How to replace a full-time income working from home

To replace a full-time income working from home, start by working out your real number: your take-home pay plus the value of everything your job quietly gives you, like super and paid leave in Australia or health insurance and a 401(k) match in the US. Then build a work-from-home income alongside your job until it covers that number for several months in a row, with a cash buffer saved, before you resign. It’s doable in Australia and the US, but it usually takes longer than people expect, and the paths that get there most reliably are salaried remote roles, skilled freelancing and remote sales.

This guide is the planning version. If you’re after quick ways to earn extra, start with how to make money from home as a mum. This one is for when you want to swap your whole pay packet.

Step 1: Work out your real number (it’s bigger than your pay slip)

Your salary isn’t the number. Two things change it.

Start with take-home pay, not gross

Open your last few pay slips and write down what actually lands in your bank account each month after tax.

Then add what your employer pays that you’d lose

When you leave a job, you fund these yourself.

What you’d lose	Australia	United States
Retirement contributions	Employers must pay super on top of your wages. The ATO confirms the rate rose to 12% from 1 July 2025.	Any 401(k) or retirement plan match your employer offers. Check your plan documents for the exact match.
Paid leave	Full-time and part-time employees get 4 weeks of paid annual leave a year (casuals don’t), plus personal/carer’s leave and public holidays.	Whatever paid vacation, sick days and holidays your employer provides. When you work for yourself, a week off is a week unpaid.
Health cover	Medicare still applies; any private health or salary perks are extra to price in.	Employer health insurance is a big one. KFF’s 2025 survey puts the average annual premium at $9,325 for single cover and $26,993 for family cover, with workers paying $1,440 and $6,850 of that. The employer pays the rest.
Tax handled for you	PAYG tax comes out of your pay automatically.	Income tax withholding and your share of Social Security and Medicare come out automatically.

Here’s what that means in plain maths. Using KFF’s averages, a US employer pays roughly $7,885 a year toward single cover ($9,325 minus $1,440) and about $20,143 toward family cover ($26,993 minus $6,850). Your plan may cost more or less, so use your own numbers, but if you’d lose family cover, that alone can be a five-figure gap. In Australia, if you earn $80,000 in ordinary time earnings, 12% super is $9,600 a year your employer was paying that you now need to set aside yourself.

So your real number looks like this: monthly take-home pay, plus monthly retirement contributions you’d lose, plus health cover (US), plus about a month of income per year to fund your own holidays and sick days.

Step 2: Understand employee vs contractor (it changes what you need to earn)

Many work-from-home roles, especially in freelancing and remote sales, are contractor arrangements rather than jobs. That’s not a bad thing, but it shifts costs onto you, so a contractor dollar is worth less than an employee dollar.

• In Australia: as a sole trader you’ll usually need an ABN, nobody pays your super unless you do, and no tax comes out of your invoices. A common habit is to move a slice of every payment into a separate tax account the day it arrives. Ask an accountant or check the ATO for your situation, because the right amount depends on your total income.
• In the US: self-employed people pay self-employment tax on top of income tax. The IRS sets the self-employment tax rate at 15.3% (12.4% Social Security and 2.9% Medicare), and you generally owe it once net self-employment earnings reach $400. As an employee your employer covers half of those taxes; as a contractor you cover both halves.

So a contractor role needs to pay noticeably more than a salaried one just to break even.

Step 3: Build it alongside your job, not instead of it

I’ll be honest about the most expensive mistake I see: quitting a steady wage to go straight into a commission-only role or a brand-new business. Commission takes time to build. When I moved into remote sales in 2020, I made $440 in my first month. That’s my result, not a typical one, and it’s exactly why you don’t want your rent depending on month one.

Building on the side means using early mornings, evenings, weekends or school hours you already have free. It’s slower, but it proves the income is real before you bet the household on it. If your current employer has rules about second jobs or conflicts of interest, check your contract first.

If you’re looking at remote sales specifically, read how to get into sales with no experience for the skill-building side, and be clear-eyed that many roles are commission-heavy or commission-only.

Step 4: Build your runway before you jump

Runway is how many months your household could cover essential costs if your new income dipped to zero. Freelance work goes quiet and sales have slow months; a buffer turns a bad month into an annoyance instead of a crisis.

