How to Boost Your Income With Paid Surveys [Side Hustle Case Study] (2024)

Here’s the next installment in our side hustle case study series, where real people share how they make extra money in their spare time!

In this week’s interview, Fiona from Savvy in Somerset talks about making money with paid surveys.

Survey sites are one of the first ways that many people get into making money online, but not all survey sites are equal, so it’s great to hear Fiona’s tips.

Making money with paid surveys with Fiona

Please tell us a little about yourself and your side hustle.

Hello! I’m Fiona – Mum to one and lover of all things money saving and frugal. I also love to make some extra money where I can too.

While surveys aren’t always the best paying side hustle around, they do come with a lot of benefits. Surveys are something that can be done at any time of day – whether you’re up in the night feeding a baby or bored on the daily commute they can easily be done from a phone or tablet.

While you do need to pay attention to the questions, survey’s aren’t hugely taxing either – I quite often do a few in the evenings while watching Netflix.

How long have you been doing your side hustle? How did you get into it?

I’ve been doing surveys for several years now as an easy way to make extra cash. When my husband and I decided to buy a house we knew we would need to save up a huge deposit – doing surveys helped me earn a little bit extra to add to the pot.

Surveys are a great way to save up for something you wouldn’t usually be able to afford and that can be an excellent motivator to keep at them even though the rewards aren’t always huge.

What does the work actually involve? What does a typical day/work session look like for you?

Most surveys are pretty easy and usually ask your opinions on everyday things such as where you do the majority of your shopping or what films you are interested in seeing. They also ask questions about your household and income to make sure you are good fit for the survey.

Some survey sites also ask you to complete tasks to earn money such as watching videos, searching the web and playing games – stuff you might well be doing on your phone anyway.

You can log on at any time of day or night to see what surveys are available so it’s great for those who work unusual hours or who don’t want to commit to anything concrete. Sometimes there will be lots of surveys available and sometimes not so many – this can be a little frustrating if you have spare time but there is nothing available to complete.

That said, most people who do surveys are signed up to lots of different survey websites so there should usually be something to pick from. I tend to pick the highest paying ones to check first and gradually work my way down to the lowest paying.

How much can you make doing this side hustle?

How much you can make with surveys will vary hugely based on several factors including your demographics and how much time you are happy to put into completing them.

Each survey site has different rates of pay for completing surveys – some of these don’t even come close to minimum wage so it’s worth considering how important your time is vs how much you could earn. Others pay really well but again it all depends on how many surveys are available and whether you are eligible to complete them. I’d say £20 a week is achievable without too much effort.

Are there any start-up costs and/or ongoing expenses with this side hustle?

As long as you have access to a phone, tablet or laptop and an internet connection you’re good to go. It’s worth remembering if you earn over £1000 a year from surveys (or any other taxable side hustles) you’ll need to register with HMRC and file a tax return.

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to get started?

Most people have a few survey sites they prefer over others. It’s worth signing up to lots to see which ones you enjoy the most – the more you get to know and use each site the quicker you’ll become. Lots of survey sites have apps too so it’s worth downloading these so you can complete surveys on the go. I’d also recommend following your favourite survey sites on social media as they often run competitions and will have updates about what’s going on with the site.

Any recommended websites or resources?

Prolific Academic is my favourite survey site as the surveys pay really well (usually at least £5 an hour) and are pretty interesting as they’re part of academic studies.

Prolific don’t screen you out from surveys as other sites do – so if you’re eligible for a survey you’ll be able to complete it.

Where can we find you?

I blog at www.savvyinsomerset.com

Thank you Fiona!

If you’re looking for even more survey sites to join, check out these posts:

• Top 5 Sites to Take Surveys for Money in 2019
• The Ultimate List of Paid Survey Sites in the UK

You can find the other posts in the side hustle case studies serieshere.

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