Home Job to Increase Income

41-50

Attend face-to-face focus groups

Traditional market research focus groups pay generously per session, though you're limited to a few a year. 

All it involves is giving opinions, usually with free sarnies, and you can walk away with £30 to £160. To get started, sign up with the top agencies listed in our list of Face-to-face focus groups.

Get paid to watch telly

Telly addicts can cash in by getting paid for their opinion. The Viewers sources research panels for broadcasters and programme makers.

Projects can include giving feedback on TV programmes before they hit screens, coming up with catchy titles or deciding which personalities should get more airtime.

You can attend face-to-face research groups (these are usually in big cities around the UK), fill in surveys online or do both.

Anyone over 16 who lives in the UK can sign up through the The Viewers' website – you'll have to fill in a questionnaire on your viewing habits, which takes 5-10 minutes. This allows it to provide info to TV companies that helps them either select the right demographic for each piece of research or make sure they are gathering a wide range of opinions.

Applications are reviewed before being added to the panel, which can take up to two weeks at busy times, but once approved you'll have the same chance of being selected for a project as existing members

How much? You'll get £40-£70 for face-to-face group discussions and it's usually paid in cash straight after the event. Occasionally there are online versions of a focus group, which pay the same amount via bank transfer, PayPal or Amazon email gift voucher. You should receive payment within a few days of the group taking taking place.

The average pay for online surveys is £2-£3 for a 10-15 minute survey. Members should receive payment within two weeks and can again choose between bank transfer, PayPal or Amazon email gift voucher. Unlike with many online survey sites, there's no minimum you have to earn before you can claim your cash.

Find out more: See a list of other websites where you can get paid for you opinion in our Survey Sites guide.

Become a mystery shopper

High-street retailers are desperate to check their in-store customer service is up to scratch, and contract mystery shopping agencies to do so.

They employ you to visit a specific shop or pub, to rate service quality or the quality of their goods. If you fancy a bit of 'cloak and dagger' identity, this can be great fun too.

Three of the most popular sites are Grass Roots, GBW (formerly Gapbuster) and Retail Maxim.

How much? Payment for this type of work varies hugely between agencies. Some pay in gift vouchers, others simply give you free items. Some will pay you cash too, sometimes as much as £30 a day.

Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the mystery shopping discussion thread.

Work from home

If you're unable to leave your home, whether due to childcare commitments or disability, working from your kitchen or spare room can leave you quids in too. Working on your own isn't for everyone though, so make sure you're OK with a spot of solitude.

Make £100s as a serial bank-account switcher

Some banks bribe you with free cash to switch. Repeatedly switch to bag sign-up bonuses and you could earn £100s.

One MoneySaver made £845 in three months, while another MoneySaving couple racked up £1,565 between them – just by switching bank accounts. For tips and the best incentives currently on offer, see Best Bank Accounts.

Earn cash online

If you've a computer or smartphone, there's a host of small ways to boost your coffers. Our 36 Make Money Online Tips lists 36 (legit) ways to make money online. 

You can get paid just to watch videos, write, search on Google, make your own YouTube clips and much more.

Get PAID over £4 to check your credit file(s)

It's crucial to ensure your credit files are correct – and you should do so regularly. But do it right and we've got a trick that gets you PAID to check your credit file.

Get paid £25ish/mth to watch vids and play games

Mega-popular with forumites, Swagbucks gets paid for ads/market research, and you get a cut – often being paid in a month. 

See Earn Cash Online for a full how-to, including a link for you to accrue £5 and get a bonus £10.

Bank with Nationwide? Get £100 each for you and a friend

If you've a Nationwide FlexAccount, FlexDirect or FlexPlus account, and you rate it, if you refer a friend who opens one and switches their bank account to it, you get £100 and so do they. 

You can refer up to five friends a year. See Best Bank Accounts for more details.

Get paid to check shops' prices

If you've an iPhone, take on a mission (should you choose to accept it) from free app Field Agent; it pays up to £10/job to check prices/snap photos. 

Yet you're competing against others for jobs, so don't get too excited. See our Make Money Online guide for this and more money-making apps.

