Last updated October 24, 2026.

Sort Your Income Streams by Payoff per Hour (2026)

The Alt Desk · Income · Checked against official sources, October 2026 · Educational only, not financial advice

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Most people with more than one income stream can tell you how much each one brings in. Very few can tell you what each one pays per hour. That second number is the one that decides where your next free evening should go.

A stream that brings in the most money can still be the worst use of your time. This article shows how to find out, with a check you can do in one evening.

The quick win: one row per stream

Take the last three months. For each income stream, write one row with four numbers:

1. Money in. What actually landed, after platform fees and refunds.
2. Money out. Supplies, software, shipping, mileage, anything you paid to earn it.
3. Hours. All of them. Not just the paid work, but the messages, the setup, the travel, the fixing.
4. Payoff per hour. Money in, minus money out, divided by hours.

Then sort the rows from highest to lowest payoff per hour. That sorted list is the most useful page you'll make this year.

A worked example

Made-up numbers only. Three streams over three months:

• Weekend freelance work. $3,000 in, $200 out, 80 hours. Payoff: $35 an hour.
• Reselling. $4,500 in, $3,300 out on stock, fees and shipping, 120 hours with sourcing and listing. Payoff: $10 an hour.
• Tutoring. $1,200 in, $0 out, 24 hours. Payoff: $50 an hour.

Look at the money-in column and reselling looks like the winner. Look at payoff per hour and it's last by a wide margin. It takes the most hours of the three, and pays the least for each one.

Nothing here says reselling is bad. Maybe it's the one you enjoy, or the one that's growing. But now that's a choice you make on purpose, with a number in front of you.

The hours you forgot

The hours column is where the check usually breaks. People count the paid work and skip everything around it. A few to look for:

• Messages and back-and-forth with buyers or clients.
• Travel to sourcing trips, sessions or the post office.
• Paperwork for the stream itself: listing, invoicing, tracking, chasing payments.
• Learning time on a new platform or skill.

If you don't track time, estimate it for one typical week and multiply. A rough honest number beats a precise number that leaves half the hours out.

The share check

Here's a second view that makes the gap obvious. For each stream, compare its share of your total side hours with its share of your total side profit.

In the example above, the three streams use 224 hours and earn $5,200 after costs. Reselling uses about 54% of the hours and earns about 23% of the profit. Tutoring uses about 11% of the hours and earns about 23% of the profit.

A stream that takes a bigger share of your hours than of your profit is pulling the average down. That's where to look first.

Don't forget the tax line

Payoff per hour before tax is not what you keep. Two general US rules are worth knowing.

If your net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more, you generally must file Schedule SE and pay self-employment tax, which covers Social Security and Medicare.^[1] And individuals generally must make estimated tax payments if they expect to owe $1,000 or more when they file.^[2]

You don't need the exact tax amount to sort your streams. But set money aside from each one as it comes in, so a good quarter doesn't turn into a surprise bill. Ask a tax pro what share is right for you.

Money isn't the only payoff

Some hours pay in other ways. A stream might build a skill, a reputation or a list of repeat clients that pays off next year. That's fine. Write it down in a short note next to the row, so the reason is on paper and not just a feeling.

Then set a date to check it again. If the note says "growing," the next three months should show it. If they don't, the note was a hope, not a reason.

What to do with the sorted list

Three simple moves, in order:

1. Protect the top stream. It's paying you the most for your time. Give it the next free hour first.
2. Fix or cap the bottom stream. Raise prices, cut the hours that don't pay, or set a weekly hour limit.
3. Route the money. Decide in advance what share of each payment goes to tax, to savings and to spending. Then do it the day the money lands.

What the free check covers, and what it doesn't

The free Tier Check sorts your income streams into four tiers, runs the hours check, asks a "worth my evenings" test for each stream, and gives you a simple routing rule.

It tells you which streams deserve your time. It doesn't turn that income into a long-term plan: a savings-rate worksheet, a routing system you can run every month, and a path from side income to capital you own. A deeper guide on that is coming.

Sources

1. IRS, Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes), the $400 filing threshold: irs.gov
2. IRS, Estimated taxes, the $1,000 rule for individuals: irs.gov

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This article is educational and informational only. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice, and it is not tailored to your situation. The tax notes are general US notes only, based on IRS guidance. Ask a tax pro how they apply to you. Rules and figures described are current as of October 2026 and can change.

Rules in Brazil and the US change. Check current rules with a qualified professional in Brazil and a US tax pro before acting.

TAD, The Alt Desk. Brazil. Tangibles. Rails.