Are you looking for ways to make money online in Canada? The good news is that there are plenty of opportunities available. From freelancing to starting your own business, there are many ways to earn an income without leaving the comfort of your home.
In this article, we will explore some of the best ways to make money online in Canada.
A little extra money per month can go a long way in Canada, so it’s no surprise that an increasing number of Canadians are creating side hustles and earning some extra cash online. There’s no shortage of good reasons to pick up a few extra dollars in your spare time, from paying off debt to funding family vacation plans to saving for retirement.
The good news is that making money online in Canada is not difficult. There are numerous opportunities available regardless of your skills or experience.
Do you want to know how to make an extra $1,000 per month quickly? Or how can a student make money online? Or are you simply looking for legitimate ways to make money from home? This article will help you.
How to Make Money Working From Home in Canada
Many of Canada’s best ways to make money from home can be found online. All you need is a computer (or, in some cases, a tablet or smartphone), an internet connection, and an account with an online payment service (such as PayPal).
Ask yourself some simple questions before you start looking for ways to make money online.
- How much money do you require?
To begin, how much extra money do you want to earn? Do you require a small amount or a large amount? If you require a large sum of money, you will most likely need to devote more time and leverage higher-value skills.
- How frequently do you require extra money?
Do you want to make a little extra money here and there, or do you want to make a little extra money every week or month? If you want to make a little extra money here and there, selling some of your old stuff online could be a simple solution. You may need to consider freelancing for more consistent income.
- What skills can I put to use?
Everyone possesses unique skills that are most likely underappreciated. Consider what you’re good at and what you enjoy doing. For example, if you enjoy meeting new people and learning new things, starting and growing a podcast as a side hustle could be fun.
Look for a full-time remote job in Canada.
Finding a full-time remote job is the simplest way to make money from home in Canada. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of companies offering work-from-home opportunities has skyrocketed, so there’s no shortage of options.
According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Insights report, in September 2021, 11.9% of all paid job postings in Canada were remote. In February 2020, just before the pandemic started, only 1.3% of postings were remote.
That’s great news for anyone with the experience and skills to work for jobs requiring only a computer and an internet connection. Indeed, LinkedIn, and Monster all have remote work search filters, making finding roles that match your skills and experience easy. Flexjobs and RemoteOK. are two job boards that are solely dedicated to remote opportunities.
Realistic online money-making Opportunities in Canada
There is no shortage of ways to make extra money online. You can easily make a few extra dollars by selling some of your unwanted items on sites like Facebook Marketplace, or you can create recurring monthly revenue by creating something like an online course or writing eBooks.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the best ways to make money from home and on your own time in Canada.
Start working as a freelancer.
The gig economy is alive and well. There is no shortage of opportunities for freelance work if you have a computer, an internet connection, and some unique skills. Blogging, copywriting, social media management, SEO, graphic design, and web design are some of the more common types of online gigs.
Setting up a profile on sites like Fiverr or Upwork can make it easy to find freelance work. You can bid on projects that interest you or provide set services at set prices. Toptal is another popular freelance marketplace, but you must apply and pass their skill vetting process to gain access. You can also create your own website and start reaching out to your personal network of contacts, or pitch your services to businesses.
Earnings for freelancers range from a few dollars per hour to hundreds of dollars per hour. Your earning potential is largely determined by the services you provide, your level of experience, and your clients’ budgets.
Work as a virtual assistant
Another excellent option for anyone with computer skills is to work as a virtual assistant. This is something that can be done part-time or full-time, for one or more clients. The skills and experience required vary depending on the type of tasks that a client or company requires assistance with. Bookkeeping, scheduling social media posts, and coordinating virtual appointments are all examples of tasks.
Virtual assistant jobs or gigs are available on traditional job sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Flexjobs, as well as freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr and Upwork. You can also apply to work for virtual assistant companies that have a large client base.
Like freelancing, how much you can earn as a virtual assistant depends on the work you do, the skills you offer, and how much you work. According to Talent.com, the average annual salary for a virtual assistant in Canada is $48,000, or $24.62 per hour.