Enter contests as a cash boosting hobby

From cars to £20,000 cash, five-star USA holidays to £10,000 Tesco gift cards or even two years' rent paid, MoneySavers have won it all. It's all about 'comping', a potentially profitable hobby for the lucky.

Comping's about systematically sourcing and entering hundreds of the contests, using web gadgets to fill out forms at speed, answer questions and help with tie-breakers. There's full help in the 40+ Comping Tips guide.

Work From Home- 70 Ways to Increase Income

26-40

Reclaim, reclaim, reclaim

Right across finance, companies have been taking or holding money when they shouldn't. These days it's easy to fight back. This can mean a boost of £1,000s to your finances in just one go.

Tax rebate for uniform wearers

If you wear a uniform at work, and have to wash, repair or replace it yourself, you may be able to reclaim £100s of tax for up to five years of expenses.

This applies whether it's just a branded T-shirt or you're a fully uniformed pilot, police officer or nurse. Read the full Uniforms Tax Rebate guide.

Reclaim packaged bank account fees

If you've ever had a packaged bank account (where you pay £10-£20 a month for add-ons such as travel insurance) that you didn't ask for, or couldn't use the benefits, try our free Reclaim Packaged Bank Fees tool.

There's growing evidence accounts were systemically mis-sold – with many flogged worthless added insurance. You may be able to reclaim £100s or £1,000s.

Switched energy in the last six years? Get £100s back in minutes

Disgustingly, if you've switched energy firm in the last six years and were in credit, some providers operated a 'don't ask, don't get' policy. That's mostly changed now, but if you didn't get your money, even if it was years ago, you can still ask.

It only takes a minute or two – see the Reclaim Old Energy Credit Back guide. Many get £100s.

Find £100s of lost Tesco vouchers

Check your Clubcard account online to see if you've any unused vouchers or able to reclaim lost ones going back two years – some people find £100s. Full help to do that in the Reclaim Tesco Vouchers guide. 

The guide also shows how you can increase their value up to fourfold.

Check your tax code – you could be due big money

A National Audit Office report's exposed how 3.2m people between April 2014 and Oct 2015 had an incorrect tax code. Some will have paid too much and are due cash back, others too little and may have a horrid shock coming.

It all depends on how wrong your banding was, but it can range from tens of pounds to thousands. One forum user managed to claim over £5,000. Use our Tax Code Checker guide and tool to work out if your code is correct.

Reclaim for train and tube delays

Leaves on the line, the wrong kind of snow and service faults... delays are all too common on our railways. But it's possible to claim for a delay if you know your rights. Full details in our Train Delays and Tube Delays guides.

Plus if you've an Oyster card or use TfL, you may be due a share of more than £200 million. There's big money sloshing about – if you failed to touch your Oyster out you can often claim back the excess (some have got £70 on this). 

Plus if you now use your contactless card instead, or if you've an old Oyster, you can claim back old credit. See our Oyster card reclaiming guide for a how-to.

Reclaim phone/broadband credit

If you've switched TV, mobile, broadband or phone providers in the last six years, there's a very real chance you're owed a little cash. One forumite was amazed to get £144 back from TalkTalk.

The Reclaim Phone Credit guide has more info, plus a full list of contact numbers for providers.

PPI reclaiming

If you've got or had a loan, credit or store card with payment protection insurance (PPI) in the past 10 years, you may be able to reclaim £1,000s – for FREE. 

We regularly see success stories of over £10,000. Yet the regulator's announced a deadline of 29 Aug 2019 for claims, so check now.

Don't hand 30% to a no-win, no-fee claims handler. Read the step-by-step guides to PPI Reclaiming and Credit Card PPI Reclaiming, including template letters and FAQs.

Find lost assets

Billions languish unused in old bank accounts, pensions, life assurance, Premium Bonds and investments, whether forgotten in a house move, lost through a work change, or simply overlooked in the hurly-burly of modern life.

Yet it's usually easy and, in many cases, free to reclaim cash that belongs to you or your family. See the Reclaim Lost Assets guide.

Reclaim bank charges

If you've been hit with bank charges in the past few years and are in financial hardship, you can ask for them back.

