Budgeteen
Last reviewed 7 October 2026 · Age rules from the U.S. Department of Labor · General information, not legal advice
Most teen side hustles start close to home: casual babysitting, pet care and yard help for neighbors, then tutoring, creative work and part-time jobs as you get older. This guide groups ideas by age using the U.S. Department of Labor's youth employment rules, with safety steps, parent notes and tax basics. It makes no earnings promises.
Most teens start with informal work for people they know: casual babysitting and minor chores around private homes, such as pet care or yard help, which federal child labor rules do not cover. From 14, a part-time job outside school hours is allowed within federal hour limits, usually paying at least $7.25 an hour. State rules can be stricter.
| Way to earn | Federal age rule | Key limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casual babysitting, minor chores around private homes | Any age (work the FLSA does not cover) | Federal youth rules do not apply where no FLSA employment relationship exists | DOL Fact Sheet #43 |
| Part-time job in retail, food service or an office | 14 and up | At 14-15: outside school hours, up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day) | DOL YouthRules, 14-15 |
| Tutoring, teaching, singing, acting or playing an instrument | 14 and up for an employer | Same hour limits at 14-15 | DOL YouthRules, 14-15 |
| Lifeguarding at a traditional pool or water park | 15, if trained and certified | Natural settings such as lakes and ocean beaches need lifeguards to be 16 | DOL Fact Sheet #43 |
| Any job not declared hazardous | 16 and up | No federal hour limits; the 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders apply until 18 | DOL Fact Sheet #43 |
| Pay from an employer | Any covered job | At least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour; workers under 20 can be paid $4.25 an hour for their first 90 consecutive calendar days | DOL YouthRules, 14-15 |
| Taxes on gig money | Any age | Self-employment tax usually applies once net self-employment earnings reach $400 in a year | IRS Topic 554 |
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #43 and YouthRules (14-15), IRS Topic 554. Last reviewed 7 October 2026. These are federal rules; your state may be stricter. In Budgeteen, the Work tab filters hustle ideas by your age, and Shift Mode times a shift and logs what you earned into the week's plan.
Federal youth employment rules come from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and cover employment. DOL Fact Sheet #43 says they do not apply where no FLSA employment relationship exists, so informal help for neighbors is treated differently from a job with a business. When federal and state laws both apply, the stricter standard must be followed. Federal law doesn't require work permits, but many states do. Federal youth rules stop applying at 18.
| Age | What federal rules allow | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Only exempt or non-covered work: delivering newspapers, acting, casual babysitting, minor chores around private homes; non-hazardous work in a business fully owned by parents (no mining or manufacturing) | DOL Fact Sheet #43 |
| 14-15 | The above, plus many non-manufacturing, non-hazardous jobs outside school hours, with hour limits | DOL Fact Sheet #43 |
| 16-17 | Unlimited hours in any job not declared hazardous | DOL Fact Sheet #43 |
The full hours table and allowed-job list are on jobs for 13, 14 and 15 year olds.
Keep it small, local and known to a parent.
Everything above still works, plus tutoring younger kids, music lessons or selling your own art. The Department of Labor says 14- and 15-year-old employees may work in intellectual or artistically creative occupations such as teacher, musician, artist and performer. A first part-time job is possible at 14, in office, retail and food service work within hour limits; see what 14- and 15-year-olds can do at work. Fact Sheet #43 also lists what an employer can't have you do at 14 or 15: door-to-door sales, sign waving or youth peddling; running power-driven machinery other than office machines; working from ladders or scaffolds; and baking operations. If you'd rather build a skill you can show, read teen skills that pay for how to start design, admin and coding work with free tools.
At 16 and 17, federal rules allow unlimited hours in non-hazardous jobs, so weekend and summer jobs open up. The 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders still apply until 18. Examples from Fact Sheet #43 include most on-the-job driving on public roads (17-year-olds only in strictly limited cases), forklifts and other power-driven hoists, roofing, power saws and meat slicers. Freelance marketplaces stay mostly closed: Upwork's User Agreement requires users to be at least 18. Fiverr's help center says all users must be 18 or older, and 13- to 17-year-olds may use it only through a parent- or guardian-owned account with their permission. Otherwise, work for people you know.
Budgeteen's Skills roadmap includes a lesson on spotting scam DMs.
Check your state's youth employment page: the stricter of state or federal law applies, and many states require work permits. Informal gigs still need an adult for contracts, payment accounts and meeting new clients. Budgeteen is for ages 13 and up. The optional parent invite shows only an activity signal, not amounts; the Budgeteen Privacy Policy explains it. Talk through the FTC's job-scam warning signs together before a first gig.
IRS Topic 554 says self-employment tax usually applies if net earnings from self-employment are $400 or more. IRS Publication 926 (2026) says household wages paid to an employee who was under 18 at any time in the year are generally not counted for Social Security and Medicare, unless household work is their main occupation. Both rules, a worked pay-stub example and filing basics are on first paycheck taxes for teens. This is general information, not tax advice.
The Work tab ranks hustles and curated job ideas by age and filters them against youth work rules. Listings are educational examples, not job offers or guarantees. Shift Mode times a babysitting or mowing shift and writes the earnings into the week's Needs, Wants, Save and Give plan. The Skills Card turns finished skill tracks, streaks and tracked earnings into a shareable proof-of-work profile. If you are choosing between a card and a planner, see Budgeteen vs Greenlight.
Most teens start with informal work for people they know: casual babysitting and minor chores around private homes, such as pet care or yard help, which federal child labor rules do not cover. From 14, a part-time job outside school hours is allowed within federal hour limits, usually paying at least $7.25 an hour. State rules can be stricter.
Federal rules keep children under 14 out of most regular jobs, but the Department of Labor lists work they may do: casual babysitting, minor chores around private homes, delivering newspapers, acting, and non-hazardous work in a business their parents fully own. Watering plants or feeding a neighbor's pet fits that pattern. Your state may be stricter.
Federal child labor rules cover employment, and they bar employers from having 14- and 15-year-olds run power-driven machinery other than office machines. Those rules may not reach informal yard work where no employment relationship exists, but safety still matters. Agree with a parent on what equipment you use, and check your state's rules first.
Sometimes. The IRS says self-employment tax usually applies once net earnings from self-employment reach $400 in a year. Babysitting pay from a family can be treated differently, because household wages paid to a worker under 18 are generally not counted for Social Security and Medicare. Our first paycheck taxes guide walks through both rules.
Work for people you or your family know, tell a parent where you are going and when you will be back, and let an adult handle contracts and payment details. The FTC warns that honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job, and that a check asking you to send money back is a classic scam.
Official pages, reviewed 7 October 2026.
More short answers live on the Budgeteen FAQ. What the app is: What is Budgeteen. The envelope loop: how teen budgeting works in Budgeteen. Data rules: Budgeteen Privacy Policy.