Side Hustle Finder

10 Best Side Hustles UK 2026: Realistic Ideas Compared

We compared the 33 UK side hustles in our library on six practical measures — startup cost, realistic monthly income, weekly time commitment, speed to first income, difficulty and recurring-income potential — and ranked the ten that hold up best. Every figure below comes from the underlying guide, not from a marketing claim.

Actual earnings vary with your location, pricing, demand and how consistently you work. Treat the ranges as guidance for comparing options, not as a forecast of what you will make. Last reviewed 14 August 2026.

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What are the best side hustles in the UK?

There is no single best side hustle in the UK. The strongest option depends on how many hours a week you genuinely have, how much you can afford to spend before earning anything, the skills you already hold, whether you want online or local work, and how quickly you need money.

For most people starting from nothing, virtual assistant work is the strongest all-round option: £0–£120 to start, Low difficulty, fully home-based, and normally sold as a repeating monthly package. Online tutoring is close behind if you have subject knowledge and free evenings, at £0–£150 to start with first income often inside a month.

If you want money sooner and prefer local work, domestic cleaning shows first income in 1–3 weeks on £50–£400 of setup and builds into repeat weekly bookings, and window cleaning turns into a repeating round worth £400–£2,200 a month once established. Vinted reselling is the cheapest way to test whether you enjoy running something at all, because you can start with items you already own.

None of these produce meaningful income in the first week, and none are passive. They rank highly because the cost of finding out is low and the demand is real.

UK side hustles compared

Costs and income figures are estimates for guidance only. Actual results depend on your location, experience, pricing, demand and execution.

  • 1. Virtual assistant services
    Startup cost
    £0–£120
    Monthly potential
    £300–£1,400 a month
    Weekly time
    5–12 hours a week
    First income
    2–6 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: Organised people with office or customer-service experience

  • 2. Domestic cleaning
    Startup cost
    £50–£400
    Monthly potential
    £300–£1,800 a month
    Weekly time
    6–25 hours a week
    First income
    1–3 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: Reliable people who want paying work within a fortnight

  • 3. Online tutoring
    Startup cost
    £0–£150
    Monthly potential
    £200–£1,200 a month
    Weekly time
    4–10 hours a week
    First income
    1–4 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: People with strong subject knowledge and free weekday evenings

  • 4. Dog walking and pet sitting
    Startup cost
    £50–£600
    Monthly potential
    £250–£1,300 a month
    Weekly time
    6–15 hours a week
    First income
    1–3 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: Active people with genuinely free midday hours

  • 5. Local social-media management
    Startup cost
    £0–£150
    Monthly potential
    £300–£1,500 a month
    Weekly time
    6–14 hours a week
    First income
    3–8 weeks
    Difficulty
    Moderate
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: Organised writers who want monthly retainers rather than one-off jobs

  • 6. Window cleaning
    Startup cost
    £150–£2,500
    Monthly potential
    £400–£2,200 a month
    Weekly time
    8–25 hours a week
    First income
    1–4 weeks
    Difficulty
    Moderate
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: People who want a repeating local round with visible results

  • 7. Mobile car valeting
    Startup cost
    £300–£2,000
    Monthly potential
    £400–£2,000 a month
    Weekly time
    8–16 hours a week
    First income
    1–4 weeks
    Difficulty
    Moderate
    Recurring income
    Moderate

    Best for: Practical people with transport and free weekends

  • 8. Google Business Profile management
    Startup cost
    £0–£100
    Monthly potential
    £200–£1,100 a month
    Weekly time
    3–10 hours a week
    First income
    2–6 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    High

    Best for: Detail-focused people who want a low-price, low-friction first client

  • 9. Vinted reselling
    Startup cost
    £0–£300
    Monthly potential
    £100–£1,500 a month
    Weekly time
    4–15 hours a week
    First income
    1–4 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    Low

    Best for: People who want to start this weekend with things they already own

  • 10. Furniture assembly
    Startup cost
    £80–£500
    Monthly potential
    £250–£1,200 a month
    Weekly time
    5–15 hours a week
    First income
    1–3 weeks
    Difficulty
    Low
    Recurring income
    Low

    Best for: Methodical people with basic tools and a car

The 10 best side hustles in the UK for 2026

Ranked on the data already held for each idea — cost to start, income range, hours, speed to first income, difficulty, recurring-income potential and the practical barriers noted in each guide.