It all depends on your circumstances, but if you incurred charges of £35, four times a year for the last six years, then on average that all adds up to a huge £840 payback.

See the Bank Charges Reclaiming guide for full help.

Council tax rebanding

The council tax system in England and Scotland is fundamentally flawed. Many people are in the wrong band. It takes 10 minutes to check if you're one of them using our step-by-step Council Tax Rebandingguide.

Reclaim for flight delays

If you're delayed by more than three hours or your flight's cancelled, you are often entitled to between £110 and £550 in compensation.

See Flight Delays for a full step-by-step compensation guide, including template letters on how to get your money back for free and how to stop the airlines squirming out of paying.

Car or bike damaged by a pothole? Claim for it!

Whichever authority controls a road has a legal duty to maintain it to a fit standard. If it doesn't, and your car's damaged, it should pay for repairs. 

Often you will only get a payout if you can prove negligence, but it's worth giving it a go. Full details in our Pothole claims guide.

Get paid for your opinion

Many companies' and public organisations' desperate need to test, talk about and try out their products or ideas on people gives you a great opportunity to cash in.

Sign up to online survey sites

Willing to give views on One Direction, washing-up liquid or Brexit? Our Top 26 Online Survey Sites guide shows how to make cash by filling in surveys. Committed survey-doers can get £200ish a year.

70 Ways to Increase Money

16-25

Sell your story

Journalists are always looking for dramatic stories. If you've been in an extreme situation, come close to death or have any other gripping or extraordinary tales to tell about your life, why not get paid and have it published? Even amusing photos can earn good cash prizes in some magazines.

Many magazines pay a premium for interesting letters and photos. Take A Breaksays it pays "up to £2,000" for readers' stories, although it's likely you'll get a lot less than this. Fill in the form online at Take A Break.

Real People also says it pays "up to £2,000" if you sell it your story – fill in the form online at Real People.

How much? A 'star letter' will usually fetch at least £20 in magazines, pictures up to £100.

Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions, or add your own in the Sell your story thread.

Recycle old printer cartridges for cash

Printer cartridges are expensive, sometimes even more costly than the printers themselves. So, next time one runs out, offset the cost of a new one by recycling the empty one for cash, or Tesco Clubcard points.

There are lots of recycling sites out there, so do a bit of research to find out which are the best payers for your cartridges – some pay as much as £2 per cartridge, though it's usually much less. Try Cash For Cartridges, Recycle Ink Cartridges and Infotone.

Though some recycling sites will take your empty cartridges, they may only pay for certain ones, so check feedback and compare prices.

Alternatively, recycle the empty cartridges with Tesco and earn up to 125 Clubcard points for each cartridge. Each point is worth 1p in store but up to three times as much if you redeem on goodies with Clubcard Boost such as breakdown cover, days out and holidays away. See The Recycling Factory for full details.

Read more about Tesco Clubcard: There's more on maximising Tesco Clubcard points in the Boost Tesco Points guide.

Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' recommendations, or add your own, in the Recycling printer cartridges for cash thread.

Sell old clothes by the kilo

Wardrobes fit to burst with unwanted clothing? Forumites have reported success using 'cash for clothes' companies, which will often buy a wide range of clobber, including coats and sometimes shoes and bedding too. They usually only accept garments in reasonably good nick (ie, not bobbled or stained) – forumites tell us they typically pay about 50p per kilo.

Of course, if you're not strapped for cash, you could donate your togs to charity instead. And for gear in really good condition, you'll likely to get more selling on Facebook or eBay, so this is best for clothing which isn't top quality and won't fetch much online.

How much you can earn will depend on how many clothes you have to bag up – it might only be a few pounds but some forumites have reported big successes.

We got a total of £64 for the clothes we took... they gave us 60p per kilo and took most of the stuff. 
- PoppyOscar

It's an easy way to get rid of unwanted clothes and get a few quid for it. I've probably made about £40/£50 altogether. 
- HLR93

How to find your local company

To find a company, use a search engine to find 'cash for clothes' in your area. They can be found in most towns and cities, eg, we found Bob's Cash for Clothes in London which pays up to 60p per kilo. The amount you're paid and items accepted will vary depending on the company.

