Data Entry Worker

Broadly speaking, data entry consists of logging information in a digital format. In plain English, this often means typing it into a document or entering it into a spreadsheet.

Many jobs feature data entry in some capacity. Some of the most common types of data entry work include:

• AI training: Many companies need data workers to perform repetitive tasks to help them train their AI models (e.g., by labeling large sets of images according to their content).
• Bookkeeping: This niche consists of recording financial data for businesses or individuals. A keen eye for detail and solid math skills are essential for this type of data entry.
• Medical data entry: Medical professionals often need freelance data entry workers to help them log patient records and other information. You’ll need some medical knowledge for most of these positions.
• Legal data entry: Law firms also frequently require data entry services. For instance, they often need to collect and organize data for court cases, case files, and legal research.
• Transcription: Transcribers convert video and audio files into written text. This may mean producing written records of meetings, closed captions or subtitles for films, or something else entirely.
• Typist roles: Typists are often confused with transcribers, but instead of recording audio, they take handwritten documents and convert them into digital files.

Data entry as a side hustle has quite a bit of overlap with microtasking, which consists of completing jobs that usually take just a few minutes each. Many “microtasks” consist of transcribing data, although the term also encompasses other types of bite-sized online gigs, such as taking paid surveys or watching ads for money.

Are data entry jobs still in demand?

According to a 2023 report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market for typists and data entry keyers is declining rapidly. Many people claim that AI tools are signaling the death knell for data entry, and with many companies reducing their workforces, there’s clearly at least some truth to this.

If you’re wondering whether it’s still possible to earn money with a data entry side hustle, the answer is yes. However, it’s gotten harder than it used to be.

Rather than outright eliminating the need for data entry, the increasing use of AI means that the kinds of jobs data clerks and analysts do are changing. Many companies are using AI tools to perform their initial data entry tasks and relying on a smaller crew of (human) workers to spot-check their work.

This is particularly important when dealing with sensitive data, such as medical data. AI is still prone to making errors, and mistakes in medical information can be deadly (sometimes literally so).

Moreover, AI still isn’t able to do all of the data entry tasks that humans can do. When we produced our guide on becoming a legal transcriptionist, for instance, we spoke to Ben Walker, the CEO of a transcription company, who told us that AI struggles to produce transcripts of conversations with more than two speakers.

The bottom line is that data entry is still a viable side hustle, even in the age of AI. However, there’s no question that it’s gotten more competitive and challenging, and if you want to pursue it in the long term as the market continues to shrink, you’ll need to be adaptable and proactive about hunting for new opportunities.

Remote data entry is a relatively low-key way to earn extra income without leaving your house. Mostly, it just consists of typing. It doesn’t require any social interaction, making it a good side hustle for introverts, and unless it involves transcribing audio, you can do it while listening to music, which will make the time pass faster.

With that said, there are a few things you need to understand about it before you jump into it.

What equipment do you need to do data entry from home?

Although data entry is a relatively easy field to get into and it doesn’t require a college degree or special training, you’ll need certain equipment to actually do the work.

What you’ll need depends on the task at hand and the company you work for, but make sure your home office is furnished with:

• A computer: As you may have already guessed, you need a computer to do most types of data entry work. It may be possible to do certain data entry microtasks with just a smartphone, but they’re in the minority.
• Reliable internet: A stable internet connection is a must for data entry. If at all possible, it should be relatively fast—a slow connection will significantly reduce how quickly you can perform tasks and limit your overall earnings.
• Data entry software: Depending on the job you’re doing, you may need to use specific data entry software, such as Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or QuickBooks.
• Job-specific equipment: Some jobs may also require additional equipment, like a scanner.

Optionally, you may also want to get additional equipment to make the job easier and more pleasant. For instance, an ergonomic chair and keyboard will enable you to work for longer periods, and springing for a second monitor will help you complete tasks that require tabbing between multiple windows more efficiently.

How much can you make from a data entry side hustle?

In general, freelance data entry workers make around $10–$20 per hour. That’s about how much it costs to hire a data entry specialist on Upwork, a popular freelancing marketplace.

That figure is also backed by government data—according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for a data entry worker in the US is $19.29 per hour (although that reflects the earnings of traditional employees and not freelance data entry workers).