  1. 1. Virtual assistant services

    Remote admin, inbox, diary and customer-support work sold to small UK businesses in short blocks each week.

    • Best overall
    • Under £100
    • From home
    • Recurring income
    • Flexible

    Best for: Organised people with office or customer-service experience

    Startup cost
    £0–£120
    Realistic income
    £300–£1,400 a month
    Time to first income
    2–6 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: It is the cheapest serious option in the library to begin: the guide puts startup costs at £0–£120 because you already own the laptop. Difficulty is rated Low, the work is fully online and the hours are yours to arrange, so it fits around a full-time job. Recurring-income potential is High, because most clients buy a repeating monthly hours package rather than a one-off job.

    Main drawback: The guide's main risk is underpricing: unbilled admin, proposals and client chat quietly drag your effective hourly rate down if you do not track time.

    Read the full virtual assistant services guide

  2. 2. Domestic cleaning

    Regular weekly or fortnightly cleans for local households, plus higher-priced one-off deep and end-of-tenancy cleans.

    • Fast to start
    • Recurring income
    • Local demand
    • Low-cost test

    Best for: Reliable people who want paying work within a fortnight

    Startup cost
    £50–£400
    Realistic income
    £300–£1,800 a month
    Time to first income
    1–3 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: First income typically arrives in 1–3 weeks and startup costs are £50–£400, so very little is at stake while you test demand. Difficulty is rated Low and recurring-income potential High, since regulars book the same slot every week. Its income range, £300–£1,800 a month, is one of the widest in the library for the money and skill required.

    Main drawback: It is physical, tied to your local area, and the guide warns against filling your week with regulars before you know who pays reliably.

    Read the full domestic cleaning guide

  3. 3. Online tutoring

    One-to-one or small-group online lessons for primary, GCSE and A-level pupils during term time.

    • Under £100
    • From home
    • Recurring income
    • Flexible

    Best for: People with strong subject knowledge and free weekday evenings

    Startup cost
    £0–£150
    Realistic income
    £200–£1,200 a month
    Time to first income
    1–4 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: Startup costs are £0–£150, difficulty is Low and first income usually lands in 1–4 weeks. It needs only 4–10 hours a week and those hours sit in the late-afternoon and early-evening slots that suit people in full-time work. Pupils normally book the same weekly slot, which is why recurring-income potential is rated High.

    Main drawback: It is seasonal: the guide flags pupils stopping the moment exams finish, so summer income drops unless you plan for it.

    Read the full online tutoring guide

    Not sure which of these fits your week?

    The free assessment scores every idea in the library against your time, budget, skills and goals.

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  4. 4. Dog walking and pet sitting

    Group and solo dog walks, puppy visits, cat drop-ins and holiday cover for local owners.

    • Fast to start
    • Recurring income
    • Local demand
    • Low-cost test

    Best for: Active people with genuinely free midday hours

    Startup cost
    £50–£600
    Realistic income
    £250–£1,300 a month
    Time to first income
    1–3 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: Costs of £50–£600 and Low difficulty make it accessible, and first income usually arrives in 1–3 weeks. Recurring-income potential is High because owners book the same walks every week, which makes the £250–£1,300 monthly range fairly predictable once a round is built.

    Main drawback: The guide's main risk is the one most people underestimate: the demand is at midday, which clashes directly with a nine-to-five job.

    Read the full dog walking and pet sitting guide

  5. 5. Local social-media management

    Running social accounts for local businesses on a monthly retainer — content, posting and replies.

