How To Make Money As A 13-Year-Old [Over 25 Ways to Earn & Learn]

Are your parents struggling to pay bills or you want to build a great foundation for your future? You may also be evading joining those notorious boys in the street who steal from others, right? Congrats!

But there’s an issue — you’re still a teenager at just 13 years old! Is it even possible to make money at this age? Indeed, it is! In this article, I’ll comprehensively discuss how to make money as a 13-year-old.

Image Source: Pixabay

Some of the easiest ways of making extra money include designing T-shirts, selling food, babysitting, and starting a blog or a Youtube channel. You can sell things on Etsy, do chores, or  get an online job. 

Not only will I discuss offline ways of making money as a 13-year-old, but I’ll also talk about jobs you can do from the comfort of your bedroom! 

But first…

Can A 13-Year-Old Work?

It can be scary to even think of working as a 13-year-old because the Federal Labor Laws strictly prohibit kids (16 years and below) from working. It becomes even more complicated if you’re younger than 14 years.

Don’t fret, though. As a 13-year-old, there are jobs the Federal Labor laws approve. A few examples include babysitting, acting, and helping in the family business among others, as we will discuss later in this article. 

How To Make Money As A 13-Year-Old: Offline 

Whether you want to work away from or within your home, there are several offline jobs available to you as a 13-year-old.

They include:

• Creating printables
• Selling food and beverages
• Painting
• Golf caddying
• Delivering Newspapers
• Reviewing Calls

Let’s discuss how you can earn money with some of these methods. 

Create Printables

Do you have any design skills? Don't let them go to waste when you can make money by creating printables. You can use tools such as Canva to create printables to help your fellow teens plan their homework and school work effectively. Busy moms would also love to have a plan for their (sometimes) hectic days at home. 

To help other 13-year-olds who love making money, create trackers to help them save their money in the best way possible. Other printables you can create include calendars and planners for adults, such as teachers and neighbors. 

But where do you sell these printables? One of the sites you can sell your printable is Creative Market. You may also try Etsy. Though I’ve given an example of the printables you can create, don’t limit yourself to just these – you can create any printable you wish and still make money from it.

Sell Food and Beverages

As long as you apply all the set laws in regards to the sale of food, selling food and beverages is a profitable business. 

To avoid frustrations and food spoilage, set the business on a busy road with high foot traffic. Alternatively, identify days when certain roads are busy and set a tent there.

Depending on the weather, you could make:

• Fresh fruit juice
• Lemonade
• Burgers
• Other quick foods

Remember, though, what attracts most people to a certain food vendor is the cleanliness and quality of food. Be sure to observe hygiene and offer well-cooked food. Avoid preparing more than you can sell in a day to prevent food spoilage. 

Have all types of clients in mind, even those with chronic diseases. When choosing the type of food and drinks to sell, consider their diet, too.  

Painting

Painting jobs are some of the most lucrative jobs a 13-year-old can do. You can paint walls, fences, and rooms among others. Nonetheless, confirm with your parents if painting jobs are safe for you. Why? Some paint smells may cause chest problems later. 

It’s highly recommended that you wear appropriate clothes for painting tasks to avoid getting into trouble with your parents once your clothes get paint stains.  

Image Source: Pexels: Photo by Stephanie Ho from Pexels

If you’re healthy enough to paint, discuss the wages before commencing the task. This is especially vital if you’ll be painting for a couple of days. Consequently, you won’t have to worry about being underpaid after completing the task. 

Golf Caddy

Do you know any golf enthusiasts that could possibly hire you as a golf caddy? Get in touch with them. Ask them to hire you to be a caddy. You must be ready to walk under the scorching sun while carrying the player's bag and clubs. 

However, you may not be paid as much as other caddies because you may not be in a position to offer all the services other caddies offer. For example, you may not be able to offer golfers moral support or the advice they need while playing. But it’s still a viable way to make extra cash.

Even so, avoid seeking caddy jobs from golf companies, as they may be unwilling to hire a 13-year-old. 

Deliver Newspapers

Do you own a bike and want to use it in a way that gives you good money? Start delivering newspapers. 

Not only can this become a reliable source of income for you after 13, but it can be a connection point with people who could hire you to do other jobs. For example, while delivering a newspaper, you could see a bushy yard that you could ask to trim and earn money. 