With all that said, not all data entry gigs pay that much. Some data entry microtasks pay just a few cents; while it’s possible to complete them very quickly, your average earnings with that type of low-paid work will probably be closer to $1–$5 per hour.

One of the most popular options for a data entry side hustle is taking on freelance jobs. As a freelancer, you’ll be able to pick and choose tasks according to your schedule, interests, and goals instead of being stuck working for one company in the long term. Moreover, you can start freelancing with no experience, as long as you’re open to learning new things and improving your skills.

Below are 2 of the most popular freelancing platforms where you can find data entry side gigs.

1. Upwork

Upwork is one of many freelancer platforms that serve as marketplaces for employers to find clients who will complete projects for them, either in the short or long term. You can find a wide variety of freelance jobs on Upwork, including freelance writing, graphic design, and web design. Of course, you can find data entry jobs on it as well.

To use the platform, create a profile and either bid on jobs that others have posted or wait for people to notice your profile and contact you directly with offers.

2. Fiverr

Fiverr is another freelance job site that operates in much the same way as Upwork, with many clients outsourcing small tasks or short-term projects.

To use Fiverr, create a profile as a freelance data entry professional and either wait for clients to come to you or actively bid on projects. Like Upwork, Fiverr lets you list your services for free.

Aside from the freelancing marketplaces we just listed, you can also use online job boards to find remote data entry side gigs. Not all the opportunities on these sites are remote-friendly or appropriate for a side hustle, so you may need to do more digging.

This list isn’t exhaustive, and there are plenty of other remote job boards you can check out to find work-from-home opportunities.

3. FlexJobs

FlexJobs is a popular online job platform that specializes in work you can do remotely or on a flexible schedule. It’s geared mainly toward long-term roles with a single employer rather than small freelance gigs or micro-jobs.

As alluded to above, you need to create a profile and pay a subscription fee to use FlexJobs. This fee depends on how long you want to use the platform. Below are the current fees:

• Monthly access: $2.95 for a 14-day trial, then $23.95 per month
• 3-month access: $9.95 per month (billed as $29.85 upfront)
• Annual (1-year) access: $5.95 per month (billed as $71.40 upfront)

4. Virtual Vocations

Virtual Vocations is a remote-working job board that advertises data entry jobs.

To use the site, you need to sign up. There’s a free registration option, which gives you partial access to the Virtual Vocations job database, as well as premium membership plans that come with a set fee. The current fees for membership plans are:

• Monthly (recurring): $19.99 per month
• 3-month access: $49.99 for the full period
• 6-month access: $69.99 for the full period

5. We Work Remotely

We Work Remotely is a job board and community platform that claims to be the “largest remote work community in the world.” They post data entry opportunities along with jobs in other fields, such as sales and marketing, customer support, management, and finance.

One major advantage to We Work Remotely over many other job boards is that you don’t have to pay any sort of subscription fee or commission to use the platform. You can simply browse the job board and apply for gigs.

6. Up2staff

Up2staff is a board specifically for jobs that don’t require you to go to a physical office more than once per quarter.

You can search for data entry opportunities on Up2staff by searching the keyword “data entry” under the “all other remote” job category. You don’t have to pay anything or even have an account to use Up2Staff.

7. Indeed

Indeed is one of the most well-known online job boards. Even though it’s not strictly for remote positions, you can still find freelance and part-time work.

You don’t need an account to use Indeed. Simply use the search bar to look for data entry jobs; you can add additional filters such as “remote,” “freelance,” or “part-time” to find the right ones.

8. Monster

Monster is another popular online job board. Again, it’s not exclusively for remote jobs, but you can narrow your search to find remote jobs suitable for your data entry side hustle.

While you can browse jobs on Monster without an account, you’ll need to create one to actually apply for jobs, which is free.

9. Glassdoor

Glassdoor features an online job board, as well as feedback, salary, and company information from current and former employees.

Glassdoor is free to use, but you’ll need to create an account to browse and search for jobs. Once you’ve created an account, you can use the search bar to find data entry gigs.

10. Totaljobs

Totaljobs is another reliable job board that also advertises remote data entry positions alongside more traditional listings.