    • Under £100
    • From home
    • Recurring income

    Best for: Organised writers who want monthly retainers rather than one-off jobs

    Startup cost
    £0–£150
    Realistic income
    £300–£1,500 a month
    Time to first income
    3–8 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: Startup costs of £0–£150 buy you into work that is sold as a retainer from day one, with recurring-income potential rated High and a £300–£1,500 monthly range. It is online and home-based apart from occasional content-capture visits, and the hours are genuinely movable.

    Main drawback: First income takes 3–8 weeks and the guide's main risk is clients cancelling when they cannot see a direct link between posts and sales.

    Read the full local social-media management guide

  6. 6. Window cleaning

    Regular residential and small commercial window cleaning, usually on a four- or eight-week cycle.

    • Recurring income
    • Local demand
    • Fast to start

    Best for: People who want a repeating local round with visible results

    Startup cost
    £150–£2,500
    Realistic income
    £400–£2,200 a month
    Time to first income
    1–4 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: Income potential is high for the skill needed — £400–£2,200 a month — and recurring-income potential is rated High because a round is by definition repeat work. First income typically arrives in 1–4 weeks and you can start with a bucket-and-ladder or pole setup at the bottom of the £150–£2,500 range.

    Main drawback: It is weather-exposed and physical, and the guide warns against buying a full water-fed pole system before confirming local demand.

    Read the full window cleaning guide

  7. 7. Mobile car valeting

    Washes, full valets and interior deep cleans carried out at the customer's home or workplace.

    • Local demand
    • Flexible

    Best for: Practical people with transport and free weekends

    Startup cost
    £300–£2,000
    Realistic income
    £400–£2,000 a month
    Time to first income
    1–4 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: The £400–£2,000 monthly range is among the strongest in the library, ticket prices are high enough that a handful of jobs matters, and first income often arrives in 1–4 weeks. Weekend and evening slots suit people in full-time work.

    Main drawback: Startup costs run to £300–£2,000 and the guide's main risk is buying a full professional kit before proving local demand and pricing.

    Read the full mobile car valeting guide

  8. 8. Google Business Profile management

    Claiming, completing and maintaining Google Business Profiles for local firms, on setup fees plus a small monthly plan.

    • Under £100
    • From home
    • Recurring income
    • Low-cost test

    Best for: Detail-focused people who want a low-price, low-friction first client

    Startup cost
    £0–£100
    Realistic income
    £200–£1,100 a month
    Time to first income
    2–6 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: At £0–£100 it is the cheapest entry in this top ten, difficulty is rated Low and only 3–10 hours a week are needed. Recurring-income potential is High because the monthly management plan renews, and the setup fee gives you cash before the retainer starts.

    Main drawback: The monthly plans are small, so the £200–£1,100 range needs several clients, and the guide notes Google can change features without warning.

    Read the full google business profile management guide

  9. 9. Vinted reselling

    Sourcing and listing second-hand clothing on Vinted, posting from home around other commitments.

    • Under £100
    • Fast to start
    • From home
    • Flexible
    • Low-cost test

    Best for: People who want to start this weekend with things they already own

    Startup cost
    £0–£300
    Realistic income
    £100–£1,500 a month
    Time to first income
    1–4 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: Startup costs of £0–£300, Low difficulty and first income in 1–4 weeks make it the easiest thing on this list to test. It is fully home-based and the listing and packing work splits into ten-minute pieces, so it fits almost any schedule.

    Main drawback: Recurring-income potential is Low — every pound has to be re-earned by sourcing and listing again — and margins disappear if you buy stock without headroom.

    Read the full vinted reselling guide

  10. 10. Furniture assembly

    Assembling flat-pack furniture and fitting wall mounts in local customers' homes.

    • Fast to start
    • Flexible
    • Local demand

    Best for: Methodical people with basic tools and a car

    Startup cost
    £80–£500
    Realistic income
    £250–£1,200 a month
    Time to first income
    1–3 weeks

    Why it ranks highly: Costs of £80–£500 mostly cover tools you may already have, difficulty is Low and first income usually comes in 1–3 weeks. Jobs are short, priced at £25–£40 an hour, and almost all of them fall in evenings and at weekends.

