Paid Surveys!

Doing paid surveys has become a popular way to make money online. Many companies value your opinion, and are willing to pay for it. The pay per survey varies greatly, from less than 5 cents, to more than 100 dollars! (Though the most I have ever been paid for a survey is $25.) If you are careful at which ones you pick, then this is an o.k. way to get a small amount extra cash.
Note: Many people have tried to make a living off of paid surveys, and while I have heard of a few who make a modest income, the majority do not. If you are looking for a real job, then I recommend trying Phone Orders and Customer Service.

Forms of Payment
Survey companies vary in how they pay. Some will give cold, hard, cash, while others might give free items, airplane miles, gift cards, etc. It all depends on the company.
Be careful when filling out surveys. Some scam companies have been sending out "surveys" that pretend to want your info on a product, but then just spam you with ads or free trials. Just Exit these websites, since they will usually never give you what they offer, no matter how many trials you sign up for.
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Before signing up to take surveys, here are some things you NEED to do first:

1. Sign up for a free email account. This is a must! Survey companies can send hundreds of e-mails, and you don't want your personal e-mail to get muddied by all of it. I would sign up for a free yahoo or google mail account:
Yahoo! Mail
Gmail (Google Mail)

2. Paid surveys usually will be paid in either check or via Paypal. If you haven't signed up for a Paypal account yet, do it now! Paypal is a quick and easy way to receive your money.
Paypal

3. Start Signing Up for Surveys!!

Here are some survey companies I recommend:
1. Greenfield Online (BBB Check)
This company has a large variety of surveys to choose from, and I have had absolutely no problems with them. Their website is easy to navigate, and this company will tell you up front how much you will get paid on each survey. Many of their surveys can be worth a good sum, and I recommend them highly.

2. Pinecone Research (BBB Check)
This site is a great survey website, since they offer $3 per every survey you complete, plus sweepstakes entry. Their surveys are actually pretty easy , and they often will send you products to try as well. Usually, you only will receive one survey per month though, so it is best to use many other websites in addition to this one.
Sadly, the hardest part of Pinecone Research is being able to sign up. They do not post a signup link on their homepage, but instead put banners in different web forums on the internet. If you are lucky enough to see one, click it. Also, if you google "pinecone research signup link" you might be able to get a link.
Addition: Here's a link for their sign up page, though I can't guarantee it will still be working: https://www1.pineconeresearch.com/Signup/Signup_Form_LI3.asp

3. SurveySavvy (BBB Check)
Yet another great survey website. This company pays on average $3 per survey, and $2 per person you refer to them. Though some companies pay a lot more, this can quickly add up! I have used this company for 2 years now, and I enjoy their surveys.

4. SurveySpot (BBB Check)
This is a survey company that I really enjoyed. Most of the surveys they e-mail are for sweepstakes entries, but when they do send out paid surveys, they usually pay very well. I once received $25 from them for only 15-25 minutes of my time. I highly recommend them.
Additional Survey Sites:
I have not tested all of the companies below, so please check out the company before signing up. Companies below that I have had a positive experience with will have a (*) next to their name.
Here are some additional paid survey sites

Mysurvey* (BBB Check)
Global Opinions Panel* (BBB Check)
NPD Online Research (BBB Check Unavailable)
American Consumer Opinion* (BBB Check Unavailable)
Test Spin (BBB Check)
E-Poll (BBB Check)
E-Miles (Pays in airline miles) (BBB Check Unavailable)
Lightspeed Panel* (BBB Check)
Harris Poll Online (BBB Check)

This is as many as I have for now, but don't worry! Plenty more will be added in the near future.
Know a great survey company? E-mail Me!

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Is This Company Reliable?

When applying for an internet job, a few things might come into your mind, including "Is this a scam?" or "Will this company actually pay me?" Thankfully, there is an organization to help us check the reliability of most companies.

The BBB or Better Business Bureau is a great organization that you will probably use multiple times when looking for an online job. This organization keeps records of claims against companies, so you can easily tell if the company you are considering in in good standing. To use the BBB, go to:

For U.S. based companies:
http://www.us.bbb.org
For Canadian based companies:
http://www.ccbbb.ca/

Next, type in the name of the company you are interested in, and click search.

Once you have found the correct business, click the link on their name.

If the company is in the database, the site will tell you the companies rating, in addition to the number of complaints filed against the company and how many of those complaints have been resolved.
This could save you a lot of time and effort in the long run, so please check before applying.


Another possibility is to do a Google search on the name of your company and the word complaints next to it.

Example:
(Company name) complaints

If you find an overwhelming amount of bad feedback, stay away from the company.

Let's face it. Who wants to spend hours working and not even get paid?

Beware of Scams

Before you go on the search for a work at home job, please read what to watch out for, or you could lose money instead of make it.
Here are a few of the biggest scams:

1. Data Entry- If a website says that it is paying big bucks for data entry, think before signing up. Currently, there isn't a big business for people entering data, so most legitimate websites do not pay for this. I put this one at the top of the list, not only because it is hardly known about, but also because I have been scammed by many of these companies.

2. Envelope Stuffing- You probably have heard these scams before, but for those who haven't, it basically says that a website will pay you a lot of money for stuffing their envelopes. These are almost always scams.

3. Up Front Cash- 99% of all legitimate websites DO NOT ask you to pay money up front. They should be paying you, not the other way around!
Note: Some legitimate companies will ask you to pay money for a background check, which is perfectly reasonable, since you could be handling their customers personal information.
You might also be required to pay for training. I tend to avoid these companies though.

Know another scam??
Email Me!

What the Heck is an EIN???

So you are applying to a work at home company, when suddenly you see that you will have to give out your Social Security Number. I had the exact same problem when I was applying for work at home jobs, as I didn't want to have my identity stolen. Luckily, I found a way around it. Most companies will allow you to enter an EIN as a substitute for your Social.
So what is an EIN, and how can I apply for one?
An Employee Identification Number (also known as an EIN, TIN, Tax Identification Number, FEIN or Federal Employee Identification Number) is:
"The corporate equivalent to a Social Security Number, although it is issued to anyone, including individuals, who have to pay withholding taxes on employees."-Wikipedia
The IRS will use your EIN to identify you as a tax payer, and to see how much you owe them. You will not usually be taxed if your Work at Home income is less than $600.
To get an EIN, visit the IRS's webpage here:
https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/modiein/individual/index.jsp

Popular Myths About Working at Home

In this post, I will discuss some of the popular myths and misconceptions about working online:

1. All work at home jobs are scams. False
It would be nice to say that about 1 in every 10 work at home websites are actually legitimate, but its more like 1 in every 50. The trick is to find that one that actually pays. (I'll list some that I personally use on another page.)

2. You can get rich quickly from the comfort of your home. False!!!
Whenever you see sites saying something similar to this, alarm bells should start ringing in your head, since these are 100% scams that are only out to get your money. Avoid these like the plague!! (If there is an exception, I haven't heard it, and I doubt I ever will.)

3. Working from home gives you plenty of time to relax and requires hardly any work. False
Like any job, working from your home can be difficult and challenging at times, sometimes even more than a real job. Working from home requires discipline, since you will not have a boss who who oversees you. It is extremely important to not get sidetracked and start browsing the internet. I recommend setting up a schedule on what times you will work, and stick to it. Some people love home jobs since they can wake up and work in their pajamas, without even spending gas money, while other people absolutely hate working from home jobs. This is something you will have to decide for yourself.
With most online jobs, the companies aren't forced to pay you minimum wage, so don't expect to immediately have a solid income. There are some companies I use that will actually pay you about the same as a real job, and I will get to them in a while.