Although you can browse jobs without an account, you’ll need to create one to apply for them. Fortunately, this doesn’t cost anything.

While freelance and remote websites advertise a mix of long-term, short-term, fixed-contract, and temporary jobs, microtasking platforms are specifically designed for very short-term assignments.

These websites are ideal for picking up quick gigs with minimal commitment.

11. Clickworker

Clickworker is a site that employers use to crowdsource labor or find workers who are willing to complete small tasks in exchange for payment. Data entry tasks like tagging and categorization are often available.

It’s free to register for Clickworker. Once you’ve signed up, you can pick up tasks that match your interests and abilities. Once you complete one of them, you can expect to automatically get paid on a weekly or biweekly basis using your choice of the options listed above (most “clickworkers” choose either Payoneer or PayPal).

12. Microworkers

Microworkers is another free micro-job site, and you can join from any country in the world. As a “Microworker,” you’ll be a freelancer with the option to sign up for as many data entry assignments as you’d like.

You’ll need to create a Microworker account to sign up for assignments, which is free. After completing assignments, you can expect to get paid twice a week (every Wednesday and Sunday) via a variety of payment methods, listed above.

13. Remotasks

Remotasks is more specialized than some other micro-job sites. Its focus is on helping companies and teams build new products specifically to “accelerate the development of AI applications.” This translates to tasks like labeling images and transcribing audio.

To sign up for Remotasks, simply create an account, then start looking for tasks that interest you. One major perk this company offers is the opportunity to cash out your earnings every week, making it a good option for earning quick cash.

14. Amazon Mechanical Turk

Amazon Mechanical Turk is another (very well-known) micro-job site. It’s sometimes referred to as a crowdsourcing platform for microtasks.

The site primarily offers small-scale tasks that don’t require much time to complete. However, it also offers larger-scale and more complex assignments like data annotation and image categorization.

The site is free to join. Amazon does take a commission (i.e., they charge a transaction fee) on each task, but you don’t have to pay this yourself—instead, it’s covered by the companies employing you.

In addition to the platforms we’ve listed above, which you can use to find data entry gig work, there are also more than a few companies that hire data entry professionals for longer-term opportunities.

Below, we’ve listed businesses that hire data entry workers:

• On behalf of other clients (i.e., outsourced data entry)
• For their own in-house data entry tasks
• For transcription (audio recording) work

Let’s dive in.

Data entry outsourcing companies

Believe it or not, there are companies that base their whole operations around connecting data entry workers with other businesses who need their services. These companies won’t actually employ you—instead, they’ll help you find businesses that will.

15. Sigtrack

What it is: Sigtrack describes itself as “a database application that links grassroots campaigns with crowdsourced data entry freelancers.” They offer data entry work, which involves putting handwritten signatures and related information into a digital database.

How to use it: You can apply to join via email, which you’ll find on Sigtrack’s site. You’ll get paid a percentage of a base rate according to your error rate, with higher accuracy resulting in higher earnings. You should receive payment via PayPal every Friday.

There are some requirements you’ll need to meet to join Sigtrack:

• Use a Windows 10/11 operating system or MacOS 10.15+
• Live in the US (any state except California or Massachusetts)
• Have a PayPal account

16. Conduent

What it is: Conduent is a company that finds workers and staff for businesses in various industries, such as healthcare, transportation, and financial services. They help fill data entry roles, as well as positions in other areas like customer service, admin, and IT.

How to use it: Conduent often has remote data entry jobs on their list of vacancies, which you can browse for free using the Conduent job search engine.

17. Axion Data Services

What it is: Axion Data Services is a company that, as the name suggests, specializes in data entry. As one of their workers, you’ll receive a flat rate for each document or entry you complete.

How to use it: Fill out the Axion Data Services employment questionnaire to get registered in their database. (It’s worth noting that the company isn’t always hiring, so you have to catch them at the right time.)

Axion isn’t a good option for complete beginners since the platform requires applicants to have prior data entry experience. You’ll also need to undergo a background check and take a timed typing test and a critical thinking quiz.

18. TELUS Digital Solutions

What it is: TELUS Digital Solutions is a Canadian technology company that helps other companies with IT services and customer service. Data entry is one of the types of work they hire independent contractors for.