    Main drawback: The guide's main risk is unpredictable job flow — work arrives in bursts rather than steadily — and there is little repeat business.

    Read the full furniture assembly guide

Best side hustles by goal

  • Best side hustle under £100

    Google Business Profile management

    Startup costs of £0–£100 in the guide, no equipment beyond a laptop and phone, and a setup fee that can be charged before any monthly plan begins.

    See more ideas under £100

  • Best for an extra £500 a month

    Domestic cleaning

    A £300–£1,800 monthly range with fixed prices of £25–£45 per regular visit, so £500 is a small number of weekly regulars rather than a stretch.

  • Best side hustle from home

    Virtual assistant services

    Fully online, £0–£120 to start, Low difficulty, and every task can be done from a kitchen table in short blocks.

    See more work-from-home ideas

  • Best for people with a full-time job

    Online tutoring

    4–10 hours a week, delivered in the late-afternoon and evening slots parents actually want, with no travel and no equipment.

    See more ideas around a full-time job

  • Best for shift workers

    Vinted reselling

    Nothing is time-critical: sourcing, photographing, listing and posting can all be done whenever your shift pattern allows.

    See more ideas for shift patterns

  • Fastest to first income

    Domestic cleaning

    The guide's time to first income is 1–3 weeks, and one enquiry can become a paid booking the same week.

  • Best for recurring monthly income

    Window cleaning

    Recurring-income potential is rated High and the whole model is a repeating round, so revenue is rebooked rather than rebuilt each month.

  • Best low-cost idea to test

    Vinted reselling

    You can list items you already own, so the test costs postage and an hour of your time before you commit any money to stock.

    See more low-budget ideas

Which side hustles could realistically make £500 a month?

Five of the ten have published income ranges and prices that comfortably contain £500 a month. The examples below use the prices in each guide to show what that would take in clients or jobs. They are illustrative arithmetic, not guaranteed income, and they exclude tax, travel, materials and platform fees.

  • Domestic cleaning

    • 4 weekly regulars × £35 a visit × 4 weeks = £560 a month
    • Or 3 weekly regulars (£420) plus one £120 one-off deep clean = £540

    Uses the guide's £25–£45 fixed price per regular two-hour clean and £80–£180 deep-clean range. Roughly 8–10 working hours a week before travel.

  • Virtual assistant services

    • 2 clients × a 10-hour monthly package at £250 = £500 a month
    • Or 20 hours × £25 an hour = £500

    Uses the guide's £18–£30 hourly rate and £170–£280 ten-hour package. Around 5 hours a week, before tax and any software costs.

  • Online tutoring

    • 5 GCSE pupils × 1 hour a week × £30 × 4 weeks = £600 a month
    • Or 4 pupils × £30 × 4 weeks = £480

    Uses the guide's £25–£40 GCSE hourly band. Term time only — the guide notes income drops sharply after exams.

  • Window cleaning

    • 30 houses × £18 a clean, on a four-weekly round = £540 a month
    • Or 20 houses × £18 plus 4 commercial frontages × £25 = £460

    Uses the guide's £12–£20 residential and £15–£35 commercial per-visit prices. Building a 30-property round usually takes several months of canvassing.

  • Mobile car valeting

    • 7 full valets × £75 = £525 a month
    • Or 4 full valets (£300) plus 8 maintenance washes × £28 = £524

    Uses the guide's £60–£90 small-car full valet and £20–£35 maintenance wash prices. Around two weekend days a month of work, before products and travel.

Still not sure which side hustle fits you?

Reading rankings can give you ideas, but the right side hustle depends on your budget, available time, skills, goals and how quickly you need to earn. Answer 13 questions and Side Hustle Finder will compare your answers against our UK opportunity library and return your three strongest matches.

