There is a fine line between active and passive income. Clearly, going to work every day in exchange for a regular paycheck is active income. Task work such as food delivery, rideshare driving, freelance jobs, consulting, and contract work are also ways to create active income. With active income, you get paid for working. Passive income ideas span a range of jobs.  Receiving income in exchange for zero effort is unlikely, unless you count receiving an inheritance or winning the lottery. Writing a book and then receiving royalties is a great example of passive income, yet with the passage of time, book royalties will decline. In contrast, if you buy a dividend-paying stock fund, once you select the investment, you will receive ongoing dividend payments without much additional effort. Some passive income ideas are liquid, like buying dividend-paying investments, while others are less liquid, like long term real estate syndications. Some passive income jobs require minor ongoing work in exchange for cash flow, while others are less passive and involve greater ongoing effort. Passive income strategies range from those with a small startup effort, like investing in dividend-paying stock or money market mutual funds, to more labor-intensive ones, such as managing rental properties or creating an affiliate marketing review website.