading. Reading is the number two hobby in the U.S. If you love to read, work as a developmental editor or beta reader to provide valuable feedback authors need as they work through their creative process. Other editors and proofreaders are in huge demand too.
• Crafting. Turn your one-of-a-kind handiwork into someone’s prized possession. Set up a booth at a local craft fair to sell items or arrange commissioned work. Sites like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon Handmade provide platforms that reach a global market. Search for specialty areas such as metalwork, woodwork, quilting, or jewelry to attract targeted niche customers.
• Skiing. Depending on your ability, teach beginner to advanced skiers or sign on with the ski patrol. Find an organization like Achieve Tahoe to support adaptive ski instruction. Many ski resorts also hire greeters to direct visitors to amenities, generally providing free ski passes (a big perk!) and pay.
• Golf. Sign up as a marshal for golf tournaments. Duties might range from working as a marshal doing on-course crowd control to transporting players or being a walking scorer or laser operator. Get a job in the pro shop for pay plus discounts on greens fees or equipment.
• Photography. Make prints for wall decorations for your local coffee shop and offer them for sale. Set up a website with your photos available for purchase. If you need help, find website resources on Upwork.
• Hiking. Combine your knowledge of local history and nature with your organizational skills and warm personality to be a tour guide. Tours by Locals and Airbnb Experiences are examples of opportunities to provide paid tours and activities.
• Performing arts. Work as an usher or production assistant in local arts venues. Many organizations offer volunteer positions that can transition to paid roles; meanwhile, you get free access to performances. Of course, if you have talents like singing, acting, or playing music, you can audition for on-stage roles; it’s never too late!
• Culture. Share your love of science, art, or nature. Check with your favorite local museum for their needs providing visitor support and education as a volunteer or paid museum docent, such as these opportunities with the Smithsonian.
• Non-profit volunteer. Find in-person or remote positions of interest with non-profits. Schools, churches, and other community organizations are always in need of resources. Search local and global positions on sites such as VolunteerMatch, Idealist, and United Way. Working and networking through volunteer assignments can often lead to paid roles.
• Gardening. Work at a community garden or with a CSA (community supported agriculture) team and get “paid” in fresh produce.
• Travel. Write travel articles and blogs, provide travel advice or support, or lead tours. Use your own travel experiences and online research skills to serve clients with travel jobs.
• Teaching your hobby. Share your expertise by offering training at your local library, community college, makers’ workshops, senior centers, hobby supply stores, or continuing education programs. Offer to do a demo of your skills (possibly receiving an honorarium) or establish a regular class schedule for pay.

For each of these hobbies, you’ll find that millions of other people in the world have similar interests. As you put together plans to monetize your ideas, you don’t have to learn every technical skill to make the execution happen. Get help from Upwork experts to set up your own website, e-commerce site, blog, or podcast.

Make some easy cash

You may want to make extra money without the investment of learning something new or getting back into the grind of office work or physical labor. These side hustles depend more on life skills than on intense effort. You’ll still be working conscientiously and providing valuable services, but you might find these jobs easier than your past professional roles.

• Pet sit. Pet sitting can involve caring for a pet in your own home or visiting the pet in its home. A nice dog-sitting perk for seniors is that dogs require regular walks so you’ll get plenty of exercise too. Find opportunities on Rover and other local sites.
• Be a grandparent. Many families appreciate the child-rearing wisdom and care of an older adult, especially if their own parents and grandparents don’t live nearby. Find opportunities on Rent a Gramma or through surrogate grandparent group sites.
• Be a ride-share driver. Sign up with Uber, Lyft, or other ride-share services to provide transportation during your free hours. Besides getting paid, you may enjoy conversations with interesting people.
• Deliver meals or groceries. DoorDash, Uber Eats, and other food delivery services have opened up opportunities for stay-at-home folks to get rapid deliveries. If you like to drive (or ride a bike or scooter), you can earn a salary and tips making deliveries on your own schedule.
• Star in a movie. Actually, you’ll likely start as an extra or background actor, but you may still get on-camera credit. Check the talent gigs section of your local Craigslist listings for one-off opportunities or sign up with a talent or casting agency to be alerted for upcoming needs.
• Do some marketing. The Craigslist event gigs section is a good place to find short-term marketing gigs, which might range from food sampling to participating in focus groups.
• Be a poll worker. This seasonal job lets you earn money while performing a civic service. Learn more at the Election Assistance Commission website or contact your local elections board to get started.
• Become a greeter. From hospital information desks to large retail stores, many businesses need people to interact with customers entering or leaving the site. Find open positions at the specific locations you’re interested in or on work platforms such as ZipRecruiter or Indeed.
• Complete surveys. You can fill out surveys remotely in your free time and earn money. Popular sites include MyPoints and Swagbucks.
• Do fun gigs. Find one-off opportunities on Craigslist gigs pages and local bulletin boards. I’ve done everything from appearing as Scooby-Doo at the New York State Fair to officiating a wedding.
• Participate in a home share. Rent out your home (or a portion of it) or swap homes with someone in a different area for a low-cost vacation. Airbnb, Vrbo, and HomeExchange are among the most popular sites.
• Declutter. Many empty nesters are ready to downsize or at least declutter. Rather than discarding your accumulated things, sell them in a garage sale or online consignment shop. Post individual items on NextDoor, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace. Donate items that still have value to your local Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity ReStores.

