7 Same-Day Pay Jobs (And Other Ways to Get Paid Instantly)

Yes, there are jobs that pay daily. Thanks to the gig economy, there are now a lot of jobs that offer payment upfront, immediately after the gig wraps up, or within a few hours.

Benefits of jobs with same-day pay

Obviously, the biggest perk of jobs that pay you quickly is exactly what you’d expect—that they pay you quickly. That said, most same-day pay jobs come with other benefits as well:

• Flexible hours: Jobs that pay on the same day don’t usually tie you into rigid schedules or long-term contracts, which means you can work as much or as little as you like.
• Evening and weekend earning opportunities: Similarly, many same-day pay gigs allow you to earn extra cash outside regular office hours.
• No bank account required: Many jobs like this will either pay you in cash or through websites like PayPal. This is good for people who don’t have traditional bank accounts (which means that many of these jobs double as good side hustles for teens).

Additionally, like most side hustles, same-day pay jobs give you the chance to acquire new skills to put on your resume. They can also lead to better financial habits—with highly accessible cash flowing in, you’ll be less tempted to lean too heavily on your credit cards if times get tough.

We’ve found 7 same-day pay jobs that almost anyone can do without any special qualifications (although you will need to be in reasonably good physical health for many of them).

1. Ridesharing

If you have a vehicle, you can get paid almost instantly for driving other people around for rideshare apps.

The two biggest apps are:

• Uber: This is the most popular ridesharing app in the US. Drivers can cash out their earnings immediately after every ride with Uber’s debit card (the Uber Pro Card) or their Instant Pay feature (which has a $0.85 fee). Alternatively, you can get weekly payments via bank deposit.
• Lyft: This is Uber’s biggest competitor in the US. Lyft has similar payment options to Uber—instant cashouts (for a $0.85 fee), a debit card, or weekly bank deposits.

You’ll have to satisfy various requirements to become an Uber driver or a Lyft driver (e.g., you need to be an adult and have a vehicle that meets certain criteria).

Bear in mind that you’ll need a few days to get set up as a driver, since you’ll have to pass a background check. However, once you’re up and running, you can get paid for your work instantly.

How much you can earn: Uber drivers can earn $10–$15 per hour, and Lyft drivers’ earnings are within a similar range. The exact amount you can earn will depend on factors such as:

• Your location
• When you drive (morning/afternoon/evening/etc)
• How many tips you get

2. Delivery jobs

If you’d prefer a driving gig that involves less contact with the public, consider signing up to deliver meals, groceries, or packages instead.

Many apps will allow you to do this, including:

• Uber Eats
• DoorDash
• Instacart
• Shipt
• Postmates 
• Grubhub

All of these apps have options for drivers to get paid on the same day.

As with ridesharing apps, you’ll have to satisfy various requirements to work for delivery driver apps (e.g., minimum age requirements and vehicle requirements) and will need to wait a few days after you sign up for the background check to complete.

How much you can earn: Most of the apps we listed above pay hourly rates of about $15–$20.

3. Freelance work you can do in your local area

There are many services you can offer to neighbors and other people in your area. As an independent freelancer, you can ask for same-day payment—either upfront or immediately after you complete the job.

To find freelance gigs, ask people you know if there are any tasks you can help them with. Alternatively, just go door to door asking people.

If you don’t mind investing a bit more time to find clients, you can also spread the word on social media or use posters and flyers to advertise your services.

Here are some ideas for services you can provide:

• Babysitting and caregiving: Babysitters take care of children or babies for their parents or guardians, and caregivers work with people (usually adults) who need help with their day-to-day activities. Reports suggest that babysitters usually earn $18 per hour on average, and caregivers earn around $10–$20 per hour.
• Dog walking and pet sitting: These are great options for anyone who loves animals. According to Care.com, pet walkers and pet sitters earn around $12–$19 per hour. However, the exact amount will depend on several factors, including your location and the types of tasks involved.
• House cleaning: If you get a lot of compliments on your clean and tidy home, consider offering to clean other people’s. According to Thumbtack, the national average cost of house cleaning is $40–$50 per hour.
• Gardening: If you have a green thumb, you might prefer to work in the garden rather than in the home. Thumbtack also provides stats on the national average cost for gardening services, which they claim is a sizable $148 per hour, although if you’re just helping your neighbors out with small tasks, you probably won’t be able to command that much.

