So you’ve turned 13 and are ready to start earning your own cash. You may be wondering, “How can I earn money at 13 years old?”. Guess what? You’ve come to the right place! In this article, I’ll share my experience earning thousands of dollars as a teen through various side hustles. These jobs not only helped me save for things I needed and my university education, but they helped me develop tons of hard and soft skills. I picked up many essential skills, including teamwork, working with different age groups and customer service skills.
There are tons of side jobs out there that:
- Can be tailored to your schedule
- Are aligned with a variety of interests
- Can be done on a seasonal basis to ensure they don’t conflict with exams
Read on to learn how you can earn money at 13 years old.
How Can I Earn Money At 13 Without Breaking the Law?
Before I get into the steps on how to earn money as a 13 year old, I need to cover the most important part: you’ll need to make sure you can legally work! Keep in mind that many regions and states have a minimum working age, typically around 14 or 15. If this is the case, you’ll need to stick to cash side hustles. Even so, ask your mom or dad to help you double-check that you can legally earn money via cash payments or bank transfer. You may have tax obligations, so it’s important that your parents help you make sure you’ve good to go.
What Rate Should I Charge When Working Freelance Jobs?
Most of the best side hustles for 13 year olds I’ll cover involve you setting your own rate. Not sure what to charge? Check a website such as Glassdoor to find out the average hourly salary for someone doing the job you’ve chosen. Alternatively, go with your region’s minimum wage.
You can also decide to charge a flat rate for several hours of work – for example, $100 for 4 hours of gardening. This is an ideal route to go if you have less clients and your work opportunities are rather scattered and random.
Regardless as to whether you charge an hourly rate or flat fee, as you gain more experience, you can charge a higher rate. Not sure what to do? Ask your mom or dad for help.
How Can I Earn Money At 13 While Helping Others?
If you’re wondering how to make money at 13 years old while helping others, read on for the top ways to do so!
Before going about these side hustles, do some cold calling. Knock on your neighbor’s doors to see if they’re in need of any of the services below. Alternatively, check with your local community centre or library about putting up flyers on their bulletin boards. If you’re a member of a sports club or religious organization, see if you can post ads on the online newsletter or inside the building on a bulletin board.
Being a Neighbor’s Helper
Are you someone who likes to help others and doesn’t mind cooking, cleaning and tending to other chores? Being a neighbor’s helper is a great way to apply your domestic skills and learn new ones. Go around the neighborhood and ask if anyone is in need of help.
Helping a Family with a New Baby
If you or your parents know a family who recently had a baby or adopted a child, the family may be in need of extra help. When a family has a new baby, they are adjusting to this big change in their life. They’ll be focused on taking care of the baby’s needs in his or her first few weeks. Cooking and cleaning still need to be done but may be less of a focus for them. This is where you come in!
Ask family friends who recently had a baby if they’re in need of an assistant to run errands, cook, clean or do other tasks as needed. At the very least, maybe the family just wants someone to prepare some meals and deliver them.
Being a Senior’s Helper
As the population ages, there are more and more citizens who are of the age where they need a little extra help. Some senior citizens may not be able to cook, clean, grocery shop or complete other essential tasks. Sometimes, seniors just need someone to talk to. Their family may live far away or may have passed away. You’d be surprised at how much of a positive impact a conversation with someone else can have on someone’s life!
Ask your mom or dad if you can contact a local retirement or nursing home to put up ads in their building. Alternatively, post ads on your local online Classifieds section or Facebook Marketplace.
Dog Walking
This one is a popular side hustle for a reason and must be included on any essential list of ways to earn money as a teen. Dog walking is a fantastic side job because it’s flexible, you can do it any time of year, it teaches you responsibility, AND you’ll get exercise!
Pet Sitting
In addition to dog walking, taking care of pets is another great way for 13 year olds to make money. Pet owners sometimes go on vacation or out of the country for a variety of reasons. Maybe they have to take care of a sick family member, are house sitting or are going on an extended vacation. That’s where you come in! Taking care of a dog, cat, bird, rabbit or other common house pet is a fun and somewhat easy gig.
Watching a pet entails you either sitting at the owner’s home or the pet coming to you. You’ll ensure the pet is fed, walked (if applicable) and is generally in good health.
Plant and Garden Care
Similarly to pet sitting, plant sitting is another fantastic side hustle for teens. Many homeowners and renters need someone to tend to their gardens and plants while away. If you’re new to taking care of plants, buy your own and keep them in your bedroom or somewhere in your parent’s house. Spend a few weeks or so learning how to take care of the most common house plants. This way, you’ll feel confident that you’re capable of taking care of customer’s plants. Stress gone!
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How Can I Earn Money At 13 Without Leaving My Home?
If you prefer to work from home instead of going to a physical location to work, not to worry! The best side hustles for teens aren’t limited to offline work – there are tons of ways to earn money at 13 at home. Let’s get into the top ways to do so.
Completing Online Surveys
Doing online surveys is a fun way to earn a few dollars towards different purchases. You’re a little bit too young to have your own account on survey websites, but not to worry! If your mom or dad is willing, he or she can create an account on your behalf.
Your mom or dad should start with SurveyJunkie and InboxDollars. These are the top survey sites with the highest earning potential. While survey sites aren’t a full-time job, you can expect to make anywhere from $3-8 per hour.
