New York has the highest rates in the country for almost everything on this list, the highest taxes to match, and rules that change the usual gig math. Here are ten side hustles that pay in 2026, in the city and upstate, with what each really makes after costs and which fit the hours you have.
1. Local Friend: show visitors the city, at your rate#
Sixty million people visit New York a year and most see Midtown, the Statue of Liberty and a hotel. A Local Friend is someone who lives here and shows them the real city by the hour: the neighbourhoods beyond Midtown, how to use the subway without fear, where New Yorkers eat in Jackson Heights and Sunset Park, a Knicks or Yankees game, a night out that is not Times Square, the city for someone who just moved here for a job. You set your hourly rate (commonly $30 to $60), Roavi lists you free and takes no commission, and the money is paid to you directly.
No licence needed. You are not a sightseeing guide and do not run paid walking tours, which the city licenses separately; you are a person showing a visitor around, which it does not. Profiles are reviewed before going live and need three real photos. New York is Roavi's biggest US pool and it is still only a handful of people, so a new profile is seen immediately. Hours: whatever you set. How it works in the US.
2. App delivery, at the city minimum#
New York City set a minimum pay rate for app delivery workers, which works out at about $20 an hour of engaged time in 2026, well above what the apps pay elsewhere. By bike or e-bike, no licence, no car, start this week. The catch is the work itself: weather, traffic, stairs, and a ceiling that does not move. Outside the city, the standard app rates apply, $13 to $20 after gas.
3. Tutoring#
The most expensive tutoring market in the country: SAT and ACT prep, the specialised high school test, math, science and English pay $30 to $80 an hour in person in Manhattan and Brooklyn, $25 to $50 online and in the outer boroughs, and $25 to $45 upstate. A degree or a strong score is enough for private tutoring. After school and weekends.
4. Pet sitting and dog walking#
Rover and word of mouth, and in Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn the rates are the highest anywhere: $40 to $80 a night for boarding, $20 to $35 a walk. Dog-walking rounds (several dogs, one route, weekday middays) are a real part-time income in the dense neighbourhoods.
5. Notary loan signings#
Become a New York notary (exam, about $60 to $100 all in), then a loan-signing agent. Each signing pays $100 to $150 in the city and the suburbs, about $75 to $100 upstate, and takes about an hour. Evening and weekend work that follows the housing market.
6. Event staffing#
The convention calendar at Javits, the stadiums and arenas, fashion week, the marathon, the US Open, the holiday season in retail and hospitality. $20 to $35 an hour through staffing agencies, often with same-week starts, in bursts.
7. Interpreting and translation#
Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Arabic, Polish. Medical and legal interpreting pays $25 to $55 an hour, more with certification, and the courts and hospitals run a constant demand. Remote phone interpreting works from anywhere in the state.
8. Airbnb co-hosting, where it is legal#
In the five boroughs, short-term rentals under 30 days are effectively banned unless the host is present and registered, which ends most co-hosting in the city. Upstate it is legal and busy: the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes, the North Fork and the Hamptons. 10 to 20 percent of bookings; reliability is the skill.
9. Task and handyman work#
TaskRabbit was born here and the city's rates show it: $30 to $60 an hour for furniture assembly, mounting, moving help, small repairs, and the endless apartment turnover. No car needed in the city; a toolbox and a MetroCard.
10. Rideshare, with a TLC licence#
Uber and Lyft in the five boroughs pay $22 to $32 an hour after costs, among the best in the country, because the city sets a minimum per-trip rate. But you need a TLC driver licence (application, drug test, defensive driving course, fingerprinting, a TLC-plated vehicle), which takes weeks and several hundred dollars, and driving without one means a fine and a vehicle seizure. It is a real second job, not a side hustle you start on Saturday. Outside the city the standard app rules and lower rates apply.