What’s more? You must can not only deliver newspapers in the morning, but you can  deliver them in the evening after leaving school as well. It depends on what agreement you have with the client.

Review Calls with Humanatic

Have you ever tried making a call to a company’s customer care after buying a product or paying for a service? Do you remember being notified that your call would be recorded to ensure quality service? 

Well, there are people hired to listen to the past conversations made on calls to determine if the services rendered were as per the companies’ set standards.  

You can apply for such jobs as a 13-year-old. Beware these jobs may not pay that much based on which company you’re working for.

However, there’s nothing required beyond listening to the calls and reviewing them. It could also turn out to be fun when you listen to dramatic calls. Besides, you can review calls from home or an office.

How Can A 13-Year-Old Make Money Online?

Maybe you only want to work from the comfort of your home. Whatever the reason, a 13-year-old can make money working online through these tried and true ways:

• Designing T-shirts
• Starting a blog
• Starting a YouTube channel
• Being a virtual assistant on social media
• Self-publishing your own books
• Starting a shop on Etsy
• Transcribing
• Holding online classes

Design T-shirts

Did you know that you can design T-shirts online?  To be successful in designing T-shirts online, settle on one niche. 

Image Source: Pexels: Photo by kira schwarz from Pexels

Choosing a niche makes you an expert, and many people start to identify you with that niche. As a result, they may start marketing you to others – if they love your work. 

A few tips would be of help before starting out. For example:

Know Your Interests and Passion

While you aim to make money as a 13-year-old, I wouldn’t recommend picking a highly profitable niche if you don’t have any interest in it. Having a passion for that niche makes it incredibly easy to excel. 

So, be cautious about your passion and interests before starting. 

For example, if you’re a cartoon enthusiast, you could design T-shirts with cartoons on them. 

Use Templates

Templates such as those on Canva simplify online T-shirt designing. This also means you spend less time designing several T-shirts. 

What’s more? With the available custom designs, it’s possible to make unique t-shirts designs that would earn you a decent income. 

Do Dropshipping

You don’t have to print out the T-shirts yet if you don’t have any customers. All you need is to learn how to dropship. Here’s how it works.

Once clients show interest in your T-shirts and they make payment, make arrangements with the printing companies. Share the design with them; once they’ve printed the T-shirt, ask them to ship directly to the clients. 

Large printing networks, such as Printiful, could help as they offer print-on-demand services. You may also try out Printify.  

If possible, design T-shirts for both genders and people of all ages and sizes to broaden your market. 

Start a Blog

Many kids out there have started blogs, even at 13 years old. A good example would be Alex Know It All, who is probably 13 today. Though she started her site at 7, she is an excellent example of kids who have started blogs.  

Seek inspiration from kids who own blogs and start one today.  All you need is money to buy hosting and a domain name.

You could use your name as a domain name, for example, Jenniferbrown.com, or choose any other that you like. 

Image Source: Pixabay

Discuss the plan of starting the blog with your parents or guardians and ask them to help you with the initial cost to pay for hosting and domain name.

How much you’ll need depends on the hosting company you choose. While some are expensive, others are considerably affordable.

Here are the hosting companies you could consider:

• Namecheap
• SiteGround
• Bluehost
• HostGator
• Hostinger

I suggest you avoid the pricey ones since you’re just starting. 

Some of the ways to earn from your blog include affiliate marketing, display ads, direct ads from companies, or selling your own products.

Start a YouTube Channel

Youtube is one of the best ways you should consider when looking for ways to make money working online as a 13-year-old. Surprisingly, as long as you’re sharing educational information, you could attract fellow teenagers and their parents. 

Consequently, you could attract a huge audience to your channel when making live streams, which you can then monetize through sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or even selling your own products.

If you doubt yourself, feel challenged by EvanTubeHD’s channel, which is making over $1.3 million annually! What’s more? He is only 13 years old, like you!

If you still don’t believe it, check the current number of people viewing his live stream, which (as of now) started only 2 hours ago – 893! 

Screenshot Source: YouTube

Kids (if not adults) have started commenting on the right-hand side. Surprisingly, the 13-year-old has 745k subscribers. 

So, what’s stopping you from starting your own channel as a 13-year-old? 

Be a Virtual Assistant On Social Media

Do you spend countless hours on social media chatting with other teens? How about you turn social media into a source of income? 

