20 Legitimate Work From Home Jobs With No Startup Fee

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Legitimate remote employers should not charge you an application, training, or starter fee. The 20 companies below offer remote jobs or contractor applications without an advertised fee to apply.

Some of these are specific job openings, while others accept applications for contract work. You may still need your own computer, internet, or equipment.

If buying a computer is the problem, I also keep a list of companies that send remote workers equipment.

An employer may also require a background check or drug screening. A regular employer may cover those costs, while some contractor opportunities may require workers to pay for a legitimate screening after an offer.

Jobs last checked and confirmed open on November 9, 2026. Jobs can close at any time.

Do Not Pay a Remote Job Scammer

Research I did online continues to show reports of text-only interviews and fake checks for equipment. The Federal Trade Commission warns that honest employers will not ask you to pay for the promise of a job.

Never deposit a check and use it to buy equipment from an employer’s chosen “vendor.” The check can appear to clear before it is found to be fake, leaving you responsible for the money. That is a scam!

Be suspicious of unexpected job offers sent through WhatsApp, Telegram, or text. Apply through the official careers page and check the sender’s email domain.

You can read my work-from-home scam checklist here for more warning signs.

20 Work-at-Home Jobs With No Startup Fees

The list below includes flexible contract work as well as part-time and full-time employee jobs. Read each listing carefully for location, schedule, equipment, and screening requirements.

Intuit – Tax Associate. United States; remote. Seasonal, minimum 20 hours/week; shifts of 4+ hours. Provide TurboTax tax preparation and guidance by phone/video. No education requirement is listed. Requires 2+ recent years preparing federal/state 1040s for 30+ paid clients per season using commercial software, active PTIN and applicable state credentials held or obtainable. Hardwired internet and background check required. Equipment provided. Paid training may take 17 days, including two full weekends. Disclosed regional pay ranges $19.12–$28.49/hour, with bonus eligibility; location affects pay.

Chatdesk (DBA Remarkable AI) – Customer Support Expert. Entry-level contractors answer customers through email and social media without taking calls. You choose your availability; projects vary, and you need strong written English, a computer, and reliable internet. The description says work from anywhere, but the current application asks about living and working in Italy, so country eligibility is unclear.

TSMG – Audio Transcription Specialist. U.S. applicants transcribe recorded conversations for speech-recognition and AI projects, with flexible full- or part-time work available. You need strong English listening and typing skills, a computer, and reliable internet, but previous transcription experience is only preferred and pay is not listed.

HumanSignal – AI Content Creator. US contractors record and upload short videos to help train AI. No experience is required, but you must be comfortable on camera and have a quality smartphone or camera; approved work pays up to $80 per hour.

First Call Claims Solutions – Temporary Customer Service Representative. Help customers begin insurance claims after disasters by collecting information. This seasonal, on-call job pays $15 per hour and provides training; no claims experience is required. Applicants must be 18 or older, have a high school diploma or GED, type at least 40 WPM, and live in AL, AR, FL, GA, ID, IA, KS, KY, LA, MS, NE, NC, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA and WI. You need your own Windows 11 computer and qualifying internet. Shifts depend on disaster-response needs, and there may be long periods without work.

Remember The Milk – Customer Support Specialist (Part-Time). Help app users with questions through email, community forums, and social media, and troubleshoot problems for the support team. This is remote work for about 15 hours per week, including a few hours each weekday, with some optional extra hours available. You should have experience helping customers in writing and be comfortable explaining technical issues. Pays $30–$35 per hour. The company asks for a resume and a short written response when you apply.

Encoura – Remote Customer Service Associate, Temporary. Help students and school staff with questions by phone and chat. This is a temporary remote job in AL, AR, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MS, MT, NV, NH, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WV and WI. You would work 40 hours per week, with Mondays required and some weekend or holiday work possible. You must be at least 18, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and be comfortable using a computer. No previous work experience is required, and paid training is provided. Pay is $12.50 per hour, with no health benefits.

Runway – Support Specialist, US Tier 2. United States; remote. Full-time; exact hours are not specified. Handle high-volume support tickets, troubleshoot platform issues, maintain help content and engage with online communities. No education requirement is listed. Requires 1–3 years in customer support, operations or a technical role, strong writing, and comfort with support software and AI tools. Pays $75,000–$90,000/year for U.S. candidates, depending on experience and qualifications.

HopSkipDrive – Sales Development Representative. Selected U.S. states; remote. Full-time; exact hours are not specified. Call and email school contacts, qualify prospective customers, and arrange sales meetings. No degree requirement or minimum years of experience are listed. Requires objection-handling skills; sales or education experience is preferred. Benefits are offered. Los Angeles base pay is $50,000–$60,000/year, adjusted by location, plus incentive pay.

