How can I make money as a teen?

Start with neighborhood work, like babysitting, pet sitting, mowing lawns or tutoring, which you can do from 13 or younger. From 14, part-time jobs in stores, restaurants and camps open up, with hour limits until 16. Online, apps like Etsy and Gumroad let teens sell with a parent on the account.

How can I make money as a teen online?

Sell crafts or printables on Etsy through a parent's account, or digital products on Gumroad with a guardian on the payout account. You can also make Roblox games, edit videos or design thumbnails for creators, and start a YouTube channel that pays through a parent's AdSense account. Keep your personal details private, and show any offer to a parent before you reply.

How can I make money at 13?

At 13, you can babysit, pet sit, walk dogs, mow lawns and do chores for neighbors, since casual babysitting and chores around homes are outside the federal child labor rules. Online, Roblox pays developers from 13, and Etsy allows sellers from 13 through a parent's account. A parent should know who you're working for and where.

How can I make money at 14?

At 14, you can take a part-time job in many stores and restaurants, for up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. Neighborhood jobs like babysitting, lawn mowing and tutoring still work too. Check your state's rules, since some are stricter than federal law.

How can I make money at 15?

At 15, you can train as a lifeguard or a swim instructor, since Red Cross courses take students who are 15 by the end of the course. Store, restaurant and camp jobs are open with the same hour limits as at 14. Online, you can sell on Etsy through a parent's account or edit videos for creators.

What apps let teens make money?

Etsy and Fiverr let 13 to 17 year olds sell through a parent's account, and Gumroad lets teens sell from 13 with a guardian on the payout account in the US. Roblox pays developers from 13, and Twitch lets teens join its Affiliate Program with a parent's consent. Most gig apps, like DoorDash, Instacart, Rover and Taskrabbit, start at 18.

How can I make money fast as a teen?

Snow shoveling, car washing and yard cleanups pay the same day, often in cash. Selling things you no longer use, through a parent's account online or at a garage sale, is fast too. Skip any offer that promises quick money for no work, since those are often scams.

Do teens have to pay taxes?

Yes, they do, if they earn enough: a dependent has to file once earned income tops $15,750 for 2025. If you work for yourself and your net earnings reach $400, you have to file and pay self-employment tax, even below that limit. A parent can file for you, and an accountant can help once the money adds up.

Can a teen have a PayPal account?

PayPal accounts are for adults in the US, so UserTesting, which pays through PayPal, works from 18. Until then, a parent's account or a bank account with a parent on it is the usual way to get paid. Ask your parents before you sign up for any payment app.

What jobs hire at 14?

Many stores, grocery stores, restaurants and camps hire at 14, with federal limits on hours during the school year. Tutoring and creative work are on the Department of Labor's list of jobs for 14 and 15 year olds. Ask employers near you which roles they hire for at your age.

How can a teen start a business?

Pick a side hustle that's already earning, like mowing lawns or reselling, and give it a name, a price list and simple records. A parent can open a bank account with you and help with taxes until you're 18. Junk Teens started this way, with two teen brothers and a $4,000 pickup truck, and it brought in $1.2 million in 2024.

How can I make money as a teen from home?

Online tutoring of younger kids, Etsy sales through a parent's account, Roblox games and video editing for creators all work from home. Selling digital products, like study guides or templates, works from home too. A parent's help with the accounts is part of the setup for most of them.

40 ways to make money as a teen in 2026, by age and what each pays

40 ways to make money as a teen, sorted by age from neighborhood jobs to apps at 18, with the federal labor rules, each app's minimum age, what each pays and how a parent can help.

door Navid Moazzez·Bijgewerkt 3 okt 2026·39 min leestijd·

This is a list of 40 ways to make money as a teen, sorted by the age each one allows.

I started my first online business in 2013, beside a part-time bank job, and the skills it taught me, like writing, selling and talking to customers, still pay me today. Starting as a teen gives you a head start on all of them. You can read more in my story.

Most lists skip the part that matters most for teens: what you're allowed to do at your age. So each way below shows the minimum age from the law or the platform's own rules, what it pays, and where a parent can help.

