How Can I Make Money Working From Home?

There are indeed some legitimate companies that hire people to work from home. I’m not talking about telephone sales, or stuffing envelopes. Some people also start their own business – but this can take a lot of time to grow and develop, and can require a head for managing and marketing a business.

Here are a few types of home  based jobs and places that will pay you while you work from home:

Call Centers: One big sector that often hires homebound workers is the call center industry. In recent years, major firms have realized they can save money by putting a computer in your home (yes, really – but you can only use it for work), and paying you to sit at your own house and answer calls. The pay is not huge – but when you consider you’re offsetting the expense of travel, lunch and a wardrobe for work, the pay may not sound so bad. In Austin, such jobs go for about $10-$12 an hour, with increases based on productivity. You will likely need to be on duty for regular hours, and the computer will be equipped to monitor your online activity and phone time.

Customer Service: I recently had to call a publisher for a textbook I ordered for one of the classes I teach. The very polite customer service rep was working from her home! The only reason I knew this was that she mentioned it (she had to call me back, and she apologized profusely). The pay is likely in the range quoted above for call centers, but it may vary.

Insurance Enrollment: Some firms pay individuals to contact physicians’ offices and gather enrollment data for various insurance or government programs. The last I researched this, pay started out around $10 to $12 per hour and eventually transitioned to pay-for-productivity.

Research Firms: Some research firms pay for making calls from a remote location. Pay can be either hourly or per contact.

Medical Coding: These people are usually self-employed, but it can be a lucrative field. Coders translate diagnostic information on medical forms to standard billing codes. Have you ever seen a list of procedures on your insurance statements? Each one has a number, and insurance firms pay doctors based on the code number of the procedure. You will need to take some training to do this, but it can be a long-term career and can go with you if you move to another city. You can also somewhat set your own hours with this field (more so than with call centers). You will need some hours to be available by phone during the working day, but can probably do the coding at whatever time best suits your household schedule. You can either be on the staff or self-employed in this field. Most who work from home are freelancers.