How to use it: You can join their “AI community” to find data entry opportunities. These will be listed as data annotation jobs, which can include tasks like labeling objects in images, labeling words in bodies of text, and labeling voice recordings.

19. OneForma

What it is: OneForma is an online platform that connects businesses with freelancers and independent contractors who provide digital services like data entry. Their website also advertises other types of work, like transcription, content writing, and virtual assistance.

How to use it: To connect with businesses who want data entry assistance or other services, go to the OneForma website to see their current list of job openings.

20. TDEC

What it is: TDEC is another outsourcing company that provides various services to businesses, including data entry.

How to use it: Check the careers page on their site to look for data entry opportunities.

21. Vaco

What it is: Vaco is a company that connects workers with businesses in various industries, including accounting, finance, technology, healthcare, operations, and administration. They advertise plenty of remote jobs, but some of their advertised gigs are hybrid or in-office positions.

How to use it: You can use the Vaco job search engine free of charge to find data entry jobs. To limit the results to remote positions only, open the advanced search settings and change the location type to “remote.”

22. Aston Carter

What it is: Aston Carter is another company that acts as an intermediary to connect businesses and workers. They have a network of over 150,000 independent contractors who do work for small, mid-sized, and even Fortune 500 companies.

How to use it: Use Ashton Carter’s search engine to look for data entry jobs. There’s no option to filter for remote positions, but you can browse the listed jobs on their website to find ones that offer work-from-home opportunities.

Companies that directly employ remote data entry workers

If the idea of freelancing for a mix of companies doesn’t appeal to you and you’d rather find a more stable data entry job with a single company, you can try applying to a company that’s advertising remote data entry job contracts.

This is the option you should pursue if you see data entry as more than just a side hustle and you’d like to turn it into your new career.

Many companies need data entry clerks, including financial institutions, retailers, and healthcare providers. Here are just a couple of businesses to check out, but there are dozens of others, which you can find on websites like LinkedIn:

23. UnitedHealth Group

What it is: UnitedHealth Group is a healthcare organization that provides various services, such as healthcare coverage, software solutions, and data consultancy, and they sometimes advertise remote medical data entry positions.

How to use it: You can find jobs by using their job search function and filtering for remote opportunities.

Be sure to check the requirements for different positions before applying. Many require a high school diploma or GED, and some have additional requirements like previous data entry experience or access to your own private workspace for dealing with confidential information.

24. Xerox

What it is: Xerox is a multinational company that offers various document management solutions, printing technologies, and business services.

How to use it: Their website has a list of work-from-home opportunities around the world, sometimes including data entry and data verification jobs. You can search for remote data entry jobs using the Xerox jobs search engine.

Companies that hire audio transcriptionists

Transcription is usually considered a separate field from general data entry, but these two disciplines have a great deal of overlap. For one, they both provide opportunities for you to get paid to type; for another, they’re both remote jobs that require no paid work experience.

It’s fairly common for a side hustler to become a transcriptionist for their side gig, since it offers a lot of work from home and there aren’t any strict training or educational requirements. In many cases, transcription work also involves some data entry.

25. AccuTran Global

What it is: AccuTran Global offers various services, including transcription and real-time stenography, with some data entry involved. Their work is part-time, but somewhat scheduled—you tell them the hours you can work, and they’ll offer you jobs within those times.

How to use it: You can apply on their homepage, though at the time of writing, there weren’t any data entry positions available.

26. Scribie

What it is: Scribie provides automated transcription services. As a freelancer, you’ll listen to and edit their AI-generated transcripts.

How to use it: You can visit the freelance page on Scribie’s website to look for current openings. At the time of writing, there weren’t any open positions.

27. TranscribeMe

What it is: On TranscribeMe, you’ll transcribe 2-to-8-minute-long audio files into text documents.

How to use it: All you need to work for TranscribeMe is a computer and access to the internet, and you can work from anywhere in the world. To get started, you have to create an account and pass their English entrance exam.

28. Kendall Creek Communications

What it is: Kendall Creek Communications is a US-based corporation that offers transcription, research, and data entry services.

How to use it: You can apply for opportunities via the “Opportunities” page on their website. Be aware that all applicants must go through a screening process, with some positions requiring a background check.