In this guide, you'll learn:

40 ways to make money as a teen, grouped by age
What US labor law lets you do under 14, at 14 and 15, and at 16 and 17
Which apps allow teens, and which need a parent on the account
How to spot the scams that target teens
When a teen has to file a tax return

Find your age group, then pick one way to try this month.

key_takeaways.md

TL;DR

Key takeaways

Under 14, federal law allows chores around homes, casual babysitting, newspaper delivery and work in a business your parents own (Department of Labor).

At 14 and 15, you can work up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week (Department of Labor).

At 16 and 17, there's no federal limit on hours, but hazardous jobs wait until 18 (Department of Labor).

Some apps take teens with a parent: Etsy at 13 to 17 through a parent's account (Etsy), and Roblox pays developers from age 13 (Roblox).

A teen who's claimed as a dependent has to file a tax return once earned income tops $15,750, or once self-employment earnings reach $400 (IRS).

What teens can legally do

US federal law sets the rules below, and your state can be stricter, so check your state's labor office before you take a job:

Under 14

Hours: Work outside the federal rules
What you can do: Chores around homes, casual babysitting, newspaper delivery, acting, and a business your parents own
Source: Department of Labor

14 and 15

Hours: Up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 in a school week, or 8 a day and 40 a week when school's out, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day)
What you can do: Jobs like tutoring, creative work and many store and restaurant jobs
Source: Department of Labor

16 and 17

Hours: No federal limit
What you can do: Any job not declared hazardous
Source: Department of Labor

18 and up

Hours: No youth rules
What you can do: Any job, and most apps
Source: Department of Labor

Age	Hours	What you can do	Source
Under 14	Work outside the federal rules	Chores around homes, casual babysitting, newspaper delivery, acting, and a business your parents own	Department of Labor
14 and 15	Up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 in a school week, or 8 a day and 40 a week when school's out, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day)	Jobs like tutoring, creative work and many store and restaurant jobs	Department of Labor
16 and 17	No federal limit	Any job not declared hazardous	Department of Labor
18 and up	No youth rules	Any job, and most apps	Department of Labor

Working for yourself, like mowing a neighbor's lawn, isn't the same as being hired by a business. The federal hour limits cover jobs with an employer, not chores for neighbors, so your parents' rules and your school schedule set the limits there.

Which apps allow teens

Apps set their own minimum ages, and most money apps start at 18. Here's what each one says:

Etsy

Minimum age: 18, or 13 to 17
How teens can use it: Through a parent's account
Source: Etsy

YouTube

Minimum age: 18 to get paid
How teens can use it: A parent's or guardian's AdSense account
Source: YouTube

Twitch

Minimum age: 13
How teens can use it: The Affiliate Program, with a parent's consent
Source: Twitch

Roblox

Minimum age: 13
How teens can use it: Developer Exchange, with a verified email
Source: Roblox

Gumroad

Minimum age: 13
How teens can use it: A guardian on the payout account, in the US
Source: Gumroad

Stripe

Minimum age: 13
How teens can use it: An adult on the account until you're 18
Source: Stripe

Fiverr

Minimum age: 18, or 13 to 17
How teens can use it: Through a parent's account
Source: Fiverr

eBay

Minimum age: 18
How teens can use it: A parent owns the account
Source: eBay

Upwork

Minimum age: Legal age
How teens can use it: Not until you're an adult
Source: Upwork

Preply

Minimum age: 18
How teens can use it: Not until 18
Source: Preply

Rover

Minimum age: 18
How teens can use it: Not until 18
Source: Rover

TikTok rewards

Minimum age: 18
How teens can use it: Not until 18
Source: TikTok

App	Minimum age	How teens can use it	Source
Etsy	18, or 13 to 17	Through a parent's account	Etsy
YouTube	18 to get paid	A parent's or guardian's AdSense account	YouTube
Twitch	13	The Affiliate Program, with a parent's consent	Twitch
Roblox	13	Developer Exchange, with a verified email	Roblox
Gumroad	13	A guardian on the payout account, in the US	Gumroad
Stripe	13	An adult on the account until you're 18	Stripe
Fiverr	18, or 13 to 17	Through a parent's account	Fiverr
eBay	18	A parent owns the account	eBay
Upwork	Legal age	Not until you're an adult	Upwork
Preply	18	Not until 18	Preply
Rover	18	Not until 18	Rover
TikTok rewards	18	Not until 18	TikTok