Best side hustles for students

For college students with financial need, Federal Work-Study pays at least the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour, for part-time jobs. Online, Prolific requires at least $8 an hour for studies, and Fiverr passes on 80% of each order. The FTC warns of fake jobs that seem to come from your college.

We build PaysFair, an earning app that competes with some of the apps below, so check their numbers yourself. PaysFair is for people 16 and over. We read each program's own pages on October 23 and 24, 2026.

Which side hustles pay students, and how much?

Many students work. In October 2024, 41.2% of that year's high school graduates who'd started college were working or looking for work, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says.

Federal Work-Study. The program "provides part-time employment to students attending institutions of higher education who need the earnings to help meet their costs of postsecondary education," federal rules say. Undergraduates are paid by the hour for the time they actually work, and never less than the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. It's part of financial aid, so your school's aid office is where to ask.

Research studies and tests. Prolific's rule for researchers is a minimum of $8 an hour, and it recommends $12. New participants join a waitlist and verify their identity, and you can cash out once you've earned $6. UserTesting answers "No" when asked if contributors have to pay, shows the pay before each test and usually pays 14 days later, by PayPal only.

Freelancing. "After an order is completed, freelancers receive 80% of the client's cleared payment," Fiverr's help says, and the money clears for 14 days. You'll need to be 18 to withdraw earnings. Rev pays transcriptionists "$0.40 - $1.10 per audio/video minute," weekly by PayPal, and says it has a waitlist.

Delivery. DoorDash says you can "start earning within days," with base pay for each offer plus promotions and tips. Dashers must be 18 or older, 19 in 13 states and 21 in California. You'll need a car, a scooter or, in some cities, a bicycle, and it runs a background check.

Earning apps like ours. PaysFair pays for surveys, games and campaigns with a gift card by email, from a $1.00 smallest cash-out. Your first cash-out is checked by hand. If you're under 18, our online jobs at 16 guide covers what's open to you.

Which jobs aimed at students are scams?

The FTC describes fake job ads for nannies, caregivers and virtual assistants, and says the message "might also seem to come from someone who is part of an organization you know, like your college or university." The "employer" sends a check and asks you to deposit it, keep part and send the rest on. "That's a scam," the FTC says: the check bounces, and your bank wants the full amount back.

Mystery shopping is another one aimed at students. Honest mystery shopping companies won't ask you to pay for certifications, directories of jobs or job guarantees, the FTC says, and "If someone asks you to pay to get a job, that's a scam."

Do students pay taxes on a side hustle?

Yes, once it's big enough. If your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more in a year, the IRS says you must pay self-employment tax and file Schedule SE. That covers gig and freelance income, and UserTesting, for one, "does not withhold any taxes from payments."

What do other guides on this leave out?

We read five guides that rank for this on October 24, 2026, and one more wouldn't load for us. None mentions Federal Work-Study or the federal minimum wage, and none names the FTC or warns about fake job offers that come through a college. Two of the five are written for students in the UK and Canada. One does note that side hustle income can affect your financial aid.