![15 Part-Time [Work From Home] Jobs for Retirees](https://promisehomeloans.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/15-part-time-jobs-for-retirees-e1672678634349.png)
As the cost of living continues to rise, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to plan for retirement financially. The gap between savings and inflation-driven housing costs is putting many retirees in a financial bind.
Luckily, there are a growing number of part-time jobs that offer freedom from a daily commute. This trend of work-from-home employment is an ideal solution for seniors looking to supplement their savings, pensions, and social security disbursements.
4. Writer, Editor, or Proofreader
5. Remote Customer Service Associate
6. Tutor or Virtual Instructor
10. Sales (Insurance, Travel, Real Estate)
11. Bookkeeping (or Medical Billing)
12. Telehealth Patient Support
Final Thoughts on Earning Extra Income from Home During Retirement
There are benefit and tax-related implications for earning wages during retirement. Still, a part-time job makes sense for many seniors living on a fixed income.
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), retirees below the full-benefit age are capped at earning $19,560 per year. After that, they lose $1 for every $2 earned in benefits. At a wage of $15 per hour, that is consistent part-time employment totaling 24-26 hours per week.
For those who have reached full retirement age, the annual income cap is $51,960. While that is generous enough to allow retirees to work nearly full-time schedules at a decent hourly rate between $25-$30 per hour–the point of being retired is that you don’t have to put in a full-time workload.
According to a 2019 report,55% of retirees plan to work part-time during their later years. Here are a few ideas to help make earning a little extra money feel less like going back to work.
The healthcare industry has changed a lot in the last few years. For retired nurses, there are plenty of new opportunities to rely on their professional expertise to earn a little extra income from home.
Telehealth services connect patients with medical providers using video calls and email as the primary form of communication. A registered nurse can provide telehealth triage services or intake for telehealth doctors with nothing more than a PC equipped with a webcam and a fast internet connection.
Average salary: $45 per Hour (Credentialing Required)
According to ZipRecruiter, telehealth nurses are in high demand as medical providers scurry to adapt to more efficient, consumer-driven practice models. The average salary for a US-based telehealth nurse is $45 per hour.
Administrative support has entered the digital age. A new era of virtual assistants are picking up everything from bookkeeping and payroll to social media and customer service.
And what’s more, is that these roles are commonly freelance gigs–providing workers with a certain level of anonymity (favorable for 55+ workers) and maximum flexibility.
You can work for one client or a dozen clients, billing for a handful of hours per week up to a near-full-time load if you choose. And better yet–you can do the work from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection.
Average salary: $43,800 per year (Variable based on Hours)
According to Glassdoor, the earning potential of a VA is variable, between $36k and $63k annually for a full-time schedule. But it also comes with unparalleled flexibility for administrative professionals with just tech-savvy enough.
Continue to do what you do best–on your own terms. Consulting is a natural segway for retirees with demonstrated career success. Years of experience and knowledge are valuable. Many younger, less-experienced business owners and salespeople are willing to pay for the chance to get your advice.
Some of the most common types of consultants are:
Average salary: $35-$75 per Hour (Variable)
Consultants most commonly work as self-employed or freelancers. Some work exclusively with one large company, while others string together a client roster of smaller commitments to achieve the desired workload.
If strong language skills are something that you are known for–there is plenty of opportunity to work a flexible yet consistent part-time gig as a writer, editor, or proofreader. Essentially, the digital age has placed a premium on content creation.
What you need to know to write blogs or edit articles hinges on basic grammar skills, plus a few digital nuances that are easy enough to pick up.
Here are a few specialties to consider:
● Freelance Journalist or Ghostwriter (Best if You Enjoy Writing Articles)
● Part-Time Copywriter (Best if You Enjoy Writing for Sales & Marketing Materials)
● Content Editor (Best if You Enjoy Strategy & Content Curation)
● Proofreader (Best if You Enjoy Grammar Rules)
Average salary: $47,500-$63,800 (Variable)
One of the first types of jobs to go remote (long before the COVID-19 pandemic spawned remote work) was customer service and telesales roles. Many companies began using off-shore and near-shore outsourcing companies to handle customer service decades ago.
Today, many companies have returned their primary customer service duties to the US. And even better, they offer flexible full and part-time remote working arrangements so that associates aren’t limited to one area.
For retirees who love to talk on the phone, these remote positions can be a good way to add a little part-time income.
If you’re bilingual, your marketability as a remote customer service agent (and therefore earning potential) is much higher.
Average salary: $11-17 per hour
Academic retirees can teach a single course online (from the comfort of their own homes) or tutor students of any age level in subjects like mathematics, physics, exam prep, and English as a second language.
Average salary: $15-$26 per hour
If your past career involved a lot of photography, chances are that you already have an in-demand skill that can be utilized to earn some extra income. Photo editing programs like Photoshop are complex. They’re difficult to learn but provide unparalleled editorial control.
