Side hustles for nurses UK: extra income around shifts

Shift work makes regular side hustles hard, but it also gives you weekdays off that most people do not have. These ideas work around a rota.

Using your nursing skills

1. Bank shifts with your own trust, or another one. Paid through payroll, so tax is taken off automatically.
2. Agency nursing. Often higher hourly rates, with more choice of shifts. Check whether you are paid through payroll or as self-employed.
3. Tutoring nursing and healthcare students, for exams, essays and placements.
4. Health writing and reviewing for health websites, patient information and training materials.
5. First aid and CPR training for workplaces and community groups, once you have a trainer qualification.
6. Private clinics, such as vaccination or travel clinics, if your registration and indemnity cover it.

Non-clinical side hustles that fit shifts

7. Selling on Vinted and eBay on days off. See making money on Vinted.
8. Paid user testing and research studies you can do in short gaps. See paid user testing.
9. Pet sitting on your days off. See pet sitting and dog walking.
10. Proofreading, especially health and science documents. See proofreading from home.

Rules to check first

• Your employer's policy. Many NHS trusts ask you to declare secondary employment, especially paid clinical work elsewhere.
• Working hours. Working Time rules generally limit average working hours to 48 a week unless you opt out. Fatigue is a patient safety issue as well as your own.
• Registration and indemnity. Any clinical work outside your main job needs to be within your scope of practice and properly insured.
• Conflicts of interest, for example working for a company that supplies your trust.

Tax for nurses with extra income

• Bank and payroll agency shifts are taxed through PAYE. A second job usually gets a BR tax code, so it is taxed at 20% with no allowance. Check your tax codes in the HMRC app.
• Self-employed income, like tutoring or writing, is covered by the £1,000 trading allowance, rising to £3,000 from April 2027. Above that, register for Self Assessment.
• Higher rate tax: if extra shifts take your total income over £50,270, pay above that is taxed at 40%. Use the take-home pay calculator to see what extra shifts really pay.

Free toolSide hustle tax calculatorSee how much tax and National Insurance you owe on side income, and what to set aside each month.→

Common questions

Can nurses have a side hustle?

Yes. Most employers allow it, but many ask you to declare other paid work, and clinical work elsewhere usually needs approval. Check your trust's policy.

Are bank shifts taxed more?

Not at a higher rate, but if bank shifts are paid as a second job they may be taxed on a BR code at 20% with no Personal Allowance. Your overall tax for the year is the same, and any overpayment can be refunded.

What is the best side hustle for a nurse?

Bank shifts are the simplest and pay well. For something different, tutoring nursing students or health writing uses your experience without more clinical hours.