Can a 13-year-old get a job?

Not a regular payroll job at a store or restaurant in most cases. Federal law sets 14 as the minimum age for most non-farm jobs. A 13-year-old can still legally babysit, do chores around private homes, deliver newspapers, act or perform, work in a business their parent owns, and do some farm work with a parent's consent. Your state can add stricter rules on top.

What jobs hire at 13?

Very few businesses hire at 13, because the federal minimum age for most jobs is 14. The exceptions are a family business owned by a parent, acting and performing work, newspaper delivery routes and some farm work. Most 13-year-olds earn through neighbor work instead: babysitting, pet sitting, dog walking and yard jobs for families they know.

How much should a 13-year-old get paid?

It depends on the job. Payscale puts the average teen babysitter at $11.79 an hour, and a new 13-year-old sitter usually starts a bit lower. For yard and pet jobs, agree a flat price per job before starting. A simple floor is the federal minimum wage of $7.25 times the hours the job takes.

What are the best summer jobs for 13 year olds?

Summer is when neighbor work picks up. Families travel, so pet sitting, plant watering and mail collection are in demand, and parents home with little kids hire mother's helpers. Yard work peaks too. Pick two or three regular clients rather than chasing one-off jobs, so the money is steady.

Can a 13-year-old work online?

Most sites that pay people set a minimum age in their terms, so read them with your kid before signing up. Selling crafts through a parent's account or doing paid tech help for relatives is safer than any site that asks a child to sign up and take payments directly.

Do 13-year-olds need a work permit?

For babysitting and odd jobs around homes, no. For acting, performing or other covered work, many states require a work permit or entertainment permit for minors. Check your state labor department, because where state law is stricter than federal law, the state rule applies.

By the Penny Time editorial team October 4, 2026

Reviewed by the Penny Time editorial team

Part of our Earning hub.

Jobs for 13 Year Olds: What Is Legal and What It Pays

A 13-year-old can't take most store or restaurant jobs yet, because federal law sets 14 as the minimum age for most work. But they can legally babysit, pet sit, do yard work for neighbors, deliver papers, and work in a parent's business. Babysitting pays best: the average teen sitter earns $11.79 an hour (Payscale, 2026).

TL;DR: At 13, the money comes from neighbor work, not payroll. Babysitting runs about $8 to $12 an hour for a new sitter, dog walks around $5 to $10 each, and yard jobs are priced per job. At 14, regular jobs with hour limits open up.

What jobs can a 13-year-old legally do?

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the federal child labor law. It says kids under 14 can't work most non-farm jobs. But some work is exempt at any age. The US Department of Labor lists delivering newspapers, acting and performing, working in a business owned by a parent, and "minor chores around private homes or casual baby-sitting."

Farm work is separate. A 12- or 13-year-old can do farm work outside school hours with a parent's written consent, or on the same farm where a parent works. Hazardous farm tasks are off limits.

States can be stricter. The DOL's rule is that when state and federal law differ, the stricter one wins. Check your state labor department before your kid takes anything beyond neighbor jobs.

Jobs for 13 year olds that pay: rates at a glance

These are the jobs most 13-year-olds actually do, with what each pays and where the number comes from.

Job	Typical pay at 13	Legal at 13?	Where the number comes from
Babysitting	$8 to $12 an hour (new sitter)	Yes, exempt at any age	Payscale teen sitter average $11.79, range $7.96 to $19.77
Mother's helper (parent stays home)	Below a babysitting rate	Yes	Less responsibility than solo babysitting
Dog walking	$5 to $10 a walk (typical range)	Yes, informal neighbor work	Care.com: adult walkers start at $16.43 an hour; kids charge less
Pet sitting and feeding visits	$5 to $10 a visit (typical range)	Yes, informal neighbor work	Same Care.com rates, shorter visits
Mowing, raking, weeding, shoveling	Priced per job, at least $7.25 x hours	Yes for hand work; supervise power tools	Federal minimum wage as a fair floor
Newspaper delivery	Varies by route	Yes, exempt at any age	US DOL; routes are rare now
Parent's business	Set by the parent	Yes, if non-hazardous	US DOL
Farm work	Varies	Yes, with parent consent, outside school hours	29 U.S.C. 213(c)(1)
Store, restaurant, fast food	Not yet	No, opens at 14	US DOL

"Typical range" rows are our estimate for a 13-year-old, built from the adult rates cited. Kids usually charge less than adult pros, and rates vary a lot by city.

Babysitting at 13

Babysitting is the best-paying job at this age, and it's legal everywhere under federal law. The Red Cross designs its in-person Babysitter's Training course for ages 11 to 16, so 13 is a normal age to start. A course is also the easiest way to justify a higher rate. Our guide to babysitting for 13 year olds has a readiness checklist and the safety rules to set.