As the content world embraces the digital format, there is more demand now than ever before for media editors comfortable working with video and photo.
Average salary: $20-$38 per Hour (Variable based on Skill)
The definition of a paralegal can be broad–ranging from administrative support to hands-on legalese under the supervision of a licensed attorney. For those who are retiring from a legal background, remote paralegal opportunities can be a good way to scale back the hours while still doing what you know and love.
For those with a legal adjacent background, you can likely find administrative roles with part-time schedules and the freedom to work from home so long as you have administrative experience.
Average salary: $15-$30 per hour
Another job opportunity that has exploded in popularity since the transition to digital media is voice recording. What was once a relative niche field now offers far more opportunity. From voicing short video content scripts to narrating audiobooks, voice recording can be a good way to bring in a little extra money.
Average salary: $17-$34 per hour
If people skills are your forte, lean into your golden years as an easy street to earn the trust of clients. Even if you’re new to insurance or real estate, many people will assume credibility based on your apparent years of experience.
What’s more–some of the most valuable experiences that you can provide may not even be professional. For example, it’s all about life experience and what could go wrong (or right) when selling insurance.
Average salary: $24-$26 per Hour (Licensing May Be Required)
If you’re good with numbers, consider picking up some hours helping small businesses stay on top of accounts receivable, payroll, or personal tax preparation. All of these tasks can be done remotely using a secure VPN to access client databases.
And most can be done without advanced degrees in accounting–although experience is helpful. Retirees can work as part-time employees for an outsourcing firm, directly for a small company, or on a freelance basis to achieve the desired flexibility.
Those with a background in healthcare can find similar remote positions as medical billing specialists or billing advocates that help resolve discrepancies between patients, payors, and providers.
Average salary: $17-$34 per hour
For those who have the desire to work in the healthcare industry without a nursing or medical degree, there are plenty of phone-based administrative positions that offer the flexibility for remote and part-time work.
As telehealth services expand, healthcare administration positions like appointment setting, patient advocates, and general help lines expand the opportunities for part-time remote employment suitable for many retirees.
Average salary: $12-$18 per hour
Many support lines, where individuals can call for help with things like mental health or finances, are staffed by volunteers. But what many people may not know, is that there are grant-funded organizations that offer paid positions connecting individuals in need with appropriate resources.
If you’ve always dreamed of counseling, human connection, and helping those in need–a part-time voice and chat counselor position might be a rewarding post-retirement opportunity.
Average salary: $14-$28 per hour
Suppose you like talking on the phone but dread the idea of inbound sales. In that case, there is a less-known opportunity to work with agencies like the Census Bureau or healthcare survey companies as an outbound interviewer. You’ll be making contact to gather data on services that will help improve government agencies and private businesses.
Average salary: $12-$16 per hour
If you have a favorite hobby, consider turning it into a way to make some extra money during retirement. For example, a passion for woodworking could turn into a home-based workshop that stocks in online commerce stores.
A love of nature photography can provide the medium for the digital licensing of art and stock photography products. And a well-developed skill or natural talent for working with clay or painting on canvas can produce one-of-a-kind works of art that sell well online (and off).
As an added bonus, you can turn your hobby into a teachable skill with online art classes.
Average Salary: Variable by Hobby and Skill
Here are a few ideas for starting your own artisan business:
● Illustrator (Convert Tactile Art into Digital Media for Marketing or Storybooks)
● Woodworking (Build Furniture, Make Natural Wooden Toys, or Unique Ornaments)
● Photographer (Take Portraits of People, Pets, or Nature)
● Paint (Murals on Commission, Canvas Wall Art, Unique Mediums)
● Needlepoint (Family Portraits, Sarcastic Humor)
● Use Your Garden to Sell Plants to Landscapers
● Teach Piano or Violin Lessons in Your Home (or Online)
● Set Up an eBay or Etsy Shop to Collect and Sell Vintage Items
● Sew Handmade Bags (Fashion, Rugged Use, Kid-Friendly, Etc.)
● Put Together Gift Baskets or Subscription Boxes & Sell Digitally with Shipping
Final Thoughts on Earning Extra Income from Home During Retirement
Retirees go back to work for many different reasons. Some find themselves in a financial bind, struggling to live on their retirement cash reserve. Others get bored and need a little more purpose in their golden years.
Whatever brings you to the decision to pick up extra work, the main thing is that you are spending your time well–investing in something that you are good at and enjoy. After all, you’re retired–this isn’t a job to pay the bills; it’s an opportunity to meet your financial needs while giving something back to your community (personally or professionally).
Before you choose what you want to do, think about how much time you want to spend working and how much money you need to make. Let your interest and passion guide you into finding a suitable supplemental career to meet your personal retirement goals.
If you need a little extra money for a short-term need, you can get away with selling some stuff on consignment or through a marketplace. But if your financial need is ongoing, freelance or part-time work that can be done remotely is likely a better option.
