How to make money on maternity leave is important to know, especially as the prices of groceries and gas continue to skyrocket.
For American mothers, it is especially vital since there is no government-paid maternity leave in the United States.
Women may have a maternity leave package through their employer, but it is not usually full pay leave.
The statistics show that 13 countries give mothers up to three full months of 100% paid leave after having a baby, reveals Business.org.
In 29 countries, mothers are given 2 months of paid time off.
Greece takes the best care of their mothers with almost 27 weeks of full pay and up to 43 weeks off with roughly 62% of pay.
The United States falls behind with zero maternity leave offerings. This is why it is necessary for mothers to know how to make money on maternity leave.
How to Make Money on Maternity Leave
If you’re wondering how to make money during maternity leave, consider one of the following 10 options:
1. Freelance
Although finding work as a freelance writer or editor can be tough, it is such a great source of income for maternity leave that you may consider continuing the work after your maternity leave is over.
A few places you can start your freelance work include Upwork, Textbroker, and Fiverr.
Check out this article on our sister site:
How to Be Successful at Fiverr – A Strategy That Works
2. Open an Etsy Shop
If you have something to sell, open an Etsy Shop all of your own.
If it is handmade items, try to make a stockpile before having your baby and then you’ll just need to ship items as people buy them from your Etsy Shop after you have the baby.
3. Get Paid to Test Websites
If you have a laptop with a microphone (most of them have them built into the device) you could become a paid tester.
If you get reviews from the clients you take on, you will make more money per test. Two sites to try this are: User Feel and User Testing.
4. Teach English Online
Whether you have an English degree or not, if English is your first language, you may be able to teach it online.
There are many countries where parents want their children to learn English and the internet has made it extremely convenient.
A few sites to get started with this include: VIPKids, Preply, and iTutor.
5. Design and Sell Stickers
If you have an hour to dedicate each day to designing, Redbubble is the site to use. Starting with stickers on the website is a good place to start.
You design the sticker, and when a customer buys your design, Redbubble prints them and ships them and you get paid.
You can choose what products your art can be printed onto such as shirts, phone cases, or keep it simple with stickers and posters.
(Friendly reminder to only use your own uploaded art OR free, non copyrighted images).
6. Become a Virtual Assistant
Many businesses need assistance with customer service. Not all businesses have the time or the money or even offices to accommodate a full-time customer service agent.
That is where a virtual assistant makes business owners jobs easier.
To get started with a virtual assistant job, Virtual Assist USA is an established website as well as 24/7 Virtual Assistant.
7. Narrate Audiobooks
Do you love reading? If you have a good voice, you might be able to become an audiobook narrator.
Of course there are other requirements such as a bit of acting, voice changes, and accents, but those can be learned as you progress.
Audible blog features an article on how to get started with this career.
Consider Reading:
10 Side Hustles for Women in 2022 That Actually Turn a Nice Profit
8. Offer Babysitting Services
If you love children and maybe even want some playmates for your own kids, babysitting services might just work out for you during your maternity leave.
Many parents need a trusted sitter for weekday doctor appointments or weekend date nights.
It wouldn’t be ideal to open a daycare but perhaps offer the date night service to friends or your church family.
If you want to broaden your advertisement, choose a reputable site such as Care.com and opt to have a background check done on yourself.
This will give parents peace of mind when they choose you.
9. Become a Tutor
If you have multiple college degrees, or even just an education degree, use your maternity leave to do short tutoring sessions.
With most tutoring sessions lasting roughly an hour, you can potentially leave the baby with your spouse while tutoring.
This is a very lucrative job to have while on maternity leave. Again, choose Care.com for this service when you want to get your services out there.
10. Create Your Own Website
Although this may seem like a bit of work, if you dedicate a couple hours every day to setting up your website and writing blogs, you’ll drive traffic to your site and advertisers will be begging to post on your site.
In addition, you can learn about affiliate marketing and use your blog on your website to attract those products that need marketing.
Check out this article on our sister site to learn more:
Make Money With Wealthy Affiliate
Does Unpaid Maternity Leave Qualify for Unemployment?
Unpaid maternity leave does not qualify for unemployment because you are technically still employed.
If when you go back after maternity leave, your job has not been held for you, and you are let go, you can then apply for unemployment.
Is There Government Assistance During Maternity Leave?
In some states, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, California, Washington, California, and Hawaii, income lost during pregnancy leave could be supplemented by short-term disability.
There are different scenarios in which it can be approved.
If you are in a high-risk pregnancy and are doctor mandated to be on bed rest before an early delivery, you can apply before having the baby and most likely you’ll qualify for short-term disability in the mentioned states.
You can search, ‘I can’t afford maternity leave” and you’ll find articles that explain how short-term disability works.
How Much Money to Save for Maternity Leave
It is a blessing and a curse to have nine months for pregnancy.
On one hand, you feel ready to go by the beginning of the third trimester, but on the other hand, you have nine months to prepare for the financial burden of having a baby.
Most people will have a deductible to pay for insurance to have the baby so it is smart to save a budgeted amount each month before you have the baby.
This could be as little as $100 a month or as much as $500 a month, depending on your deductible.
According to an article in Parents, it is recommended to save at least $1200 per month of leave to just cover bills.
This average number could be drastically different for some parents, especially if the mother is the primary income source for the household.
Many people may not be able to do this, in which case, you might want to just pay ahead on all of your bills to cover the length of time you’ll be on maternity leave.
If you fear that you will need food and diapers, you can enroll in WIC or your state’s food stamps program to get you through.
In Conclusion: How to Make Money During Maternity Leave
Maternity leave should be a time of bonding and adjusting to caring for a beautiful new addition to your family.
To fully appreciate that time, try to plan ahead and learn how to make money during maternity leave.
It will take financial stress off your family so your working spouse can have bonding time with the little one as well.