Always do the deal in person

There have been reports of dodgy companies that ask you to post clothing to them for 'inspection' – don't. Some forumites say they've had quality clothing rejected and were even asked to pay £20 for items to be returned.

We don't recommend you send off clothing before receiving payment – it's better to visit the company yourself or use one that collects and pays at your door.

Or recycle 'em on the high street for a £5-off voucher

H&M and M&S run recycling schemes which can bag you £5-off vouchers to spend in store.

The advantage of H&M's scheme is it says it will accept any clothing or home textiles "no matter what brand and what condition", so this is a great way for regular H&M shoppers to get rid of unwearable clothes.

• H&M – You'll need to take a "generously filled shopping bag" of clothes to your nearest H&M to get the voucher, which will give you £5 off when you spend £30 (though H&M hasn't confirmed if all stores are taking part so it's worth calling ahead to check your local store is). See H&M's 'recycle your clothes' page.
• M&S – This scheme only applies to M&S-branded items, but you only need to recycle one thing to get a voucher, which gives you £5 off when you spend £35.
  Simply take an old piece of M&S clothing or soft furnishings into your local Oxfam shop, where you'll get the voucher. M&S says you'll get one for every donation you make containing its clothing. For more info, see 'How can I get a £5 M&S voucher from Oxfam?'

Profit from lost luggage auctions

Ever watched Storage Hunters, the US show where people bid for the mystery contents of storage units? Now you can do it yourself, with lost luggage auctions.

When airlines are unable to reunite lost bags with their rightful owners, they often sell them off via specialist auction houses, usually costing £10-£75. For a full guide, including which auction houses do this, see Lost Luggage Auctions. 

It's also worth checking out Police Auctions, where forces across the UK sell lost property or goods seized from criminals when they can't find the rightful owner. It's cracking for bicycles, among other things.

Sell your mobile for cash

If you've recently upgraded and have an old mobile lying around, you could make £100s by selling it to a mobile-buying site. The more recent the handset, the more you'll get for it.

Make sure you compare mobile-buying sites to get the best price – top sites include Sell My Mobile and CeX.CeX can win on price but Sell My Mobile has a 'best price guarantee' and says if you find a higher price within 24 hours of placing your order, it will refund you double the difference.

You may be able to get a better price through auction sites like eBay* but of course there's no guarantee. See the Sell Old Mobiles guide for more info.

Rent it out for cash

It's amazing what you can rent out for cash, especially if you live in a busy area. Ensure you get the most out of your property – even your parking space can be profitable.

See our Rent It Out For Cash guide for a full list of sites that let you rent out anything you own. Below are some of the top options to get you started.

Earn £7,500 tax-free by taking a lodger

If you've space and don't mind a stranger intruding on your Game of Thrones-watching time, getting a lodger is a fast way to earn £100s. The doozy is that in April 2016, the amount you could earn tax-free letting a spare room via the Government's Rent a Room scheme was boosted from £4,250 to £7,500/year.

The scheme applies when you rent out a furnished room in your home to a lodger or take short-term guests through Airbnb (see Airbnb Room Renting Tips). It also applies if you run a B&B/guest house. It works whether you live in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

It's worth noting the government plans to review this scheme. The new draft Finance Bill says the person who's renting out the home will also have to be staying there for at least part of the let. See the A new law is set to close tax-free loophole on Airbnb lets MSE News story for full details.

If you're renting out a room, you currently have two options to reduce tax, though you can only use one of them, not both. So work out the best option for you first.

• The Rent a Room scheme. This is a huge tax break for most and really ups the gain. You don't pay tax on the first £7,500 you make each year from renting out a room (halved if you share the income with a partner/someone else). 
  
  If your income's below this threshold, you don't need to do anything, as the tax exemption is automatic. If it's higher, you must complete a tax return – you then opt into the scheme and pay tax on the remaining amount. For more, see the Government's Rent a Room scheme info.
• Deducting expenses. Alternatively, HMRC allows landlords to knock certain costs off before working out how much tax to pay. This includes guests' share of utility bills and home insurance (see the quick question below for more).
  