4. Apps for odd jobs and other same-day pay gigs

There are many apps you can use to find odd jobs and short-term gigs that will pay you the same day.

Examples of these apps include:

• TaskRabbit: This is focused on handyman, moving, cleaning, and delivery services. Note that it’s possible you’ll be paid the day after you do the job, as the TaskRabbit website says that the client’s payment will be taken automatically “within 24 hours” of you sending your invoice.
• Thumbtack: This covers the same services that TaskRabbit does, as well as others, like photography, tutoring, personal training, event assistance, and business services. You can choose to get paid through the app (in which case you can pay a 1% fee to get your earnings within 30 minutes), or you can arrange payment with the client directly (in which case you can ask them to pay you immediately before or after the job).
• Handy: This is an app for cleaning and handyman services. You’ll get paid right after you complete the job, and there’s an option to cash out immediately.
• Care.com: This app is for childcare, senior care, special needs care, pet care, housekeeping, and tutoring. When you make a booking through the app, your payment will be processed automatically 6 hours after the job is completed.
• Sittercity: This is a babysitting app where you arrange your own payment terms, so you can ask to be paid upfront or immediately after your booking.

The disadvantage with using these types of sites and apps (rather than approaching people directly) is that they usually charge for their services. They may take a commission on the jobs you find through them, a membership fee, or a fee for “leads” (i.e., when you pay to connect with potential customers).

How much you can earn: This will depend on the service you provide, your location, and many other factors. To give a few examples of typical rates on these sites, TaskRabbit movers’ rates start at $40 per hour, Care.com babysitters charge around $16–$24 per hour, and Thumbtack handymen charge $60–$75 per hour on average.

5. Other jobs on Craigslist

You can try looking for gigs that are already being advertised on Craigslist. You’ll probably find a lot of the types of jobs we’ve already mentioned.

You may also find other one-off jobs that will pay you immediately before or after you do them. These may include:

• Manual labor
• Moving services
• Painting
• Furniture assembly
• Deep cleaning services
• Event setup and staffing
• Performance gigs for parties or events
• Catering assistance
• Modeling
• Photography
• Research or focus group participation

How much you can earn: This will vary widely and depend on your location, the service you provide, the scale and scope of the job, and many other factors. The good thing about Craigslist is that you won’t have to pay any fees or commissions, so there won’t be any deductions from your earnings.

6. Freelance work you can do online

You can earn money from the comfort of your own home with various types of freelance work such as:

• Writing
• Editing or proofreading
• Transcribing
• Captioning
• Translating
• Tutoring
• Data entry
• Bookkeeping
• Graphic design

There are many specialized sites where you can look for work like this, but they often won’t pay on the same day (they may send you weekly or monthly payments instead).

However, there are exceptions. For example, Contently is one of many content writing agencies that offer writing gigs, and it pays writers as soon as they submit their work (after which it’s possible to cash out immediately with PayPal).

There are also other sites that will frequently or always pay within a day. To find out whether the website you’re considering offers this feature, check its terms and conditions or FAQ.

Freelance job boards don’t usually offer same-day pay

Arguably the most popular way to find online freelance work is by scouting job boards like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, and PeoplePerHour.

However, these sites aren’t usually a good way to get paid on the same day, as they may give buyers several days to pay you. Even after they do, payments may take several days to clear.

How much you can earn: This will vary greatly depending on the service you provide, how long each project takes, and so on. To give you a few examples, graphic designers earn around $12–$35 per hour, proofreaders can earn $20–$40 per hour, and transcription work might pay as much as $45 per hour if you’re fast (but will usually pay less).

7. Online surveys

There are many sites that will pay you to take surveys and complete other small tasks (e.g., watching ads, playing games, or doing online searches). This is a side hustle that almost anyone can do.

Try these reward sites for opportunities to get compensated for surveys and other tasks:

• Swagbucks
• InboxDollars
• Poll Pay
• Survey Junkie
• Branded Surveys
• MyPoints
• KashKick

Note that your earnings will have to exceed a specific threshold (often $3–$10) before you can get a payout from these sites. It won’t always be practical to reach this threshold on the day that you register, but in some cases, you might also be eligible for a sign-up bonus that you’ll be able to cash out right away.

You’ll usually have the option to get paid with a gift card or via PayPal.

How much you can earn: These types of survey sites tend to pay very low rates—often under minimum wage. Surveys can sometimes pay as little as $0.01 a pop.

