15 Easy, Beginner-Friendly Side Hustles in Canada

We’ve all heard people talk about great side hustles, but so often they come with a catch. Maybe you need to complete years of study first, maybe you need to be an expert with specialist skills, or maybe you need to invest a huge chunk of cash just to get started.

But don’t worry: there are plenty of legit side hustles that just about anyone can do. Here are easy side hustles in Canada if you want to give your bank balance a boost.

1. Use a get-paid-to (GPT) platform

How it works: GPT sites and apps like Freecash and Swagbucks are free to use and offer several ways to make money online. You can get paid to complete surveys, play games, sign up for special offers and complete in-app milestones. You’ll typically earn reward points that you can either cash out via PayPal or redeem for a wide range of gift cards.

What makes it easy: Many highly rated apps available, zero experience or skills required, sign up and start earning in minutes.

How much it pays: $0.50 to $5.

Remote-friendly: Yes.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Use multiple platforms. Create accounts on several GPT sites so you can access as many money-making opportunities as possible.
  • Check the minimum cash-out limit. Check how much you will need to earn before you can redeem your rewards for cash, and check the fine print for details on how quickly withdrawals are processed if you need money fast.
  • Check Reddit. Check subreddits about making money online and earning passive income for details of the most lucrative survey sites and game offers.

Play Games & Take Surveys

Go to site

• Access a variety of tasks
• Make an average of $300 per offer
• Get a $5 CAD sign-up bonus when you start your first offer

Best for Mobile

Go to site

• Earn up to $120 per test
• No limit on how much you play games or complete surveys
• Earn money while playing games

Survey Variety

Go to site

• Earn between $5 and $100 per month
• Cash out at just $5
• 300+ rewards

2. Take advantage of cashback offers and rewards

How it works: You can earn rewards simply by doing things like shopping online or signing up for special offers. For example, you could get a cash welcome bonus of hundreds of dollars just for opening a new bank account. Alternatively, you could earn cashback on your purchases when you shop on a platform like Rakuten or Swagbucks, earn cashback when you shop with a rewards credit card, or take advantage of welcome bonuses on stock trading platforms and crypto exchanges.

What makes it easy: No skills required, simple way to earn, wide range of offers and rewards programs available.

How much it pays: Bank welcome bonuses typically range from $150 to $700. Earn rates usually range from 1% to 10% cashback rate.

Remote-friendly: Yes.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Shop around. Take your time finding the best new bank account offers, the most lucrative cashback offers and the best rewards credit cards to maximize your earning potential.
  • Check the T&Cs. New account sign-up offers sometimes come with very specific requirements you must meet to qualify for the cash bonus. Check the fine print first to make sure the offer is worth the time and effort required.
  • Multiply your earnings. Shop through a cashback website or app and pay with your rewards credit or debit card to give yourself multiple chances to earn.

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Welcome Offer

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Credit Union

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Hybrid Bank Account

3. User testing

How it works: As a user tester, you can get paid to test how websites, apps and products perform in the real world. There are several legit testing platforms where ordinary people can sign up, create an account, and then get paid by companies to test their products and provide detailed feedback.

What makes it easy: Work from home, choose your own hours, no prior experience or specialist skills needed.

How much it pays: $3 to $5 per 5-minute test or $30 to $100+ for more complicated tests.

Remote-friendly: Yes.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Choose multiple sites. Sign up for accounts on multiple user testing platforms to increase your chances of finding work.
  • Find high-paying jobs. Interview and live conversation tests tend to pay more than tests you pre-record, so taking on these jobs will help you earn more.

4. Scoop dog poop

How it works: There are a lot of great things about welcoming a dog into your life, but cleaning up after your pupper isn’t one of them. And there are plenty of pet parents with yards out there who are more than happy to offload this task to someone else. So why not set up your own pet waste disposal business and earn some extra money on the side by scooping poop?

What makes it easy: No skills or experience required, services are in high demand, flexible enough to fit around your lifestyle.

How much it pays: Approximately $15 - $20 per yard cleanup.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Get recurring bookings. Focus on securing repeat customers who need you to clean their yard a couple of times a week. More repeat customers means more regular income.
  • Work local. Aim to build up a client base in your local neighbourhood to help minimize travel time and transportation costs between jobs.

5. Deliver packages

How it works: Amazon Flex lets you use your own vehicle to deliver Amazon packages. Once you’ve signed up and been approved, you can pick delivery blocks that suit your schedule and then start earning by making deliveries.

What makes it easy: Simple signup process and management via the Amazon Flex app, use your car to boost your income, work hours that suit you.

How much it pays: Approximately $22-$27 per hour, according to Flex.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Choose high-paying blocks. Look for the highest-paying delivery blocks in your area as a simple way to increase your earnings.
  • Target peak times. Night and weekend deliveries often come with higher pay, so target these blocks for better earnings.
  • Stay on top of tax obligations. Track your mileage and keep all vehicle maintenance receipts to make sure you claim the maximum amount of tax deductions possible.

6. Deliver catalogues and flyers

How it works: Delivering flyers and sales catalogues in your local area is one of the easiest side hustles in Canada. Get your regular delivery route, strap on your walking shoes and start distributing.

