How to Make Money as a Teenager: Jobs, Side Hustles, and the Rules

The fastest way to make money as a teenager is still a local one: babysitting, yard work, pet sitting, or a part-time job at a store or restaurant once you're old enough. Online options exist too, but most platforms require you to be 18 or to run things through a parent's account. What you can do depends mostly on your age, so this guide is sorted that way, with the actual rules linked so you (and your parents) can check them.

All the legal rules below are US federal rules. States can be stricter, and when they are, the state law applies. Look up your own state before you start.

Under 14: work you can do for yourself

Federal law mostly keeps kids under 14 out of regular jobs. The Department of Labor lists a short set of exceptions for this age group: delivering newspapers, casual babysitting, acting or performing, making evergreen wreaths at home, and working in a business owned entirely by your parents.

That still leaves room for the classic neighborhood jobs where you work for yourself, not an employer:

• Babysitting. Start with families you already know. A babysitting or first aid course makes parents more comfortable hiring a younger sitter.
• Pet sitting and dog walking. Neighbors going on vacation need someone to feed the cat or walk the dog twice a day.
• Yard work and snow shoveling. Raking leaves, pulling weeds, and shoveling driveways need no special skills, just a rake or shovel and the nerve to knock on doors.
• Selling things you make or no longer use. Old games, clothes you've outgrown, baked goods at a school or community sale.

These are the easy jobs for teens that pay the same day and need no application. The catch is that you have to find the customers yourself.

Ages 14 and 15: your first real job

At 14 you can get hired by most employers, with limits on what you do and when. The Labor Department's rules for 14 and 15 year olds say you can't work:

• more than 3 hours on a school day (Friday counts)
• more than 18 hours in a school week
• more than 8 hours on a non-school day, or 40 hours in a non-school week
• before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day)

Jobs the same page lists as allowed include most retail work like cashiering and stocking shelves, tutoring, errands or delivery on foot or by bike, yard work without power mowers, washing cars, pumping gas, and some kitchen work like washing dishes. Door-to-door sales, baking, and most machinery are off limits. The rule of thumb from the DOL: if a job isn't specifically allowed for your age, it's not allowed.

About pay. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and many states set a higher one. Employers can pay workers under 20 a youth minimum wage of $4.25 an hour for the first 90 days, unless state law says otherwise. So check what your state requires before you accept an offer.

Lifeguarding is a good summer job to aim for. The Red Cross requires you to be at least 15 by the last day of the training class, and you have to pass a swim test first.

Ages 16 and 17: almost any job

Once you're 16, federal law lets you work unlimited hours in any job that isn't classed as hazardous. The banned list covers things like driving on public roads for work, roofing, forklifts, and power-driven meat slicers and bakery machines. Restaurants, grocery stores, movie theaters, camps, and retail stores are the usual first employers at this age.

This is also the age where skill-based work starts paying better than hourly jobs. If you're good at a school subject, you can set your own rate for tutoring younger students instead of taking an entry-level wage. If you can fix computers, set up phones for older relatives, or edit video, people will pay for that too.

Jobs online from home for 14 year olds (and older)

This is where most people searching for ways teens can make money get stuck, so here is what's real:

• Most platforms need a parent. Etsy, for example, lets 13 to 17 year olds sell only with a parent's permission and supervision, and the parent must register the account in their own name and be listed as shop owner. Fiverr's minors policy works the same way: 13 to 17 year olds can use it only through an account owned by a parent or guardian.
• Selling online through a parent. Reselling clothes, selling art, or selling digital downloads all work once a parent owns the account and handles the payments.
• Online tutoring for family friends. You don't need a platform to tutor a neighbor's kid over a video call.
• Paid surveys and "watch videos for money" apps. These pay very little, and some are scams. Not worth much of your time.

Making money on YouTube as a teen

YouTube is one of the few online side hustles for teens you can start with no money and no permission slip, but getting paid has an age rule. In the US, 13 is the minimum age to manage your own Google account, which is what you need for a channel. To earn ad money, the channel has to be linked to AdSense, and Google says the minimum age for AdSense for YouTube is 18. If you're under 18, the only way to monetize is to link your channel to an approved AdSense account owned by a parent or guardian.

If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.

Two more things to know before you start. First, a channel has to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program before it earns anything, which takes most channels months. We cover the thresholds in how to get monetized on YouTube. Second, your audience matters a lot. Content made for kids earns about $0.33 per 1,000 views, against a median of about $2.30 across all niches, so a channel aimed at people your own age or older usually pays far better.

You also don't have to be on camera. Plenty of channels are narrated explainers, history, or stories. Our guide on how to make a faceless YouTube channel walks through that route, and tools like VidPuff can turn a video title into a script, narration, and visuals that you then review and edit (plans start at $25 a month, so you'd need a parent's card).

How to spot scams aimed at teens

Teens get targeted because scammers assume you haven't seen these tricks before. The FTC's guide to job scams lists the main warning signs:

• They want you to pay first. Real employers never charge you to get a job, and that includes "starter kits" and training fees.
• They send you a check and ask for some of it back. The check will bounce and you'll owe the bank the full amount.
• The pay sounds too good. Lots of money, little work, no experience needed.
• They want you to reship packages. The FTC says reshipping is never a real job.

Before you agree to anything, search the company name with "scam" or "review," and talk it over with a parent. Never give out a parent's bank details or your Social Security number to someone you met online.

Taxes on teen income

Money you earn is income, even at 15. If you work for yourself (babysitting, lawn mowing, selling online) and your net earnings reach $400 or more in a year, the IRS says you owe self-employment tax. Have a parent help you figure out whether you need to file.

How to make money as a teenager: picking one

If you're under 14, sell a service to neighbors. At 14 or 15, apply for a part-time job within the hour limits, or aim for lifeguard training. At 16 and up, you can work nearly anywhere, and a skill like tutoring or video editing lets you charge your own rate. If you want something that could grow over years, a YouTube channel is a slow start but builds skills you keep. For more ideas that work for adults too, see our ranking of side hustles from home.

FAQ

How can a 13 year old make money?

Under federal law, 13 year olds can babysit, deliver newspapers, act, or work in a business fully owned by their parents. Most also make money with self-run jobs like pet sitting, yard work, and selling things they've made.

What are the best side hustles for teens?

Babysitting, tutoring, pet sitting, yard work, and reselling clothes are the most reliable because they need little or no money to start. Online, a YouTube channel or an Etsy shop can work, but both need a parent's account for payments if you're under 18.

Can a 15 year old make money on YouTube?

Yes, but not in their own name. Google requires AdSense account holders to be 18, so a teen's channel has to be linked to a parent or guardian's approved AdSense account. The channel also has to meet the YouTube Partner Program requirements first.

What is the minimum wage for teenagers?

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. Employers can pay workers under 20 a youth wage of $4.25 an hour for their first 90 days, unless state or local law sets a higher rate.