If none of the jobs listed above appeal to you, don’t worry. There are other ways to earn money in a hurry, many of which involve selling things.

Try these methods:

Selling unwanted items online

If, like many people, you need to declutter, you might be sitting on a secondhand gold mine, especially if you have vintage or antique items.

There are many options for selling your secondhand items, including:

• eBay
• Shopify
• Craigslist (linked above)
• Nextdoor (for selling locally)
• Etsy (for vintage items)
• Ruby Lane (for antiques and collectibles)

Some of these platforms will pay you on the same day (e.g., Craigslist and Ruby Lane). Others will take a bit longer. However, in all cases, you should be able to get paid quite quickly.

You can sell many different types of used items, including:

• Clothing and accessories
• Jewelry and watches
• Electronics
• Books
• Sporting equipment
• Toys and games
• Musical instruments
• Furniture and homeware
• Kitchenware
• Antiques

You’ll usually have to pay fees or commissions to use online marketplaces like the ones we’ve mentioned. For example, eBay charges a 13.25% commission for most types of items; Facebook Marketplace has shipping fees of $0.40 for sales under $8 and 5% for everything else.

You may also have to pay listing fees or other types of fees.

However, there are exceptions, as some sites like Craigslist and Nextdoor are completely free.

How much you can make: This will vary widely, depending on what you sell, what type of buyers frequent the site you’re using, what fees you have to pay, and various other factors.

Selling arts and crafts online

If you have an artsy or craftsy superpower, you can also sell your own handmade items online, such as:

• Jewelry
• Greeting cards
• Hand-painted items
• Candles
• Soaps
• Other bath and body products
• Custom t-shirts

Good places to sell these types of products include:

• Etsy
• iCraft
• IndieMade
• Aftcra
• Handmade Artists

These platforms won’t always let you access your payment on the same day. For instance, on Etsy, same-day payment is possible, but it can take up to 3 days if you’ve been on the platform for under 90 days in total.

As with the other sites we’ve mentioned so far, you may have to pay fees or commissions to sell on these sites. With Etsy, for example, you have to pay $0.20 to list each item on their site and then a 6.5% transaction fee on each sale.

How much you can make: As with other types of online selling, this will depend on what you sell, the site you use, what fees you have to pay, and various other factors.

Pawn shops

Pawn shops offer two options for getting money fast:

1. Pawning items: This is where you use valuable items as collateral to get a short-term loan from a pawn shop. There are many items you can pawn, such as electronics, jewelry, antiques, musical instruments, collectibles, and even vehicles.
2. Selling items: You can sell many of the same items you can use as collateral in pawn shops. Doing this may not always fetch you the best price, as pawnbrokers won’t necessarily be valuation experts for certain types of items (e.g., collectibles or antiques). However, it’s a very quick way to get paid.

In general, this should be a last-ditch option, since pawn shops are often run in a somewhat exploitative manner (for instance, the loans they offer have exorbitant interest rates). However, it’s a way to get fast cash in an emergency.

How much you can make: You won’t get full value for your items, but rather a percentage of their estimated resale value—typically around 20%–60%. If you’re selling an item instead of pawning it, your profit will depend on how valuable the pawnbroker thinks your item is and how generous they’re feeling that day.

Collecting scrap metal

This is a less obvious way to make money fast, but it’s one that almost anybody can try.

Scrap metal yards and recycling centers will often give you money for the following items:

• Aluminum cans
• Copper wiring
• Brass fixtures
• Steel appliances
• Old pipes
• Car parts
• Household appliances
• Dead batteries

How much you can make: The amount you can make will depend on the weight and type of metal you’re selling. Scrap metal is often worth about $0.03–$2.40 per pound.

Donating plasma

Donating plasma for money is another unconventional way to make money, although more people are doing it all the time.

It’s a controversial side hustle, and some people have ethical issues with it, but many people use it as a way to make money fast. You’ll get your payment straight away (on a prepaid Mastercard or Visa card).

Reputable centers for donating plasma include:

• CSL Plasma
• BioLife Plasma Services
• Octapharma Plasma
• Grifols

How much you can earn: Regular donors reportedly earn around $20–$75 per visit, although you can often get more for your first few donations.

Although the side hustles listed above are your best bet if you want to get paid the day you start working, there are lots of other gigs you can try if you need money quickly. Explore more ideas below.