Online, most ways for teens to earn run through a parent. Of the 14 sites whose rules we read, 10 take teens, and 6 of those 10 only with a parent's account, consent or sponsorship. Swagbucks takes you on your own from 13, and Freecash from 16.
We build PaysFair, an earning app that competes with some of the apps below, so check their numbers yourself. PaysFair is for people 16 and over. We read every site's rules on October 23, 2026.
Which sites let teens make money online?
These are the age rules in each site's own terms or help pages. The last column says whose account the money runs through.
| Site | Age rule | Whose account |
|---|---|---|
| Swagbucks | 13 and up | Yours |
| Freecash | 16 and up | Yours |
| PaysFair | 16 and up | Yours |
| Freelancer | 16 and up | Yours, if you can sign a contract |
| Etsy | 13 to 17 | A parent's, who owns the shop |
| Fiverr | 13 to 17 | A parent's |
| Twitch | 13 to 17 | Yours, with a parent who agrees |
| YouTube ad pay | Under 18 | A parent's AdSense |
| Cash App | 13 to 17 | Yours, with a parent as sponsor |
| Venmo | 13 to 17 | A Teen Account a parent approves |
| PayPal | 18 and up | Yours, at 18 |
| eBay | 18 and up | Yours, at 18 |
| Upwork | 18 and up | Yours, at 18 |
| TikTok pay | 18 and up | Yours, at 18 |
On your own. Swagbucks takes members from 13 and encourages them to ask a parent first. Freecash says you can't use it unless you're at least 16. Freelancer bars users under 16 and anyone who can't form a legally binding contract. PaysFair pays for surveys, games and campaigns from 16, with a gift card by email from a $1.00 smallest cash-out, and your first cash-out is checked by hand.
Through a parent. Etsy lets 13- to 17-year-olds sell only under the permission and direct supervision of a parent who owns the account. The parent's name, email and billing details go on the account. Fiverr is open to users 18 and up. If you're 13 to 17, you can use it only through a parent's or guardian's account. Twitch takes you from 13, but until you're legally an adult, only if a parent is supervising and agrees to its terms. YouTube pays creators through AdSense, which accepts applicants from 18. If you're under 18, a parent can sign up with their own Google account, and all payments go to that adult.
At 18. Upwork requires you to be 18, or the age of majority where you live if that's older. TikTok's Creator Rewards Program asks creators to be 18 or older, and only users 18 or older can receive LIVE gifts with money value or cash them out. On eBay, the user agreement rules out anyone who can't form a binding contract, for example someone under 18.
How do teens get paid online?
Check how you'll be paid before you start. 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 open an account with a parent or legal guardian as sponsor.
Venmo has a Teen Account for 13- to 17-year-olds, created through a parent or guardian, who must approve it within 14 days. Once it's approved, you can send and receive money and set up direct deposit for a paycheck. On Etsy, the parent registers for Etsy Payments with their own information, so the shop's payments are in their name.
Which online money offers target teens?
Young people's fraud reports end in a loss more often than any other age group's, in the FTC's count. Of the 2024 fraud reports that gave an age, 30,330 came from people 19 and under. In 51% of those reports, the person lost money, the highest share of any age group, with a median loss of $189 and $55 million in all.
| Offer | What the FTC says |
|---|---|
| A job you pay to get | Honest employers never ask |
| Pay to like videos or rate products | A task scam |
| Starter kits and training | Useless, in these scams |
| Reshipping goods | Never a real job |
The FTC says a job promising a lot of money in a short time for little work is almost certainly a scam. In a task scam, the app shows a growing tally of fake earnings, then asks you to deposit your own money, usually in crypto, to get them out.
Do teens pay taxes on money they make online?
Sometimes. The IRS says everyone, including minors, must file a return if they had net self-employment earnings of at least $400. A teen who owes tax should file their own return, even if a parent claims them as a dependent. Our teenager guide covers jobs and the rules at every age from 13 to 18, and our guide to online jobs at 16 covers the sites that open at 16.
What do other guides on this leave out?
We read five guides that rank for this on October 23, 2026, and one more is gone. Four of the five send teens to Upwork without saying it's only for users 18 and over. All five name Fiverr, and only one says a teen needs a parent's account there. None mentions Cash App's or Venmo's accounts for teens, and none names the FTC. Only one covers taxes, and one puts monthly incomes on its ideas, up to $6,000 a month for social media management.
Questions people ask about making money online as a teen
How can I make money online as a teenager?
Start with sites that take teens on their own: Swagbucks from 13 and Freecash from 16. Freelancer starts at 16 too, but only for people who can sign a binding contract where they live. Selling on Etsy, gigs on Fiverr and YouTube's ad pay also work under 18, but only through a parent's account.
How can a young teen make money online?
At 13, Swagbucks takes you directly, and Etsy, Fiverr, Twitch and Cash App take you with a parent's account, consent or sponsorship. Under 13, Twitch isn't available, and TikTok offers only a separate Under 13 Experience.
How do teens get paid online?
Not through their own PayPal account, which requires you to be 18. Cash App and Venmo both have accounts for 13- to 17-year-olds with a parent involved, and some apps, like ours, pay a gift card by email.
Can teens make money online without paying anything?
Yes, and a site that asks for money first deserves suspicion. The FTC says honest employers will never ask you to pay to get a job, and work-from-home scams sell starter kits and training that are useless.
Do teens pay taxes on money they make online?
Sometimes. The IRS says everyone, including minors, must file a return with net self-employment earnings of at least $400, and a teen who owes tax should file their own return.
Sources
- Can Teenagers Use Swagbucks? Swagbucks Help. Read October 23, 2026.
- Can I use Freecash if I'm underage? Freecash. Read October 23, 2026.
- User Agreement, Freelancer; Terms of Service, Fiverr; Who's eligible to join and use Upwork?, Upwork Support. Read October 23, 2026.
- Minors Policy, Internet Archive copy of October 4, 2026; Can Minors Sell on Etsy?, copy of April 1, 2026. Etsy. Read October 23, 2026.
- Terms of Service. Twitch. Read October 23, 2026.
- Eligibility requirements for AdSense. Google AdSense Help. Read October 23, 2026.
- Creator Rewards Program Terms (US); Virtual Items Policy; Terms of Service (US). TikTok. Read October 23, 2026.
- Cash App Referral Bonus terms (sponsored accounts). Cash App. Read October 23, 2026.
- Teen Account FAQ for Teens. Venmo. Read October 23, 2026.
- PayPal User Agreement; eBay User Agreement. Read October 23, 2026.
- Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book 2024, Reported Frauds and Losses by Age, March 2025; Job scams; Task scams create the illusion of making money, December 12, 2024. FTC. Read October 23, 2026.
- When the lemonade stand makes bank: Young entrepreneurs and taxes. IRS. Read October 23, 2026.
- Our own count of five make-money-online-as-a-teen guides, October 23, 2026.
- PaysFair's own home page, cash-out screen, terms screen and settings, read October 23, 2026.
We name other companies in plain text and link none of them. Age rules and terms change; we check every figure on this page again by January 23, 2027.