What makes New York different#
The rates, which are the highest in the country for tutoring, pet sitting, notary work and task work. The rules: the TLC licence for rideshare, the delivery minimum, the short-term rental ban in the city. And the taxes: income over $600 from a platform is reported on a 1099 to the IRS and New York State, and city residents pay city income tax on top, so set aside about 30 percent and pay quarterly. The no-car gigs win in the city; upstate, the usual car-based gigs apply at roughly a third lower rates.
Which fits your hours#
- Evenings and weekends, no car, in the city: tutoring, interpreting, Local Friend, event staffing, task work.
- Weekday middays: dog-walking rounds.
- Start this week, no licence: app delivery by bike.
- A skill or a language: tutoring, interpreting, notary.
- A real second job: rideshare with a TLC licence.
- You know your city and like people: Local Friend.
Starting as a Local Friend#
Free, ten minutes from your phone, three real photos, a review before you go live. Say which borough and neighbourhood, what you are good for, and which languages you speak; in New York the specific profiles get booked and the generic ones do not.
Live in New York? Show visitors your city at your rate.
Become a Local FriendBy city: NYC side hustles in detail. The other big states: California, Texas and Florida. En español: cómo ganar dinero extra en Nueva York.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best side hustle in New York?
In the city, the ones that need no car and pay for skill or for knowing the place: tutoring ($30 to $80 an hour, the highest in the country), interpreting, notary signings, and Local Friend, where you show the sixty million visitors a year the city by the hour at a rate you set. App delivery now has a city minimum wage. Rideshare pays well but needs a TLC licence, which is a real process. Upstate, the usual gigs apply with lower rates and more driving.How much can you make with a side hustle in New York?
After costs, typical 2026 ranges in the city: app delivery about $20 an hour under the city minimum, by bike; tutoring $30 to $80; pet sitting $40 to $80 a night; notary loan signings $100 to $150; event staffing $20 to $35; interpreting $25 to $55; Airbnb co-hosting 10 to 20 percent where legal; task work $30 to $60; rideshare $22 to $32 after costs with a TLC licence; Local Friend at the rate you set, commonly $30 to $60. Upstate, roughly a third lower across the board.What New York rules affect side hustles?
In the city: rideshare drivers need a TLC licence (application, drug test, defensive driving course, fingerprinting, a TLC-plated vehicle; weeks and several hundred dollars), app delivery workers have a city minimum pay rate, and short-term rentals under 30 days are effectively banned unless the host is present and registered, which kills most Airbnb co-hosting in the five boroughs. Statewide, income over $600 from a platform is reported on a 1099 to the IRS and New York State, and city residents pay city income tax too: set aside 30 percent.Can I do rideshare in New York City without a TLC licence?
No. Uber and Lyft in the five boroughs require a TLC driver licence and a TLC-plated vehicle; driving without one is a fine and a vehicle seizure. Outside the city (Long Island, Westchester, upstate) the standard app requirements apply. If you want to start this week in the city, delivery by bike or e-bike is the no-licence route.What is a Local Friend and how does it work in New York?
Someone who lives in the city and shows visitors it by the hour: the neighbourhoods beyond Midtown, how to use the subway, where New Yorkers eat in Queens and Brooklyn, a game, a night out, the city for someone who just moved here. You set your rate (commonly $30 to $60), Roavi lists you free and takes no commission, and profiles are reviewed before going live. New York is the most-visited city in the country and Roavi's biggest US pool, and it is still only a handful of people, so a new profile is seen immediately. No licence is needed; you are not a sightseeing guide and do not run paid walking tours, which the city licenses separately.Which side hustles work upstate?
Tutoring, pet sitting, notary signings, task and handyman work, and delivery in the cities (Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, Syracuse). Airbnb co-hosting is legal and busy in the Hudson Valley, the Catskills, the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes, where Local Friend also works for visitors who want the lakes, the wineries and the hikes with someone who knows them. Rideshare upstate pays less and involves far more driving.