Being a social media enthusiast means that you can respond to many inboxes and comments in a day. That’s what most companies are struggling to do – even the small businesses around your home. 

However, each of these businesses understands the power of social media and would gladly appreciate any help that would:

• Make their profits skyrocket
• Create brand awareness
• Keep their social media pages active 
• Respond to (potential) buyers and convince them to make sales 

Approach any business owner you know and ask them to hire you as their virtual assistant. As traffic on their social media increases, ask them to increase your pay too.   

Self-Publish Your Own Books

How about you self-publish a book? Books, just like blogs, are a great way of expressing yourself as a 13-year-old. Besides, you can also write about pets, family members, and school life. 

Thankfully, you don’t have to publish the book – simply self-publish your book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). 

Image Source: Pixabay

So, there would be no need to get hard copies unless you want them. Why? There are more than 197 million people visiting Amazon every month to buy products. Why couldn't it be your book?  Self-publish today. 

Open a Shop On Etsy

While Etsy doesn’t allow accounts to be managed by anyone under 18 years, a 13-year-old can create an account as long as it is owned by the parents/guardians. 

Nothing restricts you from selling whatever you want on Etsy since it’s a marketplace for selling anything you can think of making, including both digital and physical products. 

You can sell calligraphy, pet accessories, jewelry, fidget spinners, and more. To make the most out of Etsy, consider selling your products during holidays. 

Unfortunately, when selling on Etsy, you must part with 6.5% (effective as of April 11, 2022) of your sales in Etsy charges. Included in the charges is the cost of gift wrapping and delivery.  

You can check the reviewed Etsy fees and payment details.

Transcribe 

Transcription is a great way of making money as a 13-year-old. Nonetheless, if your payment will be channeled through PayPal and other international modes of payment, you might have to use your parents' details to create an account. 

Unlike most jobs listed here, transcription needs several skills before starting. For example, you should have:

• Ability to listen to all details carefully
• A fast typing speed to make good money in one hour or per audio

While sites such as AccuTran Global hire teens to do transcriptions jobs, you must be fluent in English. However, fluency in English is only a must when handling English audios. For others, you should be fluent in the language used. 

Be ready, though, for one-hour audio – you may spend about 5 hours transcribing if you’re just starting. Some take up to 10 hours! 

Don’t fret yet! There are typing tests you can undertake to increase your speed. 

They include:

• The Typing Cat
• Typing.com

Image Source: Unsplush

Some of the tools you’ll need to kick-start your transcription business include:

Hardware

• A tablet or computer
• High-quality headphones: Buy headphones that cancel background noise to keep your ears safe.
• Infinity USB Foot Pedal: You can use it to control audios using the feet.

Software

You may find certain software helpful including: 

• Audio Enhancer
• DFX Audio Enhancer

Speech recognition software might also be helpful, such as: 

• Braina Pro
• Dragon Naturally Speaking 
• Transcription Audio player
• Express Scribe: For personal computers or Mac

Flip Products Online

Most teens, as well as adults, are only familiar with flipping items offline. That's the old school way! Digital flipping means selling products online. 

You can flip anything you want, for example:

• Websites
• Home appliances
• Furniture
• Bikes
• Branded items such as caps and T-shirts
• Musical instruments

But what is flipping? Flipping is where you buy an item and then sell it for more than you paid. For example, you may buy a motorcycle at only $7,000 but sell it at $10,000. 

Flipping online has several pros, for example:

• You reach many people within a short time.
• There’s less effort involved.
• If you polish and paint furniture, you could make incredibly huge profits. 
• You don’t need a physical shop.

Like every other business, flipping items online has some cons:

• You can buy a fake product unknowingly.
• Capital is needed since you only flip what you have.
• Some items might need repair before flipping.

To make huge profits as a 13-year-old teen, you must:

• Be able to identify items that are worth more than their market price.
• Have a camera to take photos, if necessary.

Where can you source items for flipping?

• Families who want to get rid of old assets
• Thrift stores
• Garages
• Assets your parents no longer use
• Churches trying to get rid of old chairs or musical instruments such as keyboards 

Now that you already have in mind what you can flip, where do you sell your products? 