DataAnnotation – Generalist AI Trainer. Review, compare, and improve AI responses for accuracy, logic, tone, and instruction-following. Strong writing and reasoning are required, and applicants must qualify before receiving work. The current role page advertises pay of up to $50 per hour depending on the task, with flexible hours and weekly payments. This is independent-contractor work; the advertised range does not guarantee a particular rate or available assignments.

Want to search a larger list without sorting through obvious scams? FlexJobs screens every listing before it is posted, so you can focus on legitimate remote and flexible jobs.

Ansafone Contact Centers – Customer Service Representative. Remote applicants in IN, NC, NV, TN, or TX handle high-volume calls and work across several computer systems. Starting pay is $13.50 per hour with paid training, benefits, and equipment provided; basic Windows skills, typing 25-30 WPM, and a background check are required.

Welo Data – Internet Search Quality Rater. Part-time W-2 employees in listed US states evaluate search results and complete online research tasks for 10-29 hours per week. No specialized technical experience is required, but you must complete training modules and pass a client exam; available hours vary by project needs.

Disney – Proofreader, National Geographic Books. United States; remote. Usually 10–20 hours weekly, with weekday availability; hours are not guaranteed. Proofread nonfiction books, compare documents, and check corrections and page layouts. No degree requirement is listed. Requires three years of proofreading experience, familiarity with the Chicago Manual of Style, and Word and Adobe skills. Pays $30/hour, with the offered rate dependent on location and experience.

Transcom – Technical and Customer Experience Advisor. Employees in listed US states provide full-time phone support for smartphones, computers, billing, and account questions. Starting pay is $17.31 per hour plus incentives, with paid training, benefits, and computer equipment; a high school diploma or equivalent, 30 WPM typing speed, and a background check are required. You can also read my Transcom review.

Randstad – Data Entry 1. This temporary remote job is open to applicants in the Eastern, Central, or Mountain time zones. You would work Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, keeping project-tracking databases up to date and checking records for accuracy. A high school diploma or GED, Excel skills, and previous office or data-entry experience are required. The listing advertises $22.99 to $23 per hour.

Appen – 3D & LiDAR Data Annotation Analyst. Remote applicants in the US label images, video, and 3D sensor data to help train AI systems. Pays $30-$32 per hour and requires image-annotation/GenAI experience, strong spatial reasoning, and experience meeting productivity and accuracy targets. A degree and specialized 3D or CAD experience are preferred. The application screens for US work authorization and 6+ hours a day of repetitive labeling. Equipment is provided; reliable home internet and a quiet workspace are required. You can also read my Appen review.

Answering Service Care – Remote Florida Answering Service Operator. Remote in Florida. Answer incoming and outgoing calls, take messages, schedule appointments, and help business clients through phone, chat, SMS, and email. No degree or minimum years of work experience are listed. Strong communication, multitasking, and intermediate-to-advanced computer skills are required. Starts at $16/hour, rising to $16.50/hour after four months, with performance-bonus opportunities. PTO is offered, and health, dental, and vision coverage is available for full-time staff. Exact weekly hours and shifts are not listed. No application fee is advertised on the employer’s hiring page.

HumanSignal – QA Specialist. United States; remote. Contract, up to 40 hours weekly; occasional evening and weekend availability required. Prepare audio and video files and check their quality for AI projects. No degree requirement is listed. Requires technical comfort, attention to detail, and the ability to follow detailed instructions. Annotation, quality assurance, or audio-editing experience is preferred. Pays $30–$50/hour.

Runway – Support Specialist, US Tier 1. United States, remote, full-time. Answer written support tickets about account access, billing, and subscription plans using established procedures. Seeks 0–2 years in a customer-facing or process-driven role and clear written communication. No degree requirement is listed, and no AI background is needed. Product training is provided. Pays $65,000–$80,000 per year.

Canvas Medical – Customer Operations Coordinator, Support. This full-time US remote role primarily handles account access, permission changes, and support tickets through email, Slack, and web forms. At least one year of support, operations, or customer-facing experience is required; pay is $65,000-$80,000 per year with insurance, a 401(k), flexible PTO, parental leave, and a home-office stipend.

Looking For Even More Legit Remote Jobs?

If so, FlexJobs is a good way to find them if you create an account and do a search. Their job board isn’t free, but I’ve been a member and found it really useful because all the job leads fit the following criteria:

  • All jobs are either remote or flexible in nature
  • Scam-free (all jobs vetted by humans before posting)
  • No ads or junk on their site, so you can browse distraction-free
  • Hundreds of jobs posted every day across tons of categories
  • Respected, long-standing, and truly useful

They let you try them out for 14 days for $2.95. So there is not much risk if you just want to create an account and see if you find anything you may want to apply for.

Go here to check them out.

Good luck!

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Pexels.