When you need to earn money fast, picking up an extra shift or applying for a second job isn’t going to cut it.
Instead, you need work that will pay cash on the spot, which usually comes from an under-the-table job.
If you’re not familiar, working “under the table” means that the person you’re working for doesn’t withhold taxes or report your payments to the IRS.
That doesn’t mean you won’t need to report the income, though – it just means you’ll get paid fast.
If you’re ready to make money, here are the best under-the-table jobs that pay cash on the spot.
18 Jobs that Pay Cash on the Spot
1. Do Odds and Ends Jobs on Craigslist
2. Pick Up Some Babysitting Gigs
3. Offer Dog Walking and Dog Sitting Services
4. Paint Houses
5. Scrap Metal for Cash
6. Provide Landscaping Services
7. Perform Mechanic Work
8. Work as a Tutor
9. Become a Photographer
10. Sell Produce
11. Get a Job as a Farmhand
12. Clean Houses
13. Flip Items
14. Sell Baked Goods
15. Offer Snow Removal Services
16. Provide Home Organization Services
17. Become a Handyman
18. Cut and Sell Cords of Firewood
1. Do Odds and Ends Jobs on Craigslist
If you want to pick up some random gigs here and there, find them on Craigslist.
Craigslist is a treasure-trove for odd jobs. You can find everything from assembling furniture to helping someone move.
To find a job you’re interested in, check the “job” section categories. For the best random stuff, try “etc./misc.” or “general labor.”
You can also post jobs you’re willing to do under the services section.
2. Pick Up Some Babysitting Gigs
Babysitting is a tried and true job that pays cash on the spot.
As long as you’re a responsible adult with childcare experience, you can easily and quickly pick up babysitting gigs. Because every parent EVER needs their kids watched from time to time.
According to SitterCity, the average national hourly rate for a babysitter is $17.00.
You can earn even more by offering parents’ nights out.
To do this, you watch a few kids at once so parents can have a date night. Since parents’ nights out are offered on weekends, you can charge a premium.
3. Offer Dog Walking and Dog Sitting Services
If you live in a city or busy neighborhood full of dogs, you can earn recurring revenue by offering dog walking and dog sitting services.
The amount you’ll make depends on where you live, how many dogs you walk, and how much time you dedicate.
According to Indeed, the average dog walker salary is around $15 per hour.
4. Paint Houses
Are you a skilled painter? You can offer interior and exterior painting services.
Interior house painters can charge quite a bit – about $20 to $60 per hour, depending on experience and the job’s complexity.
The biggest downside is that you’ll need to cover the cost of paint and supplies upfront. Then when you finish the job, you get paid.
5. Scrap Metal for Cash
Do you have a truck? If the answer is yes and you’re able to lift heavy, you can drive around your city picking up scrap metal.
Your best bet for getting a solid scrap metal load is to ask any friends and family if they have old appliances or scraps they need to get rid of. You can also post about your pickup services in applicable Facebook groups.
Once you’ve collected enough metal, take it to the scrapyard and cash it in.
6. Provide Landscaping Services
There are a lot of jobs that fall under landscaping services. These can include mowing the lawn, weed eating, planting flowers, and removing old trees.
All of these jobs pay cash as soon as you’re finished.
If you have the equipment and knowledge, you can start advertising landscaping services to friends, family, and on Facebook.
7. Perform Mechanic Work
If you currently work as a mechanic or have in the past, you can start offering mechanic services.
Since this job requires many skills, you can charge decent rates. But, of course, this is a job where you’ll need the proper tools and equipment before getting started.
If you don’t want to do full-blown mechanic work, you could offer a service as simple as changing the oil in a vehicle.
8. Work as a Tutor
Do you consider yourself smart or particularly good at a certain subject? If you do, offer private tutoring services.
According to TutorMe, average private tutors earn roughly $25 per hour. However, if you have an advanced degree or certification, you can make as much as $56 per hour.
You can increase your earnings by offering group tutoring sessions.
This is an excellent under-the-table job for both college students and teachers.
9. Become a Photographer
Photographers get paid cash on the spot and sometimes even before completing their job.
If you have the equipment, you can start offering sessions ASAP. Then, you can look at all of the other ways to make money from your photos.
10. Sell Produce
If you raise a garden each year, sell the produce at farmers’ markets or even at the end of your driveway.
If you don’t want to do the actual selling, you can set up a self-service booth in your yard. Of course, you’ll have to rely on the honor system, but you can write down prices and leave a cash dropbox for your customers.
11. Get a Job as a Farmhand
Farmhands care for animals, clean out their pins, maintain equipment, help with crops, and more.
To get one of these jobs, you’ll need to live in a farming-focused city. If you do, scour Facebook for an open position. As long as you’re a hard worker, you shouldn’t have trouble getting hired.
12. Clean Houses
House cleaning is another tried and true cash-on-the-spot job. If you like cleaning, start telling your friends and family about your services.
From there, you can decide whether to keep your house cleaning business small or take it full-time. Either way, if you need cash fast, you can get paid every time you clean someone’s house.
13. Flip Items
One of my favorite ways to earn cash on the spot is with arbitrage. Arbitrage is simply buying something and reselling it for more.
To get started, go through your belongings and sell what you don’t want.
You can sell stuff on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or eBay.
Once you’ve gone through your stuff, look for thrift store finds that you can flip for money.
14. Sell Baked Goods
Are you a good baker or decorator? If so, start a baking side hustle. You can specialize in one type of baked good or offer many varieties.
Here are some ideas of baked goods to sell:
- Birthday Cakes
- Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Smash Boxes
- Cocoa Bombs
- Dog Treats
- Cheesecake
15. Offer Snow Removal Services
Snow shoveling isn’t just for kids, especially since it’s rare to see a kid offering snow shoveling services anymore.
If you’re looking for jobs that pay cash during the winter, go to suburban neighborhoods and offer snow removal services.
Sure this might be some hard work, but it’s a way to get money fast.
16. Provide Home Organization Services
If friends and family are always coming to you with organizing questions, offer to organize their houses.
Home organizers earn an average of $20 per hour. So if organizing is something you enjoy, this is a great way to make extra money.
17. Become a Handyman
If you’re handy around the house, you can make quick cash as a handyman. Jobs for this role include minor plumbing fixes, installing floors, building decks, and other small house repairs.
You’ll need prior experience and your own set of tools for this job.
You need to play it safe with the first few jobs and only take on work you can correctly complete.
You can find jobs through your personal network and on TaskRabbit.
18. Cut and Sell Cords of Firewood
Do you live in an area where many people heat with wood stoves? If the answer is yes and you also have a chainsaw and access to fallen trees, you can cut and sell firewood.
Your best customers are the ones who love their wood stoves but aren’t in the best condition to cut wood themselves.
According to HomeAdvisor, the average cord of wood sells for $300. (Depending on where you live, that price can be as high as $900.)
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for under-the-table jobs that pay cash on the spot, you have tons of options. And what I love about these is that with almost all of them, you can set your own hours and work as little or as much as you’d like.
So, if you need to make cash fast, give one of these a try. You can fall back on these ideas anytime money is tight.
