I was looking to make some money, but when an acquaintance pointed me toward online pay-to-click programs, it wasn't enough to keep me interested. My time online paid off though when I discovered many companies were using the Web to hand out surveys and giving people money to take them.

Anybody looking for a part-time job knows how hard it is. Sometimes you have to be at home. No matter if you're young or old, employed or long retired, you can answer a few simple questions. You can do it without setting foot outside your door. And you can fill your pockets with money while you're at it.

There are several ways to contact one of the many firms that pays for online surveys. Get in touch with one specifically or sign up with a site that lists many different companies. Most companies have their own site and they have all the forms you need to complete right on their Web sites. You might have to pay a small fee for some of them, but many let you get started right away without paying a cent. I've tried them both, and I've found more success on sites that require an up-front payment.

When you're ready to start, you'll have to register and answer some questions about yourself. The information that helps them might be about your home do you live in a dorm or a three-story house your income and expenses, whether you vacation and what sort of interests you have. Knowing these things help companies determine if your participation will help them. If so, they'll invite you to give it a try. Completing the task is probably the easiest part. Sometimes it's fun! And you're getting paid.

Maybe you only want to do a survey once in a while. Maybe you want to stay busy all the time and watch the money roll in. You decide. And you decide how you'd like to be paid. Most firms' Web sites help you figure that out.

Most companies are required to give out so many surveys. If you do yours in a timely manner, you're more likely to be asked to do another. Expect your correspondence from the companies in the mail, but often you'll have to go online to see when surveys are available.

There's a lot of money to be made, depending on how much time you want to spend being surveyed. You'll get all the details about how much time you'll need to invest and how much you'll be paid before you ever start answering questions. And if you find yourself too busy to do a survey, just say no. They won't hold it against you.

Different survey sites send survey offers on a variety of subjects ranging from travel, computers, consumer durable, etc and the best part is that you will be getting paid for answering. You earn money or points and redeem them when you reach the cash out limit. Survey companies also have a referral system where you earn money or points for referring your friends and relatives. You earnings may depend on the number of people you refer or the number of surveys your friends answer. So apart from getting paid to take surveys online you also earn a referral income.