How to Make Money on Airtasker in Australia

🛠️ What is Airtasker and how it works🔗

Airtasker is an Australian-born marketplace connecting people who need tasks done with people willing to do them, founded in Sydney in 2012. A task poster lists what they need and a rough budget, a Tasker browses tasks and submits an offer, the poster reviews offers and profiles and assigns the task, payment is held securely through the platform until the task is marked complete, and once it's done the poster releases payment and can leave a review. Task volume is strongest in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

Airtasker's service fee is tier-based and drops as you earn more over a rolling 30-day window. Published rates (excluding GST) run roughly like this:

Most beginners start at Bronze, so plan on Airtasker keeping around a fifth of every dollar early on. Always bid with the fee already baked in. Your tier is calculated on your completion rate across recent assigned tasks and your earnings over the previous 30 days, and Airtasker adjusts the exact thresholds and rates from time to time, so check the app for the current numbers rather than relying on any single source.

👤 Building a profile that actually gets picked🔗

Photo: a clear, friendly headshot, no sunglasses or group shots.

Bio: be specific. “I’ve been doing flat-pack furniture assembly and minor home repairs for five years, I bring my own tools” beats “I’m hardworking and reliable.”

Skills: tag every relevant skill category, the platform uses these to surface your profile to the right posters.

Getting your first reviews: bid on smaller, lower-competition tasks first, deliveries, simple cleaning, data entry, to build your review count fast. Pricing slightly below market rate for your first five to ten tasks is a reasonable marketing cost. After every completed task, politely ask the poster to leave a review.

Verifications: identity verification (free, worth doing for everyone), a police check (paid, worth it for tasks involving children, elderly clients or home access), and licence verifications for trades or driving. Verified profiles get more clicks and unlock higher-trust tasks.

💵 What types of tasks pay best on Airtasker?🔗

Licensed tradespeople, electricians, plumbers, can charge significantly more, but must hold the relevant licence and their own insurance. As a general rule, physical, in-person tasks pay more than remote admin work.

🎯 How the bidding system works (and how to price yourself)🔗

Writing a winning offer: read the task description properly and reference something specific from it. Lead with what you bring, not just your price. Keep it short, three to five sentences is plenty.

Pricing strategy: factor in travel time and cost, materials, the platform fee, and your own hourly rate. A $100 bid at Bronze nets you $80 once the fee comes out, so if you need to net $100, bid closer to $125.

When to bid low vs hold your rate: bidding slightly below market rate is reasonable when you're new with zero reviews. Once you've got ten or more positive reviews, stop competing on price, your reputation is now doing some of the work for you.

🎯 The essential: Speed matters as much as price. Respond within the first hour of a task being posted if you want a real shot at being assigned.

🛡️ Safety, insurance and the fine print🔗

Airtasker provides public liability insurance through Chubb Insurance Australia Limited for eligible tasks completed through the platform, covering accidental injury to the customer or property damage while performing included task activities, up to $10 million.

Limits to know: cover only applies to tasks booked, assigned and paid through the platform, cash deals arranged off-platform have zero cover. It does not cover faulty workmanship, and it does not cover personal injury to you as the Tasker or damage to your own property or tools. Some task types are excluded entirely, so check Airtasker's current exclusion list before assuming you're covered. If you do Airtasker work regularly, especially physical or trade-adjacent tasks, it's worth considering your own public liability policy on top of this.

Personal safety tips: share your location with a friend or family member before a task, prefer daylight hours for first meetings with a new poster, trust your gut, and use Airtasker's in-app chat for all communication so there's a record of it.

🚧 Common beginner mistakes to avoid🔗

Bidding on everything without properly reading the task. Underpricing yourself to the point of burning out. Not confirming scope in writing, use the chat to confirm exactly what's included before you start. Ignoring the review process, always ask after a good job. Withdrawing payment before a task is marked complete (dispute resolution no longer applies once it's released). And doing tasks off-platform to dodge fees, which also means losing your insurance cover and dispute resolution.

🧾 Tax and ABN basics🔗

Airtasker income is assessable income, every dollar must be declared. The ATO treats it as business or self-employment income, not a hobby, once you're doing it regularly and with the aim of making a profit. If that describes you, you likely need an ABN, registering is free through the Australian Business Register. GST registration is only required once your annual turnover hits $75,000.

For a full breakdown of how side hustle income is taxed in Australia, including the hobby vs business test and what you can deduct, see our guide to side hustle tax in Australia.

This section is general information only, not tax advice.

❓ Frequently asked questions🔗