Tips for seniors pursuing side hustles

While you’ve had plenty of work experience over the past decades, starting a side hustle as a senior is likely to be different from the career you’ve known. Take some time for self-assessment and planning before you dive into side hustle activities and commitments.

• Be realistic about your physical and mental capabilities. You’re not a spring chicken, so don’t overdo it.
• Think about how much time you really want to spend on your side hustle. Set your work schedule around your other activities.
• Start small. Once you determine what you like and what works for you, you can decide if, how, and when to expand.
• Prepare an updated resume, profile, and portfolio so you can position your experience as transferable for your desired job(s).
• Network everywhere. Let people know what type of work you’re interested in. Have your elevator pitch ready and blow your own horn.
• Learn something new and apply it. (Yes, old dogs can learn new tricks.)
• Don’t be afraid to dabble. All your life you’ve probably been focused and specialized. Now you can spread your wings wide in areas that interest you. It’s low risk!
• Set goals. Think of this as a bucket list of work you want to pursue now that you have the time. Be creative and self-motivating.
• Be prepared to make a much lower hourly rate than you did at your peak earnings level and report to people half your age. Be humble and not a “been there, done that” know-it-all.
• Consider the perks. Many side hustles offer free tickets, discounts, and other bonuses that make low-wage opportunities a bit sweeter.
• Set up a method to keep track of revenue and expenses, as you may need to complete a Schedule C for income from a sole proprietorship when you file your taxes. A simple spreadsheet can work quite well.
• Project the financial impact of more money coming in. Consider the effects on social security, investment withdrawals, and estimated tax requirements to avoid unwelcome financial surprises.
• Build a community in your new “job.” Maintaining a strong social network can enhance health and well-being after retirement.
• Learn about the best platforms (like Upwork) to find legit opportunities and good matches with clients so you don’t fall for scams or waste time with cold calls and rejections.
• When it comes to work, do things you love doing; stop doing things you don’t.
• Most importantly, have fun and enjoy your golden years.

Consider freelance opportunities

If you’ve pursued the typical path of many seniors, you followed a traditional route of searching for a full-time job, applying, interviewing, and being hired to work in an office, factory, or store, and you may have stayed in the same place your whole career. But side hustles for seniors are different. You can often engage with projects more quickly and don’t have to make long-term commitments.

You might want to combine a globe-trotting lifestyle with a limited number of work hours. You may choose short-term, project-based opportunities or combine multiple gigs. Fortunately, freelance work marketplaces exist to facilitate matches between aspiring workers, like you, and interested clients with open needs.

I spent many years in engineering and business, but I always wanted to be a writer. After retiring, I mailed out numerous proposals and articles; sadly they were all rejected. Then I found my first freelance writing job with a client on Upwork (Elance at the time) and I’ve been going strong ever since. Freelancing is a good fit for my senior lifestyle. I work when I want, scheduling projects around travel and visits with the grandkids, and I make extra money to support that travel!

Although my focus is on writing and editing, freelancing encompasses many more fields. Browse some of the hundreds of thousands of projects available on Upwork in 12 categories ranging from accounting to engineering to creative and design. Hot tip: If you skipped the links above, go back to your areas of interest and find jobs that are open right now.

To get started, follow the steps to set up an Upwork profile and bid on projects that match your interests and experience. You can also offer consultations or fixed-price projects to showcase your skills and attract clients.

Read our top freelancing tips to help you chart your most successful path forward. Get started today.

If you’re a Gen Zer, millennial, or Gen Xer reading this article, do your parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles a favor and send them the link! (Of course, these side hustle activities are open to anyone of any age, so you can jump in too.)