  You can choose not to opt in to the Rent a Room scheme and instead record your income and expenses on the property pages of your tax return. This can be a bigger saving in a few cases – though if your expenses are less than £7,500 it's likely you may be better off with the Rent a Room scheme.
  
  If you rent out your entire property rather than just a room through Airbnb etc, this is your only option, as you can't take part in the Rent a Room scheme. 

Quick question

How to find a lodger

If you want to let a room on a longer term basis, try SpareRoom and the room-to-rent section of Gumtree, which hook up people with housemates. Both are free to list on, though there are optional upgrades such as promoted adverts.

Another option's MondaytoFriday, a site geared towards part-time renters looking for weekday-only places, so you get your space back at weekends. A standard ad that runs for six weeks costs £29.95, so it could be worth trying Gumtree or spare room first and marking your listing 'Monday to Friday only'.

Temporarily rent out a room or your whole home on Airbnb

Airbnb and other similar sites link up owners with travellers hunting for a short-term place to stay, whether for holidays or sports events like Wimbledon. If you're renting out a room for holiday stays (not the whole house), you get the £7,500 Rent a Room allowance too.

Our 20+ Airbnb Hosting Tips guide is a crash course on safely letting your spare room or entire property for short periods.

Get cash for spare storage space

If you've unused space in a loft, garage or spare room, Storemates puts you in touch with folk who need space. It's free to register and list, but it charges 15% of the monthly rent if you find a match.

How much can you get? Storemates recommends charging 50% of commercial price. It automatically suggests a price, but you can charge what you like. For example, a 20 sq ft loft space in south London could net £600/year.

Some forumites report earning up to £40 a month, but others say they've had no response. So it's worth a punt, but not a guaranteed money-spinner.

How do I join? Register on the Storemates website and list a storage space. If someone's interested, they'll contact you via the site and arrange to check out your space. It provides a template legal contract to help sort the terms.

Will I need to pay tax on my earnings? Earnings will need to be declared. See A tip on tax below.

Will this affect my home insurance? Renting out part of your property for business purposes without telling your insurer could invalidate your home cover. Call it and say you're planning to list your storage space. They usually decide on a case-by-case basis, but may extend your existing policy for a small fee. If not, try a broker – see our Rent a room home insurance system as the principle is similar.

Anything else to watch for? Be prepared to settle any disputes yourself, and check you're comfortable with what's being stored. Don't agree to store valuables. This is because if you have to claim for damage to someone else's items, most standard insurance policies won't cover this. If you try it, please feed back in the Rent your storage space discussion.

Rent out your parking area

Is your driveway paved with gold? If you live near a city centre, airport, train station or footie ground, it might be. You can earn cold hard cash each month by renting out your drive. Read the Rent Your Parking Space guide for more.

Rent out your house as a film set

Film and TV production teams are always on the look out for homes and areas they can shoot in. Your home needn't be Downton Abbey to qualify – all shapes and sizes can be desired, and rates of pay can be pretty good.

A number of online agencies will list your property for free, taking commission once your property is chosen for a shoot (this varies depending on the property).

Sites worth a look include Lavish Locations, Amazing Spaceand ShootFactory. See the film set forum thread for more suggestions and feedback. Never use any that charge a large upfront fee.

How much? It varies widely, but if your property's chosen, as a rough guide you can expect from £500 to £2,000 a day. And you get to brag about it. Don't bank on being selected though; there are many more properties than film crews.

What kind of home do you need? Living within the M25 boosts your chances, as does unrestricted parking nearby. Crews also prefer bigger rooms with plenty of natural light. A state-of-the-art kitchen might net bookings for cookbook or lifestyle magazine shoots.

Will this affect my home insurance? Most agencies have their own insurance for breakages, however renting out part of your property for business purposes without telling your insurer could invalidate your home cover. Tell it first if a film crew's about to rock up.

Do I pay tax on my earnings? You'll have to declare you earnings so it depends on your circumstances. See A tip on tax below.

Find out more: Join the discussion, read other MoneySavers' top suggestions or add your own in the Rent your house as a film location discussion.