How much is enough depends on your household. Things that point to a bigger buffer: you’re the only earner, your new income is commission-based or comes from a small number of clients, or (in the US) you’re about to buy your own health cover. Count it in months of essential spending, not salary.

Step 5: Use milestones to decide when to go full time

“When it feels right” keeps people stuck or makes them jump too early. Set milestones instead (examples to adapt, not rules):

Stage	What you’re doing	Decision point to move on
1. Plan	Calculate your real number, pick one path, set up a separate account for tax and savings.	You know your number and have a written plan.
2. Learn	Build the skill (training, portfolio, practice) around your current job.	You can do the work to a standard someone would pay for.
3. First income	Land your first clients, role or commission on the side.	You’ve been paid, and you know where the next work is coming from.
4. Consistent side income	Grow toward a meaningful share of your number while still employed.	Several months in a row at around 50% of your number.
5. Ready to switch	Runway saved, income tracking close to your number.	For example, three to six consistent months at 75% to 100% of your number, plus your buffer in the bank.

Pick your own percentages, but pick them before you start.

Step 6: Choose a path that can actually reach full-time pay

Plenty of work-from-home options are great for extra money but rarely add up to a full wage (surveys, small reselling, odd tasks). If replacing your income is the goal, these are the paths with real ceilings:

Salaried remote roles

The most predictable option: a regular wage, and in most cases super (AU) or benefits (US) still paid. The trade-off is competition, and you’ll often need relevant experience. See the best remote jobs for women for options.

Freelancing

Writing, design, bookkeeping, virtual assistance and similar skills can scale to a full income, but you run a small business: finding clients, invoicing, chasing payment, and covering your own tax, super or retirement. Income often lumps around while you build a client base.

Remote sales (closing and appointment setting)

Remote sales is a learnable skill that’s in demand, and it’s the one I know best. As a reference point for salaried sales done by phone and video, Payscale lists total pay for an Inside Sales Representative in the US at roughly US$38,000 to US$76,000 a year (updated July 2026), and for an Inside Sales Representative in Australia at roughly AU$52,000 to AU$92,000 (from a smaller sample of 110 profiles). Pay varies widely by company, experience and location. Many closer and setter roles are commission-only contracts instead, which can land below or above those ranges depending on the offer, lead flow and your skill. For more detail, see how much remote closers make.

She Sells trains women in these skills and, through the She Soars program, offers placement support: once you’re certified, our recruitment team works with you to land a role within 90 days, or your money back. You can read about our programs or check the FAQ.

Red flags when you’re chasing a full income

Walk away if you have to pay to start working, if your earnings depend on recruiting other people, or if someone promises a set income. My first taste of sales was network marketing back in 2014, so I know how convincing those pitches can sound. A real employer or client pays you; they don’t charge you for the job.

I started as a primary school teacher in a small town, and I’ve since generated over $10M in online sales. That didn’t happen in a month. Plan properly and let the numbers tell you when to jump.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to replace a full-time income working from home?

There’s no standard timeline, because it depends on your path, your skills, the hours you can put in and your real number. Set milestones, such as several months in a row at a set percentage of your number, rather than a date.

How much do I need to earn as a contractor to match my salary?

More than your take-home pay. In Australia you’d also fund your own super (employers pay 12%) and leave, and in the US you’d pay self-employment tax of 15.3% plus any health insurance and retirement contributions your employer used to cover. Work it out with your own figures and an accountant if you can.

Should I quit my job to start working from home?

Usually not straight away. Building alongside your job lets you prove the income is real and save a buffer first.

Can remote sales replace a full-time income?

It can for some people, but it isn’t typical early on and many roles are commission-heavy or commission-only. Salaried inside sales roles give a more predictable reference point. Treat it as a skill you build over time, ideally while you still have a steady wage.

What’s the safest work-from-home path to full-time pay?

A salaried remote role is the most predictable, because you keep a regular wage and usually your super or benefits. Freelancing and commission-based sales can have higher ceilings but come with more ups and downs and more costs you cover yourself.

Results vary. Nothing here is a promise of income. See our earnings disclaimer.

Keep reading

• Side hustle ideas for mums (and which ones actually pay)
• Remote sales jobs in Australia: where to find them
• The best remote jobs for women in 2026
• How to get over the fear of rejection in sales