What makes it easy: Zero thinking required, choose your hours, helps you stay fit at the same time.

How much it pays: Approximately $10 - $20 per hour.

Remote-friendly: No

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Speed up your deliveries. If you’ve got an electric scooter, use it on your delivery rounds to speed up the process and make better use of your time.
  • Plan your route. Map your delivery route out in advance so that you can complete each round as quickly and efficiently as possible.

7. Complete microtasks

How it works: Sites like Amazon Mechanical Turk, Clickworker and JumpTask let you make money by completing simple online tasks. There’s nothing particularly glamorous about the work—you could get paid to do jobs like data entry, transcribing audio and tagging images—but it’s an easy way to make a few extra bucks.

What makes it easy: Work from home, choose your hours, short and simple tasks, no special skills required.

How much it pays: $0.50 - $15 per hour.

Remote-friendly: Yes.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Take it easy. Microtasking work can be repetitive and monotonous, so be wary of burnout. Devote time each day to earning from microtasks, but make sure you recognize the signs that you need a break.
  • Double-check the instructions. If you don’t hit the brief, you won’t get paid. That’s why it’s important to read the task instructions carefully so you know exactly what’s required before starting.
  • Get trained. Some platforms offer training courses that, once completed, allow you to qualify for higher-paying jobs.

8. Start a mobile car wash service

How it works: Washing the car is one of those jobs that needs to be done regularly, but that many of us often can’t be bothered or can’t find the time to do. So if you’re willing to get your hands dirty, a mobile car wash business is an easy side hustle.

What makes it easy: Minimal startup costs, plenty of demand for work, simple to fit around your regular job.

How much it pays: Approximately $15 - $25 per hour.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Offer extra services. From vacuuming and shampooing to polishing and paint touch-ups, consider offering extra services to bring in more money.
  • Offer discounts. Offer discounts to encourage repeat customer bookings and set up a steady stream of income from your side hustle.

9. Do laundry

How it works: If you don’t mind taking on this chore that a lot of people hate, setting up your own laundry service is one of the best easy side hustle ideas. You could go out on your own and advertise locally, or sign up with an at-home laundry service app. Then you can pick up people’s dirty laundry, wash and fold it, then drop it back to them at home.

What makes it easy: Get paid for doing a basic household chore, low startup costs, choose how many clients you want.

How much it pays: As a rough guide, you could charge $25 - $30 per load.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Offer more services. In addition to basic washing, you could also offer ironing, alterations and other services to boost your income.
  • Consider using a laundromat. Using your home washer and dryer limits the number of clients you can take on. If you use a laundromat, while you will have to pay extra to use their machines, you’ll be able to handle more clients.

10. Become a dog walker or pet sitter

How it works: If you think the best things in life are furry, this is one of the easiest side hustles you’re likely to come across. Sites like Pawshake, Rover and Spot make it easy to create a profile and offer dog walking and pet sitting services in your local area.

What makes it easy: Work outside or at home, flexible hours, sign up and look for work within minutes, you get to play with doggos.

How much it pays: You can earn approximately $20 or more for a 30-minute dog walk, while pet sitting rates start at around $40 a night.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Provide updates. Leaving their fur-baby in someone else’s care can be a stressful experience for pet owners. Give them regular text and photo updates about what their pet is up to. This will help put the owner’s mind at rest and hopefully make them more likely to book you again.
  • Offer discounts. Consider offering discounts to repeat customers to encourage more people to use your services again and again.
  • Provide extra services. Do you have any dog training qualifications? Are you comfortable administering medication to pets? Would you be happy to take a dog for a run instead of a walk? Offering a wider range of services will help you get more bookings.

11. Work as a junk removalist

How it works: Do you have a pickup truck or van with plenty of space? You could make extra pocket money in your spare time by starting a junk removal side hustle. There are plenty of people out there with a need for someone to help them get rid of bulky items or green waste and take it to the dump. Alternatively, you could work as a furniture removalist, helping people move bulky items like couches and fridges from A to B.

What makes it easy: Low startup costs (if you already have a suitable vehicle), easy to fit around your 9 to 5, no special skills required.

How much it pays: Varies. Prices generally start at around $50 per job.

Remote-friendly: No

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Turn trash into treasure. Consider restoring and reselling any valuable items that your clients want to dispose of as junk. “Flipping” these items could become a lucrative extra income stream.
  • Offer extra services. If you’ve got the necessary skills, you could offer to perform basic handyman services or yard work while out doing trash pick-ups. You could pick up the client’s junk, then hang some shelves or fix a leaking tap while you’re there, and double your income from the job.

12. Work as a babysitter

How it works: Any parent of young kids will tell you that a trustworthy and reliable babysitter is worth their weight in gold. You can start out minding the kids of family friends for the night, then rely on word of mouth and advertising your services on local Facebook groups to build your client base.

What makes it easy: Easy to fit around your 9-to-5 job, low startup costs, plenty of demand for reliable babysitters.

