We get asked all the time: “How much can I make as a transcriptionist?” And the honest answer is – it depends. At the top of the spectrum, a seasoned transcriptionist salary can come out to around $1,495 per month, and the top 5% of Revvers have monthly earnings of around $900.

The average transcriptionist who completes 15 jobs can earn $156 per month, and this figure includes those just starting out. If you’re looking for an opportunity that allows you to earn extra income, becoming a freelance transcriptionist may be a good fit.

Working as a Freelance Transcriptionist

Aside from the extra income paid out weekly via PayPal, the best part of doing freelance transcription online with Rev is the flexibility. You can work as much or as little as you’d like from wherever you please. For some freelancers, Rev is their primary source of income. For others, it’s supplemental income.

A wide range of people from stay-at-home moms, to college students and retirees freelance with Rev. The Revvers featured in this post work primarily as transcriptionists, but we also hire freelance captioners and translators.

If you’re looking for a freelance opportunity that allows you to earn extra income, doing transcription online may be a good fit. Click here to learn more about opportunities with Rev, or read on to see how a few current Revvers are approaching their work.

Stay-at-home mom in Pennsylvania making $1,000-1,200 per month doing transcription online

As a stay-at-home mom of three kids, having a full-time job has always been a challenge for me. I needed a job that allowed me to work from home. Over the years, I tried a billion different things but made very little money. Then I found Rev.

With Rev transcription online, I can work when, where ,and however much I want to. It’s possible to contribute to my household, without any of the problems I had before. With the income I earned, I was even able to 100% pay for Christmas for my three kids. I love Rev and don’t know what I’d do without it.

Typically, I claim at least seven jobs per week, sometimes more depending on how long the files are. I tend to work all throughout the day, between what the kiddos need. I probably put in a total of 40 to 50 hours a week actually working.

— Renee Boden

Fulfilling her dream of living in LA with an extra $1,400 per month

There are two things I absolutely love about working for Rev. First, is learning about all different subjects by simply listening to audio files. They vary widely, and some of them are fascinating. I also love the freedom to be able to work whenever I want from wherever I want doing transcription online. This job is the only reason I was able to fulfill my lifelong dream of moving to California.

I’ve been a Revver for a year now. I claim approximately 15 to 20 jobs a week and spend about 30 hours a week completing these. What I bring in definitely varies, but I would say I make about $1400 per month on average.

— Courtney Bala

A student in Vancouver making $240-1,800 per month, depending on her schedule

I started doing transcription online with Rev late last year when I decided to go back to school full-time. With five courses per semester, my part-time job that required me to stand on my feet for eight hours at a time became exhausting. It was impacting my studies and my grades. Rev has seriously saved me in this regard. I can fit my work into my schedule; I no longer have that added stress (on top of school stress, which is plenty), and I can make an extra $400-800 per month (depending on how determined I am). It’s also helping my student loans stretch, which is great!

On average during a school semester, I try to claim at least seven jobs per week depending on how busy my semester is. When I’m not in school, I’ll claim up to five a day. As for how long I spend on a job, I can usually get through files 10-20 minutes long in an hour, 40-minute files in about 2-4 hours (depending on audio quality). Longer files of an hour or more can take me most of the day.

On average during a semester, I make between $240-400 dollars per month, which doesn’t seem like a lot but helps immensely with gas and grocery needs. Out of school, I reach for $1,000-1,800 dollars per month.

— Catherine Gales

Retired truck driver in Indiana making $600-800 per month

After a work injury ended my truck driving career, I started working with Rev. I love the fact that I can work from home, or anywhere else, for that matter. Now I can go on field trips with my children, and attend a lot of functions that I would have missed as a truck driver. The pay is not equivalent to driving a truck, but I also don’t have to worry about the weather, missing dinners with my family, keeping my licenses up to date, or being over 700 miles away from home when a family emergency strikes.

I’m always interested in the stories I transcribe and feel like I’m a part of someone’s story. I love doing legal transcripts, and sometimes it’s just an insurance interview, other times it’s an interrogation. I have transcribed interviews with Elon Musk, Quentin Tarantino, and many other famous people. It’s always interesting.
I’ve been doing transcription online with Rev for over two years. I claim around 50 to 75 jobs per week, some short, some long. I typically work nights from 11pm-5am Tuesday through Friday, so about 25 hours a week.

— Josh Stewart

A sustainable farmer in Canada working seasonally making $800-1,000 per month

My ultimate goal is to set up a self-sustaining homestead, and Rev has been the perfect solution, allowing me to earn a little bit of extra money while also being able to focus on my goals. My husband and I made the decision two years ago to drop everything and move across Canada to purchase a cheap home and a bit of land in the country to allow us to do that. It wouldn’t have been possible to have a successful year of gardening without a flexible work-from-home job.

This year, Rev will fund a chicken coop and the planting of a small orchard, and then I will be doubly grateful for the flexibility I have. Rev carried us through my husband’s job loss last Christmas followed by a bumpy and unpredictable complete career change for him. The end goal is to someday either be making decent money from my homesteading activities or to open up a little yarn shop in my home, but until that day, I’m very thankful for this opportunity at Rev.

At the end of this month, I will have been with Rev for three years. The jobs I claim weekly fluctuate depending on the time of year. Winter is my main working season, where I try to claim at least five long jobs per week. I slow down in both spring and fall, as those are busy seed-starting and preserving times. In the winter, I’m usually working upwards of 35 hours a week, and that dwindles down to between zero to ten hours in the summer months.

— Jessie Hansford

The Final Word on Freelancing for Rev

Our mission is to give more people the freedom to work from home. As you can see, Revvers work from all over using their freelance income to help fulfill a wide range of personal goals. The strong community of Revvers behind our company makes it possible to deliver fast and accurate transcripts to our customers. Over twelve thousand Revvers caption and transcribe millions of minutes audio and video for companies like Google, Buzzfeed, NBC, and Amazon.

If you’re a talented typist looking to make some extra money doing transcription online, apply today to become a Revver. We provide all of the necessary training and technology needed to be successful and there’s zero cost to freelance with us. All you need is a computer, headset, broadband internet, and strong English skills.