You can sell your products anywhere, including, 

• eBay
• Your Facebook page
• Facebook Marketplace
• Facebook flipping pages
• Craigslist

Complete Surveys And Other Small Tasks

Various companies are always sending out surveys to collect data that can help them improve their services. And guess what? Some of these paid surveys are available to teenagers.

Besides completing an online survey, some companies like SwagBucks and InboxDollars will require you to complete small tasks such as watching videos, watching ads, reviewing a film, or play a video game.

While most paid surveys pay you in cash, others could pay you with a gift card or credits that you can redeem. Other survey sites that may be willing to work with teenagers include:

• Survey junkie
• Idle-Empire
• SurveyTime
• AppKarma

How To Make Money As A 13-year-Old at Home

Stay home with your parents or guardians while still making money as a 13-year-old. Oh, the joy of playing with your siblings and learning a few more skills from your parents as you help them out! 

There are many jobs you can do at home. For example, 

• Yard work
• Babysitting
• Disposing of your parent’s old items on their behalf
• Doing house chores
• Helping in the family business
• Pet walking
• Washing family cars

Yard Work

Yard work can be time-consuming. Therefore, busy moms and working dads may not have enough time to do yard work. They would gladly accept hiring you to do yard work around their house.

Such tasks could include raking, blowing leaves, or mowing the grass. After every successful job, ask the client if you could do the same job for them every weekend or at the end of the month (depending on which job you’re doing). 

Image Source: Pixabay

Impressed clients would likely agree to it. Sadly, yardwork is only suitable for areas where homes are surrounded by yards.

Babysitting

According to a tracking app RoosterMoney, baby sitting is among the most lucrative jobs since it’s one of the jobs that makes teens accountable. 

Will Carmichael, who is the CEO of RoosterMoney,  says that it’s a lucrative job because parents view babysitting as a job with a higher level of responsibility. 

Besides, Carmichael says that it’s common with older kids. Therefore, babysitting isn’t for nannies and moms alone. As a 13-year-old, you can do it easily. While it’s not a task for everyone, teens who love playing with kids can be great at it. 

So, if you love being around kids, arranging the toys for them or feeding them, babysitting could be your best way of making money as a 13-year-old. 

Dispose Of Your Parent’s Old Assets On Their Behalf

If your parents are planning to dispose of assets they no longer use, ask them to give you the job of selling or marketing them. Let them know that you’re looking for ways to make money as a 13-year-old and that’s one way that could help you raise some cash.

This would be a good idea if you’re a social person who interacts easily, even with strangers. However, if you have a big number of followers on your social media pages, you could market or make sales easily. 

Don’t worry if you want to use social media to market your parents’ or guardians’ assets. Create an excellent post, add a call to action, then boost your post. Not only will you create awareness within a short span of time, but you’ll also make sales – even in a single day! 

Do House Chores

You can’t ask your guardians to pay for every other chore you do at home. Not possible! But it makes sense to ask them to pay for jobs they pay others to do. For example, cleaning the windows, removing cobwebs, or organizing the bookshelves and shoe racks.

Most of these jobs aren’t regular. Sometimes your parents only want them done over the weekend. Negotiate with them. Be respectful when negotiating on the pay – they’re your parents or legal guardians. 

Help In The Family Business

If your parents or guardians have a family business that has no age requirement, ask them to give you a payable task. 

Depending on the type of business your family does, you would help with jobs such as: 

• Typing and printing
• Customer service representative (send and receive emails on behalf of the family business, make and receive calls)
• Filling vital documents
• Data entry

If you don’t have any of the above skills, start by offering menial jobs, such as cleaning the premises and arranging the shelves. 

Pet Care

In most cases, pet care services include ensuring the yard is free of pet poop, playing with the pets, taking them out to swim, and ensuring they’re clean. 

Most pet owners have busy schedules, and they don't have enough time to exercise their pets. With most of them know the benefits of exercising a pet, they would consider hiring a 13-year-old to walk or petsit in their absence. 

Image Source: Pixabay

For simple tasks, such as walking a dog, you can dedicate about one hour after school for that.  Be cautious, though – this could be a risky job, especially when walking an aggressive dog. Ensure that the pet is well leashed to avoid attacking people, which could eventually get you into trouble. 

During school holidays, you can add the number of services you offer. For example, you can offer pet training and cleaning services. The rule of thumb is to offer services other pet care providers aren’t offering. It becomes easy to charge more. 

