2025’s Best Sofa Side Hustles for Flexible, High-Paying Extra Income

As cost-of-living pressures rise, Australians are increasingly turning to side hustles they can do from the comfort of their couch.

New research from BizCover, based on over 3,300 keyword variations and wage data across 59 Australian cities, reveals a boom in demand for “sofa side hustles” – flexible, digital or remote jobs performed from a laptop or smartphone at home.

Brisbane-based graphic designer and mural artist Lisa-Marie Vecchio is one such success story. What began as a creative side hustle evolved into a full-time business after she left the not-for-profit sector.

“I was ten years into my professional career, whilst also dabbling with my graphic design side hustle,” she says. “Initially, it was just cash-in-hand jobs for friends and friends-of-friends, never with the intention of formally starting a business.”

“The inspiration came from the fact that, whilst I loved working for my current job, my personal design style wasn’t being utilised to its fullest potential.”

The Sofa Hustle Boom: What Aussies Are Searching For

Search interest for at-home earning is skyrocketing. The term “how to make money online” now averages 14,800 monthly searches, with a 50% increase over the past three months and a 23% year-on-year rise, reflecting growing financial stress and a hunger for income independence.

“Side hustles are no longer just a way to make a bit of extra cash,” said Sharon Kenny, Head of Marketing at BizCover. “We’re seeing more Australians use them to build flexible income streams, with many turning their side gigs into serious small businesses.”

According to the findings, these are the five most-searched home-based side hustles in Australia:

 * Hourly wage not available due to variability. ** Rental-based roles calculated per day

These five roles are part of more than 551,000 monthly searches for sofa side hustles. The average hourly wage across the full list is $44.09.

From Couch to Career: Lisa-Marie’s Leap

During the pandemic, Lisa-Marie began to see the business potential of her creative work.

“By 2020, when redundancies were common and people were pursuing hobbies because we couldn’t really do much else, I thought, ‘Why not try to get properly paid for doing something I love?’”

After taking a sabbatical and growing her Instagram following from 1,000 to over 15,000, she enrolled in a Certificate IV in small business and entrepreneurship and made the leap to full-time self-employment in late 2022.

“One of the biggest challenges was converting Instagram followers into actual commissions and orders. It’s not enough to just have a following; you have to constantly push products and stay visible.”

Lisa-Marie now runs Lisa Dot Design, offering design, illustration and mural services.

“Besides gaining more confidence, my exposure has grown as I’ve taken on more projects and been more involved in the local community of Brisbane. People now recognise my work as an artist.”

Support from Side Hustle to Small Business

As more Australians scale their side gigs into viable businesses, BizCover is there to help.

“As side hustles grow, it’s important to treat them like any other business,” said Kenny. “Having insurance in place gives business owners the confidence to keep scaling.”

For Lisa-Marie, that support came at just the right time.

“At first, I didn’t think I required insurance, but as my business grew, I realised it was crucial to ensure I was covered. Even though I’m a graphic designer with minimal risk, I wanted to be serious about protecting my business.”

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