Participating in Paid Research Studies
In my opinion, paid market research studies are one of the top remote jobs for teenagers, if not the top one. It’s flexible and pays a high amount per hour. Additionally, after you complete a job, you’ll feel great helping others while lining your pockets!
Businesses all over the world need feedback on their products and services. They want to know if people like using the product or service they offer. Additionally, many organizations need people just like you to test their products before they hit the market. In both ways, the company is investing money upfront to get it right instead of fixing a PR nightmare and spending tons of money later on. Paid market research studies involve three parties: the paid research site, a business, and you. Companies post studies on the website. You, the potential participant, can apply to research studies.
How Do I Participate in Paid Market Research Studies?
Doing paid research studies is a relatively simple process. On a high level, you’ll need to:
- Sign up for an account
- Fill out your profile
- Regularly fill out survey screeners
- Respond to invitations and book studies
- Complete interviews
- Get paid!
Since you’re under 18, you’ll need an adult to sign up for platforms on your behalf.
After your mom or dad has signed up for an account, he or she will need to complete his or her profile with demographic information. After this, your mom or dad will receive study invitations and will need to submit surveys. These surveys typically involve the company asking specific questions to see if you’re a good fit for the study. While most studies are targeted towards adults, many target kids or teens. Your mom or dad will need to search for studies that you’re a good fit for and apply on your behalf. Alternatively, you can set aside some time for both of you to sit down and apply to studies together once a week, twice a week or more.
Additionally, you’ll need a way to get paid, typically through PayPal. Ask your parents to manage the payment on your behalf and either pay you in cash or transfer the money to your bank account (if you have one). Be sure your state or region allows transferring funds to minors and that you’re paying any taxes owed. Again, if you need help, ask your parents.
Which Platforms Should I Sign Up For?
In my experience, the best platforms are User Interviews and Respondent. dScout is also a good platform. On this website, you’ll also need to submit a video of you answering a few questions. If you’re willing to do this, you’ll potentially be invited to studies that pay up to $100-200 a session.
How Much Money Can I Make with Market Research Studies?
Study payments vary and usually range from $50 up to $200 or more for an hour. Niche and specialty studies such as those in the IT field generally pay more. This is because less people qualify for the studies, so companies are willing to compensate them for their expertise. While filling out survey screeners is time-consuming, it’s worth it as many studies pay up to $150 for an hour of your time!
Selling Digital Prints Online
Sellin digital prints online is, in my opinion, the best side hustle for teenagers with a creative streak. Selling digital prints on Etsy or another online platform is a relatively simple way to express yourself and share your art with the world, all while making some coin. All you’ll need is a Canva account, a merchant account such as Etsy or Redbubble and your parents’ help.
1. Choose a Theme
Choose a theme you want to go with. While it’s fun to go crazy with a bunch of designs and themes, it’s best to pick one. Why? When you decide to go one direction, potential customers will be able to identify your brand and make purchases that align with their needs. For example, deciding to print travel posters is better than opening a generic store selling all types of posters. When you open a travel posters print shop, your customers will be more easily able to identify your brand. Additionally, you’ll be able to focus on creating the best travel poster products.
2. Find In-Demand Products to Print
Take your strategy to the next level by choosing designs that are in demand and not too competitive. Use a tool such as Keysearch to find keywords (phrases that people look up in Google) that are high-volume and low-competition. You’ll use this keyword in the title of your product and the body (product description) when selling on Etsy, Redbubble or another online merchandise-selling platform.
High volume means that a lot of people are searching for it in Google. Ideally, you’ll want to go for keywords that are over 1,000 in search volume per month with a competition score below 40.
For example, you can see below that over 27,000 people per month search for the keywords ‘baby shower invitations’, but it’s way too competitive:
On the other hand, the keyword ‘drive by baby shower invitations’ has a volume of over 1,000 searches per month and has a competition score below 40. This is a quality keyword you may want to focus on.
3. Sign Up for Accounts and Get Started Creating
Sign up for a Canva account and create some eye-catching designs. After you’re happy with the designs, export them and upload them to Etsy, Redbubble or another platform. After you’ve created your account on either platform, the company will handle all shipping and payment logistics. Do be wary that each platform charges a commission rate.
As of 2023, the commission rate for Etsy is 6.5%. Redbubble’s fee structure is a bit more involved. Check their website here for the latest fee information.
You’ll need your mom or dad to help you sign up for an account on each of the platforms listed as the minimum age to sign up is at least 16.
A Final Word on How to Earn Money At 13 Years Old
I hope this article has helped you answer the question “How can I earn money at 13 years old?” With a little bit of thinking, planning and maybe some help from your parents, it’s easy to find a side hustle that aligns with your interests. Try one or two side hustles. If your schedule allows it and you’re on top of your school and family commitments, add on a second or third. Most of all, have fun!
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Janita is a frugal living expert and owner of Frugal Fun Finance. With over five years of personal experience finding and trying out the best ways to make and save more money, she's eager to share her knowledge. Janita's strategies have helped her save thousands of dollars for funding investments and traveling to over 20 countries.
Janita completed training in personal finance at The University of Western Ontario and McGill University, two prestigious Canadian universities. Her expertise has been shared on GoBankingRates, Yahoo Finance, and NASDAQ.com.