Offer Car Washing Services

According to the Rooster's CEO, a car washing service is among the best, top-paying jobs. Surprisingly, he explains that since car washing is among the big physical jobs, kids earn high amounts. 

Moreover, dealing with people’s cars is a high-risk job – hence, car washing wages are high. 

So, if you haven’t thought of car washing as a way to earn money as a 13-year-old, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. 

Seasonal Ways On How to Make Money As A 13-Year-Old

If you still need to consider more jobs or if none of the above works for you, try out these seasonal jobs for a 13-year-old. 

• Pool maintenance
• Hanging Christmas lights or removing them
• Shoveling snow

Pool Maintenance

After winter, pools need maintenance. So, as soon as summer kicks in, let your neighbors know that you can vacuum their pools, clean tiles, and test the water chemistry. 

You could also skim and brush your client’s pool. 

Still, you can add the necessary chemicals into the water to balance the pH.  You may not get high pay if you don’t have:

• The appropriate skill
• Education
• Many years of experience 
• Certifications

Hanging Christmas Lights or Removing Them and Wrapping Gifts

Christmas comes once a year, but there are many decorations to put out during this time. A lot of gift wrapping, too. No family wants to be left out. 

It becomes easy to get at least one or all of these jobs:

• Hanging Christmas lights
• Removing Christmas lights
• Wrapping gifts for loved ones during Christmas 

The competition could be stiff, though. Offer exceptional services to win clients. Let them know why they should hire you and not another 13-year-old.

To know how much to charge, factor in the following:

• Demand and current competition
• Location
• Amount of time involved in the labor
• Your level of experience
• Amount of money you need to buy the material for the decorations
• The size of the Christmas tree

Shovel Snow

Though shoveling snow involves other jobs, such as snow throwing and blowing, this is a well-paying job.

Before winter approaches, post on social media pages or spread the word that you can help with shoveling snow. Better still, create posters so that even passers-by read them. 

To ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities, add your contact or email address so that any potential clients can get in touch with you.

Avoid pushing away clients with exaggerated prices, though. Also, be available when called to shovel snow. 

Offering great services when shoveling snow would make your clients hire you for landscaping tasks, which come after snow removal. 

How Can A 13-Year-Old Make Money At School?

Charitable jobs are common in school, but you want to earn money. You can make money by: 

• Tutoring students
• Preparing school meals

Tutoring Students

Are you good at certain subjects that other kids in your class aren’t good at? Great! Start making money as a 13-year-old. 

Tutoring students is particularly good if you have been awarded for being the best in your class or school. Or, if you were declared the best student after a math or science contest, consider tutoring others.  Avoid frustrations by tutoring only what you’re good at.

Image source: Pixabay

People have a way of identifying others with what they’re bad at or good at. Expect the same – after a couple of days, the whole school will have nicknamed you in regards to your services. 

A few preparations would be necessary, though:

• Set a rate
• Choose a venue for holding the classes
• Create a timetable for your students
• Evaluate yourself – how well do you know the syllabus?

To start, offer discounts. For example, offer a discount to the first 10 students to join your class. Also, allow students to ask you questions away from your class at no cost. 

Answering their questions could win them into your tutoring class. 

Preparing School Meals

Feeding teens in school can be a difficult thing to do because they have diverse tastes for different meals. You can tell by what they say about what they expect to eat at school on that day.

Some will say the food isn’t enough. Others find it too little to make them full, while others feel it’s too cheap for them. 

Living in their midst means you understand their pain points and can deliver to their satisfaction.

Before you start:

• Decide which foods to cook, preferably what isn’t available in the school
• Know how much you need to get started. Ask your parents to help you start off if you don’t have enough money yet
• Create a menu based on the weather conditions
• Start advertising your business using flyers, social media, and word of mouth

Wrapping Up

And that wraps up my guide on how to make money as a 13-year-old. Who knew there could be so many ways to make a few dollars? Don't limit yourself as a teen. On the other hand, nothing comes on a silver platter – you have to work hard to live a debt-free life. 

As Mary Hunt says, you start to spend your money wisely when you work hard as a teen instead of misusing it. 

Consequently, debt-free living becomes possible and easy all your life. You can also help your siblings (if any) to have the same.