How much it pays: Approximately $15 - $20 per hour.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Upskill. Adding a first aid or CPR qualification to your CV will provide increased peace of mind for parents and help you get more work.
  • Offer other services. Can you help the kids with their homework? How about looking after the family dog? Maybe you’d be happy to take on some minor housework jobs too? The more services you can provide, the more in demand you will be.
  • Sign up on multiple platforms. There are plenty of reputable websites and apps where people can search for babysitters in their local area. Creating an account on multiple platforms will help expand your reach.

13. Do yard work

How it works: Some people hate doing yard work, while others simply don’t have enough time to stay on top of outdoor maintenance tasks. Then there are those people who physically can’t do the work, like the elderly, people with disabilities and pregnant women. And that’s where you come in. If you’re willing to get your hands dirty and mow lawns, rake leaves, weed gardens and clear gutters, you can tap into a potentially lucrative extra income source.

What makes it easy: Work in your local community, jobs available year-round, low startup costs.

How much it pays: Approximately $15 - $30 per hour.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Focus on repeat customers. Try to set up recurring appointments with homeowners who want you to visit every couple of weeks or once a month. This will help turn sporadic income into something more steady and reliable.
  • Stay local. Focus on finding clients in your local neighbourhood. This will make it easy to get from one job to the next, reducing travel time and cost.
  • Diversify. Move beyond just offering basic mowing services to offer tree pruning, leaf removal, snow shovelling, lawn fertilization and a host of other specialist services. This could help you grow your business, attract more clients and generate higher profits.

14. Sell or rent out your stuff

How it works: Need to declutter your home? You can make some extra cash by selling stuff you no longer need on platforms like Facebook Marketplace. Alternatively, turn your possessions into an ongoing source of passive income by renting them out to other people on sites like Fat Llama and Lend-it.ca. From drones and projectors to party costumes, wheelbarrows and karaoke machines, the list of items you can rent out is just about endless.

What makes it easy: Put your unused stuff to work, potential for passive income, there’s a huge range of items you can sell or rent.

How much it pays: Varies depending on the item.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Check what’s in demand. Check out rental listings near you to find out what items are in demand and how much other people are charging. You might be surprised by just what sort of stuff people need to rent, and this will also help you set reasonable prices.
  • Consider “flipping”. From surfboards and bicycles to vintage clothing and furniture, you can potentially boost your profits by buying niche items on online marketplaces, doing some basic restoration work and selling them for a higher price.
  • Bundle items together. Sometimes people might need to rent multiple items at once—party furniture for a special event, power tools for home improvement jobs, gardening equipment for yard maintenance, etc. Offering package deals could help you make extra cash.

15. Work as a rideshare or food delivery driver

How it works: Uber, Lyft, Uber Eats, DoorDash—there are plenty of legit platforms and apps that let you earn extra income by delivering passengers or food. If you’ve got an eligible vehicle, you can start driving for money on a schedule that suits your lifestyle.

What makes it easy: Flexible hours, you can earn extra from tips, be your own boss, you’re not stuck in an office.

How much it pays: Earn approximately $20 per hour.

Remote-friendly: No.

• Tips to make it easy for you and optimize your pay

  • Work during peak periods. From the lunch and dinner rush to Friday and Saturday nights, boost your earnings by driving or delivering during peak hours.
  • Look for promos and bonuses. Some platforms, like Uber, offer driver bonuses that let you access extra earnings, such as Quests. Make the most of any special offers to boost your bottom line.
  • Claim tax deductions. Keep track of your mileage and keep invoices for all vehicle maintenance costs so you can claim the maximum amount of deductions at tax time.

Bottom line

You don’t need previous experience, specialist skills or a large upfront investment for these easy side hustles in Canada. So if you’re looking for ways to boost your bank account, choose one of these simple side hustles and start earning today.

Frequently asked questions

• What are some easy side hustles for teens?

  There are lots of easy side hustles in Canada for teens. Some of them have been around for ages, like babysitting, dog walking, washing cars and delivering flyers. Others are a little less well known, so you might try to make extra money by playing games, taking advantage of cashback offers and answering surveys.

• Are there any easy side hustles from home?

  Yes, there are some easy side hustles that you can do completely from home. These include completing surveys, playing games, being a user tester and taking advantage of cashback offers.

• Are there any other side hustles that let you make money online?

  Yes, there are several other ways to make money online. You could offer your services as a freelancer, work as a virtual assistant, tutor students online, start a dropshipping business and much more.

• Are there any free side hustles?

  Yes, some side hustles allow you to get started with no upfront investment. Examples include selling or renting out your possessions, playing games and completing online surveys. Others, like babysitting and dog walking, don't require you to buy any specialist equipment, but you may need to spend some money advertising your services in order to get work.

To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Leanne Escobal as part of our fact-checking process.

Written by

Tim Falk

Writer

Tim Falk is a freelance writer for Finder. Over the course of his 15-year writing career, he has reported on a wide range of personal finance topics. Whether you're investing in stocks and ETFs, comparing savings accounts or choosing a credit card, Tim wants to make it easier for you to understand. When he’s not staring at his computer, you can usually find him exploring the great outdoors. See full bio

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