Create a blog or a niche website.
If you want to start a longer-term side hustle, starting a blog or niche website has a high earning potential. This opportunity requires a significant amount of upfront work and may take some time to pay off, as you must establish modest amounts of consistent traffic in order to see revenue later on.
You can make money with a blog or niche website by hosting ads relevant to your audience, recommending products through affiliate links and programs, or selling your own goods and services.
To begin, purchase a unique domain name from a service such as GoDaddy and begin building your site on a platform such as WordPress. If you lack all of the necessary skills, you can serve as more of an editor and hire writers or designers through freelancing sites like Upwork or Fiverr.
Create and market online courses.
If you’re considering offering freelance services, working as a virtual assistant, or starting a blog, you most likely have some unique professional skills and experience. Creating and selling your own online courses is one of the best ways to turn that into recurring income.
Professional-looking online courses are simple to create on platforms such as Udemy, Teachable, Skillshare, or Thinkific. All you need to do is set aside some time to create meaningful and unique educational content on your chosen subject, then weave it into an online course platform. Alternatively, you can simply package your content into eBooks, courseware, and even videos and sell them through your own website.
The best part about creating and selling your own online courses is that you’re not trading your time for money like you would when freelancing. With an online course, you put in the time to create it and then (ideally) sell it over and over again to generate passive income.
Create and market eBooks
The days when being a published author was nearly impossible are long gone. Anyone with the desire to finish a manuscript can now self-publish and sell their books digitally through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program or any number of other platforms.
eBooks are a great way to establish your authority or leverage your experience if you’re an expert in a specific field. Alternatively, if you enjoy writing fiction, this is a great way to turn your creativity into a side hustle. Self-published eBook authors who make money usually write several books per year.
Writing an eBook, like starting a blog, is not easy or quick. Most self-published authors do not achieve significant financial success as a result of this, but it is still a viable option for earning some extra money on the side. Consider hiring a professional editor to review your work before you publish it, as well as a professional designer to create your book cover.
Create a podcast or a YouTube channel.
Starting a podcast or YouTube channel is a great way to turn your creativity into a side hustle if you’re comfortable behind a microphone or in front of a camera. These, like many other career paths in the creator economy, necessitate significant time investments before they can potentially generate revenue.
Opportunities to monetize will emerge as your audience grows. Businesses usually pay for ads (or mentions) on your podcast, or you can form affiliate-style partnerships with companies. A company, for example, may offer your listeners 10% off their products if they use a special promo code you mention during your show.
On YouTube, if your channel has more than 1,000 subscribers and more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, you can join the YouTube Partner Program, which provides creators with a variety of monetization options, including ad revenue shares.
Take part in video game play.
That’s correct. Playing video games can earn you money (a lot of it!). You can earn money by playing competitively or simply streaming your gaming sessions on platforms such as Twitch.
Earning money on Twitch, like monetizing a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel, will require you to have a small to large fan base. After that, you can earn money through a combination of paid subscriptions, ads, affiliate links, and “Bits,” which allow viewers to cheer on streamers.
Competing in tournaments with cash prizes allows competitive video game players to earn money. If they have a higher profile, they can also earn money from companies that want to capitalize on that player’s reach through paid sponsorships.
Make an online store.
It’s easy to believe that Amazon and Amazon alone dominate the online marketplace, but that’s not the case. Indeed, there has never been a better time for entrepreneurs to open virtual stores and sell their products online. You don’t even have to sell your own products.
Setting up a professional and fully featured ecommerce store is incredibly simple with a platform like Shopify. Once you’re set up, you can either list and sell your own products or use dropshipping tools like AliExpress, Alibaba, and Oberlo to sell third-party products.
The great thing about dropshipping is that you don’t have to buy and warehouse inventory ahead of time, nor do you have to coordinate shipping. When a customer purchases a product from your online store, it is shipped directly from your dropshipping supplier.
Make and sell products online.