Start with shorter daytime jobs for families you know, ideally while a parent is nearby. Payscale's teen babysitter range runs from $7.96 to $19.77 an hour, so a brand-new 13-year-old sits at the low end and moves up with experience. To get an exact hourly rate your kid can quote with confidence, try our free babysitting rate calculator. It adjusts for age, experience and the number of children.

Pet sitting and dog walking

For kids who like animals, this is the most steady work. A neighbor who needs a daily walk while at work can mean five paid walks a week. Care.com puts adult dog walkers at $16.43 an hour and up. A 13-year-old charging $5 to $10 a walk is cheaper than a pro, which is the selling point.

Summer and holidays are peak season, when families travel and need someone to feed pets, water plants and bring in the mail.

Yard work and seasonal jobs

Yard jobs change with the season: raking leaves in fall, shoveling snow in winter, weeding and watering in summer. They are priced per job, not per hour, so help your kid estimate the time first. A fair floor: $7.25 an hour, the federal minimum wage, times the hours it takes. A two-hour leaf job is worth at least $15.

Hand tools are fine. Power mowers and trimmers need an adult's OK and supervision, especially at 13.

Working in a family business or on a farm

If you or your partner owns a business, your 13-year-old can work in it, as long as the work isn't hazardous (no manufacturing, mining or dangerous machinery). Filing, cleaning, stocking shelves and helping at a market stall all count. Pay them a real, agreed rate and write it down. It teaches them the same lesson as an outside job.

On farms, 12- and 13-year-olds can work outside school hours with a parent's consent. Hazardous farm jobs still need the worker to be older.

Safety rules before the first job

Only work for families you or a trusted adult already know. No strangers' homes, and no jobs found through public online posts.
You know the address, the hours and the client's phone number before your kid leaves.
Your kid has a charged phone and a check-in plan, like a text on arrival and on leaving.
The price and the payday are agreed before the work starts, not after.
No power tools, ladders or pools without an adult present.

What changes at 14

At 14, regular jobs open up: stores, restaurants, offices and camps. Federal rules limit hours for 14- and 15-year-olds to 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours in a non-school week. Work has to fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 to Labor Day. If your kid is close to 14, our guide to jobs for 14 year olds covers the next step. For younger siblings, see jobs for 10 year olds.

Turn the first earnings into a money lesson

The first money your kid earns is a good time to talk about saving. Before the first payday, agree on a split, like a set share to savings and the rest to spend. Then let them spend the rest how they like, including on things you'd skip. A bad $20 purchase at 13 is a cheap lesson compared with blowing a paycheck at 17.

If you also pay an allowance, decide whether it stays the same now that they earn. Our allowance for a 13-year-old guide has the 2026 numbers.

Penny Time is a free app for this stage. You set an automatic allowance, you can add money your kid earns to their balance with a note, and your child can watch that balance and take on money quests on their own phone or tablet.

Educational only, not legal advice. Child labor rules vary by state; check your state labor department for the rules where you live.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

: Not a regular payroll job at a store or restaurant in most cases. Federal law sets 14 as the minimum age for most non-farm jobs. A 13-year-old can still legally babysit, do chores around private homes, deliver newspapers, act or perform, work in a business their parent owns, and do some farm work with a parent's consent. Your state can add stricter rules on top.
: Very few businesses hire at 13, because the federal minimum age for most jobs is 14. The exceptions are a family business owned by a parent, acting and performing work, newspaper delivery routes and some farm work. Most 13-year-olds earn through neighbor work instead: babysitting, pet sitting, dog walking and yard jobs for families they know.
: It depends on the job. Payscale puts the average teen babysitter at $11.79 an hour, and a new 13-year-old sitter usually starts a bit lower. For yard and pet jobs, agree a flat price per job before starting. A simple floor is the federal minimum wage of $7.25 times the hours the job takes.
: Summer is when neighbor work picks up. Families travel, so pet sitting, plant watering and mail collection are in demand, and parents home with little kids hire mother's helpers. Yard work peaks too. Pick two or three regular clients rather than chasing one-off jobs, so the money is steady.
: Most sites that pay people set a minimum age in their terms, so read them with your kid before signing up. Selling crafts through a parent's account or doing paid tech help for relatives is safer than any site that asks a child to sign up and take payments directly.
: For babysitting and odd jobs around homes, no. For acting, performing or other covered work, many states require a work permit or entertainment permit for minors. Check your state labor department, because where state law is stricter than federal law, the state rule applies.

Raise kids who understand how money works

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