What you're allowed to do depends on your age. Under 14, federal law allows babysitting, newspapers, acting and a parent's business. At 14 and 15 you can take a job with hour limits, and at 16 most jobs with none. Most apps we checked, and PayPal, start at 18. We read the rules on October 23, 2026.
We build PaysFair, an earning app that competes with the apps below, so check their numbers yourself. PaysFair is for people 16 and over.
What can you do at each age?
Federal law and each app's own terms set the limits, and your state can add its own rules. We read them on October 23, 2026.
| Age | Jobs federal law allows | Apps and payouts |
|---|---|---|
| Under 14 | Babysitting, newspapers, acting, a parent's business | At 13: Swagbucks, Cash App with a sponsor |
| 14 and 15 | Permitted jobs, with hour limits | The same |
| 16 and 17 | Any job outside the hazardous list | Freecash, PrizeRebel with a parent's OK |
| 18 | Everything; federal youth rules end | PayPal, eBay, most apps, creator pay |
Under 14
Federal law lets workers under 14 do only a few jobs. They can deliver newspapers, babysit on a casual basis, act or perform, make evergreen wreaths at home, or work for a business owned entirely by their parents. Even in a parent's business, mining, manufacturing and hazardous work are off limits.
Online, the choice is small: Swagbucks takes members from 13 and encourages them to ask a parent or guardian first. Cash App lets 13- to 17-year-olds join with a parent or guardian as sponsor. TikTok's US terms keep anyone under 13, or under 14 in Florida, off the main app.
14 and 15
At 14 you can take a job, within federal limits on your hours and on which jobs you do. You can't work during school hours, and the limit is 3 hours on a school day and 8 on a day off. The weekly limits are 18 hours in a school week and 40 in a week without school, all between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day.
Federal law doesn't require a work permit, but many states do. For your first 90 calendar days in a job, an employer may also pay you a youth minimum wage of $4.25 an hour, since you're under 20.
16 and 17
At 16, federal law stops limiting your hours, though many states still do. You can take any job except the ones the Labor Department lists as hazardous, which stay off limits until you're 18.
More apps open up too, and Freecash takes members from 16. PrizeRebel takes members at 16 with a parent's or guardian's permission, and from 18 without it.
Earning apps like ours. PaysFair is for people 16 and over. It pays a gift card by email, from a $1.00 smallest cash-out, and your first cash-out is checked by hand.
Watch how an app pays you. PayPal requires you to be 18, or the age of majority in your state, to open a US account. So an app that pays only to PayPal can't pay you directly until then.
18
At 18 the federal youth rules end, and most of the apps we checked open up. InboxDollars, JumpTask, KashKick, Testerup, Super.com's earnings services and Content Rewards all start at 18. Google Opinion Rewards takes users over 18, and Fetch asks for the age of majority. PayPal and eBay start at 18 as well.
Most creator pay starts at 18 too. TikTok's Creator Rewards needs creators 18 or older with 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in 30 days, and only users 18 or older can cash out LIVE gifts. YouTube pays through AdSense, which accepts applicants from 18. If you're under 18, a parent or guardian can sign up for AdSense with their own Google account. YouTube's own bar is 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in a year, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Which apps let teens earn, and from what age?
Here's each one's minimum age in its own terms, read on October 23, 2026.
| App or service | Minimum age |
|---|---|
| Swagbucks | 13 |
| Cash App | 13, with a sponsor until 18 |
| Freecash | 16 |
| PrizeRebel | 16 with a parent's permission, otherwise 18 |
| Fetch | The age of majority |
| Google Opinion Rewards | Over 18 |
| InboxDollars, JumpTask, KashKick | 18 |
| PayPal, eBay | 18 |
| AdSense, which pays YouTubers | 18, or a parent's account |
| TikTok payouts | 18 |
Do teens pay taxes on side money?
Sometimes: if you work for yourself, the IRS says you pay your taxes yourself. Everyone, including minors, must file a return with net self-employment earnings of at least $400. If you owe tax, file your own return, even if a parent claims you as a dependent.
Which money offers are scams?
Pay-to-work tasks. The FTC says task scams ask you to do simple, repetitive tasks, such as liking videos. Its rule is simple: never pay anyone to get paid, or to get a job.
Cash flips. Cash App says every cash flip offer is a scam.
What do other guides on this leave out?
We read five guides on this question on October 23, 2026, and one more wouldn't load for us. None gives the federal hour limits for 14- and 15-year-olds, and only one names the child labor law. None mentions work permits or the youth minimum wage. Two say PayPal or the big payout services need 18, one mentions taxes and one names the FTC.
KashKick's own age table for teens gives TikTok's Creator Rewards bar as 10,000 video views in 30 days. TikTok's terms say 100,000.
Questions people ask about making money as a teenager
How can I make money at 13?
Federal law lets workers under 14 babysit on a casual basis, deliver newspapers, act or perform, or work in a business owned entirely by their parents. Online, Swagbucks takes members from 13 and encourages them to ask a parent first. Most of the other apps we checked start at 16 or 18.
How can a 14-year-old make money?
With a job, within federal limits: outside school hours, up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 in a school week, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day. Many states also require a work permit.
Can teens get paid through PayPal?
Not with their own account. PayPal requires you to be 18, or the age of majority in your state, to open a US account. Cash App lets 13- to 17-year-olds join with a parent or guardian as sponsor.
How can I make money as a teenager online?
Check each app's age first. Swagbucks starts at 13, Freecash at 16, and many others, including InboxDollars, KashKick and JumpTask, at 18. YouTube pays through AdSense, and if you're under 18, a parent or guardian can sign up for it with their own Google account.
Do teens pay taxes on side money?
Sometimes. The IRS says everyone, including minors, must file a return with net self-employment earnings of at least $400. Teens who owe tax should file their own return, even if a parent claims them.
Sources
- Fact Sheet #43, Child Labor Provisions for Nonagricultural Occupations; YouthRules, jobs for workers under 14; Fact Sheet #32, Youth Minimum Wage. US Department of Labor. Read October 23, 2026.
- User Agreement, last updated September 14, 2026. PayPal. Read October 23, 2026.
- User Agreement. eBay. Read October 23, 2026.
- AdSense eligibility requirements; YouTube Partner Program overview. Google. Read October 23, 2026.
- Creator Rewards Program Terms (US), last updated July 20, 2026; Terms of Service (US), last updated July 15, 2026; Virtual Items Policy. TikTok. Read October 23, 2026.
- Referral Bonus terms, effective April 16, 2026; Cash flip scams. Cash App. Read October 23, 2026.
- Each app's own terms or help pages: Swagbucks, Freecash, PrizeRebel, Fetch, Google Opinion Rewards, InboxDollars, JumpTask, KashKick, Testerup, Super.com, Content Rewards. Read October 23, 2026.
- When the lemonade stand makes bank: Young entrepreneurs and taxes; Topic 554, Self-employment tax. IRS. Read October 23, 2026.
- Task scams create the illusion of making money. FTC Consumer Alert, December 12, 2024. Read October 23, 2026.
- Our own count of five how-to-make-money-as-a-teenager guides, October 23, 2026.
- PaysFair's own home page, terms screen and settings, read October 23, 2026.
We name other companies in plain text and link none of them. State rules differ from the federal ones, and apps change their age rules; we check every figure on this page again by January 23, 2027.