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How we chose the top 10

This ranking is a comparison of opportunities, not a promise of earnings. We started from the 33 researched guides in our library and weighed the practical factors recorded for each one:

  • Startup cost, and how much is unavoidable
  • Realistic monthly income range
  • Weekly time commitment
  • Speed to first paying customer
  • Flexibility — whether the hours can move
  • Difficulty and any qualifications needed
  • Repeat and recurring-income potential
  • Practical barriers such as transport, insurance or licensing

We also deliberately kept the list varied: online and local work, low and moderate startup budgets, service and product ideas, and options that suit evenings, weekends or irregular shifts. No survey, independent testing or earnings data from users sits behind this ranking — it is an editorial comparison of our own researched guide data.

Read our full methodologyHow to make an extra £500 a monthBest weekend side hustles UK

UK things to check before you start

Tax. HMRC's £1,000 trading allowance covers very small amounts of self-employed income. Above it you generally need to register as self-employed and complete a Self Assessment return, even if your main job is taxed through PAYE.

Insurance. Anything carried out in a customer's home or on their property — cleaning, valeting, window cleaning, furniture assembly, dog walking — normally needs public liability cover, and care of custody cover where you hold keys or pets.

Licences and checks. Some work has specific requirements: waste carrier registration for anything you remove, DBS checks for work with children, and business use on your vehicle insurance if you drive to jobs.

Fees and local demand. Marketplace and payment fees come off your headline price, and local service work only pays what your area supports. Each guide sets out the specific requirements and costs for that idea.

This is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Check current official guidance or speak to a suitable professional about your own circumstances.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best side hustle in the UK?
There is no single best side hustle for everyone. On our comparison, virtual assistant work ranks first overall because it costs £0–£120 to start, is rated Low difficulty, runs entirely from home and is usually sold as a repeating monthly package. If your hours are unpredictable or you want money sooner, domestic cleaning and Vinted reselling are stronger, because both can produce first income within one to three weeks.
What side hustle can I start with £100?
Several. Google Business Profile management (£0–£100), virtual assistant work (£0–£120), online tutoring (£0–£150), social-media management (£0–£150) and Vinted reselling (£0–£300, and £0 if you list things you already own) all start at or near nothing beyond a laptop and phone. See our ideas for budgets under £100 for the full list.
What side hustle can realistically make £500 a month?
Domestic cleaning, virtual assistant work, online tutoring, window cleaning and mobile car valeting all have published income ranges that comfortably contain £500, and the worked examples on this page show what that looks like in clients or jobs. £500 a month usually means roughly five to ten worked hours a week once you have steady customers — and it takes weeks or months to reach, not days.
What are the best side hustles for someone with a full-time job?
Choose work that does not require weekday-daytime availability. Online tutoring (late afternoons and evenings), virtual assistant work (any hours), Vinted reselling (whenever you like) and mobile car valeting (weekends) all fit. Dog walking is the notable exception on this list: demand is at midday, which clashes with most nine-to-five jobs. Our guide to side hustles around a full-time job goes into more detail.
Which side hustle is fastest to start?
On the figures in our library, domestic cleaning, dog walking and furniture assembly all show a time to first income of 1–3 weeks, and Vinted reselling 1–4 weeks. Speed comes from low setup: no qualifications, little equipment, and customers who can book you as soon as they hear you exist.
What side hustles can I do from home in the UK?
Virtual assistant work, online tutoring, social-media management, Google Business Profile management and Vinted reselling are all home-based, though reselling needs storage space and regular trips to a post office or parcel locker. We have a dedicated page of work-from-home side hustles.
Do I have to pay tax on side-hustle income in the UK?
Usually, yes. HMRC operates a £1,000 trading allowance, and beyond that you generally need to register as self-employed and file a Self Assessment return, even if you also pay tax through PAYE on a main job. Some work also needs insurance, a licence or a DBS check. Check current HMRC guidance for your circumstances — this page is general information, not tax advice.
How do I choose the right side hustle?
Start from your constraints rather than the idea. Decide how many hours a week you genuinely have, how much you can afford to lose, whether you want online or local work, and how soon you need money. Then pick the highest-potential option that fits all four. Our free finder does this scoring for you from 13 questions.