If you’re crafty or artistic, you can find a lot of success creating and selling your goods on sites like Etsy, which can expose your products to millions and millions of monthly visitors.
If you don’t want to coordinate shipping, you can sell digital goods on Etsy, such as printable artwork and crafting templates. This makes it an excellent marketplace for graphic designers and photographers.
Selling on Etsy is not free, but it can be quite profitable if you factor the selling costs into your product pricing in advance. It costs about $0.26 to list a product on the Etsy marketplace, and there is a 6.5% transaction fee when an item sells. In addition, if you accept payments through the Etsy platform, you may be charged a payment processing fee.
Take online surveys to earn money.
Taking various online surveys is another low-effort way to earn extra money. This doesn’t cost much money and can be done on your smartphone or tablet while sitting on your couch binge-watching the latest hit show.
Popular options include Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, Opinion Outpost, and Branded Surveys. When you sign up, you can take a few surveys in exchange for points, which can usually be redeemed for cash via PayPal.
How to Make an Extra $1000 in Canada Quickly
If you need some extra cash quickly, you can make a surprising amount by selling some of your belongings online. Can you make $1000 in a short period of time doing this? You would be surprised.
Take a look around your house for a moment. You’ll probably notice that you have a lot of stuff you don’t use, don’t like, or need. A lot of it could be worth a lot of money as well. Selling it online through sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and eBay is simple.
Clothes, shoes, accessories (such as handbags), electronics, and furniture are among the simplest items to resell online.
Fortunately, these items can command good prices when sold online.
With Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, you’ll need to think about how you’ll transfer the items you’re selling to the buyer—whether you’ll meet at a mutually agreed-upon location or give them your home address. If you’re uncomfortable doing so, you can reach more potential buyers by listing your unwanted items on eBay—just make sure you account for potential shipping costs.
Making Money Online as a Student in Canada
If you’re a Canadian student in high school or post-secondary education, there are some other online opportunities you might be uniquely suited to that don’t require as much time as the ideas above.
Tutoring via the Internet
If you’re an expert in a particular topic or subject, there are numerous opportunities to become a tutor online, either privately or through sites like VIPKid and Tutors.com. This can be as simple as volunteering a few hours per week to help teach English, or as complex as leading a virtual study group for a university course.
Proofreading
If you’re in college or university, you’ve most likely had much experience writing papers. That experience is invaluable when proofreading other people’s work, and plenty of work is available on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. This can range from simple proofreading (finding typos and errors) to more advanced proofreading tasks like editing for clarity.
Entering data
Sure, it sounds boring (and it usually is), but data entry is an excellent way for students to earn money online. It not only requires little experience but it can also be done around a student’s busy schedule. Data entry jobs are typically available on standard job sites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Monster
Make yourself an influencer.
If you already spend a lot of time on social media, you should look into becoming an online influencer. Typically, you can monetize your social media efforts once you reach a certain number of followers on a specific platform. This is typically accomplished by collaborating with brands and companies that will sponsor your posts if you promote or recommend their products.
Considerations for taxes when earning money online in Canada
If you make money online on a regular basis in Canada, you should be aware of a few tax implications.
To begin, keep in mind that no matter how much money you make online in Canada, all of your earnings must be reported on your annual taxes filed with the Canada Revenue Agency.
Second, if you are self-employed or have a side hustle, you should keep accurate and up-to-date records for all the money you earn. These records should include the amount earned per transaction, how it was earned, and from whom it was earned. Furthermore, it’s a good idea to put aside 15-20% of every dollar you earn online in a separate bank account (ideally, a high-interest savings account).
This way, if you owe the CRA money after filing your taxes, you’ll already have it saved up.
Last but not least, keep track of how much money you’re making online or through a side hustle because you must register for a GST/HST number if you earn more than $30,000 in a calendar quarter or more than $30,000 in the previous four quarters.
Conclusion
Making money online in Canada is easier than ever before. Whether you’re looking to start your own business or work as a freelancer, plenty of opportunities are available. By exploring different options and finding what works best for you, you can start earning an income from the comfort of your own home.