Can a 13 Year Old Get a Job? Rules, Work Options, and What They Can Charge

Thirteen-year-olds can’t take traditional jobs, but they can earn money with tasks like babysitting, yard work, and pet care. This guide outlines legal limits, job ideas, and suggested rates for teens working with neighbors, family, or friends.

By Brad Nakase, Attorney

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Ideas for Jobs for 13-Year-Olds
3. Summary

Introduction

Labor rules restrict traditional work opportunities at 13. Young teens can still find lots of employment options, though. A list of occupations for 13-year-olds is given in this guide, along with an estimate of how much each occupation would pay.

The question “Can a 13-year-old get a job?” is one that many curious & motivated young teens and their parents often ask.

The FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) in the USA places 14 years as the legal working age for non-agricultural occupations, and it places severe restrictions on the kinds of labor and hours that people below 16 can perform. Possibilities at 13 are restricted to occupations like yard work, pet care, and babysitting that are obtained through friends and family.

If you’re wondering, “Can a 13-year-old get a job?” the answer is yes, just not in traditional 9-5 jobs.

Important Takeaways

  • Thirteen is too young for employment in typical jobs.
  • Family enterprises and some agricultural labor are the only jobs that hire people at the age of 13.
  • The most suitable employment for a thirteen-year-old is one that they can acquire from their neighbors, friends, and family.

That said, “Can a 13-year-old get a job?” Yes—if they explore the right paths. Here’s how.

Ideas for Jobs for 13-Year-Olds

There are basically few jobs that hire people at 13. The only viable possibilities are working on a farm, performing light farm labor, or at a family company. That does not preclude 13-year-olds from working, though. A 13-year-old has many options for employment among friends, relatives, and neighbors.

For 13-year-olds who want to start working, we have compiled a list of fantastic careers. To guarantee that you will be asked to return for additional work, constantly remember to give your best effort. It will be difficult for you to get further work if your work is badly done or incomplete.

1. Babysitting

Babysitting is an age-old job among teenagers. There are many families that need trustworthy individuals to take care of their children on a weekend basis or mostly in the evenings. Young babysitters can find a source of employment via friends, neighbors, or relatives. There are times when parents want someone to guard a sleeping baby as they go to do something, or they want a place to leave a small child temporarily. You may volunteer to babysit kids at your place or at that of kids, depending on the scenario.

The typical wage (hourly) of a babysitter is between $5 and $10 (and sometimes per kid). Rates may vary depending on the number of kids, as well as their age and activities.

Cleaning up while you are there is an extra step you may take to distinguish yourself from the other babysitters and possibly earn a little extra cash. Sweeping, counter cleaning, and dishwashing are all excellent ways to go further up and beyond.

2. Pet services

13-year-olds can find a lot of work in the pet services industry. Additionally, this is an excellent way for animal lovers to make money.

  • Bathing and Grooming Dogs: Cleaning and brushing dogs can be quite a bit of labor, and they can get odorous. Once a month, you can provide grooming and bathing services. To wash and brush a dog, you can charge between 5 and 20 dollars, depending on the size of the dog and the kind of hair.
  • Walking Dogs: Dogs need to walk and exercise, but at times, pet owners cannot walk their dogs for some reason. For $5 to $10 per dog each day, you may offer to take them for walks. The payout depends on the dog’s size.
  • Picking dog poop: Although people love their pets and want to take care of them, they may not like the process of cleaning after them. Offer your services to clean the yard of some people within the neighborhood at $5 to $10 a week, depending on the size and number of dogs they might be keeping.
  • Litter box changes: For $5 to $10, you may offer the service of clearing out litter boxes once a week, much like you would with dog cleanup.
  • Pet sitting: Locating someone to look after a pet while folks are gone might be challenging. It may be quite profitable to provide a trustworthy pet-sitting service. Inform your neighbors that you may watch their beloved pets at their house or in yours.

3. Yard Work

One more area with lots of fantastic options for a 13-year-old kid is yard services, particularly in the spring & summer. It’s a great way to spend time in outdoor settings.

  • Pulling Weeds: Gardening and flowerbed maintenance is a lot of effort. Weeds are constantly sprouting. You may request to pluck weeds once every week for $5 to $20, based on the scope of the flowerbeds or garden.
  • Mowing Lawns: Like weeds, grass grows constantly and needs weekly upkeep to keep it looking great. You may charge $10 to $20 a week to mow lawns, based on the size of the yard.
  • Raking Leaves: This is a seasonal, short-term job that many people want, but it may be quite hard. $5 for each huge trash bag filled with leaves is a simple method to charge for this.
  • Snow shoveling: This is another task that comes with the seasons, though depending on where one lives, this may be a task that is very labor-intensive, especially with shoveling snow off the roadsides and the driveways. Depending on the size of the sidewalk or driveway, you can charge as little as $1 to $20 every time it snows to shovel.

Hope the answer to the question, “Can a 13-year-old get a job?” is clear now. You need to select a profession thoughtfully, responsibly, and creatively.

4. House Work

Teens may offer cleaning services to their neighbors, families, as well as friends. Time management and attention to detail are skills this work teaches.

The hourly wage for housekeepers can range from $10 to $20. The rates can be determined by the extent of the work and the contract that was signed with the homeowner.

  • Home cleaning: The act of cleaning the house may entail dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and cleanup of the restroom, among others. In a family, there are a lot of jobs to be done, and they should be done. According to the size of the property and the number of spaces, you may offer to undertake one or all of those duties for $5 to $10 each.
  • Trash: On trash day, you may provide a special service by bringing garbage cans to the curb and ensuring that they are returned once they have been emptied. This is a weekly requirement that is simple to overlook. Bins might be taken to the curbside and returned for $5 a week.

5. Car services

  • Car Washing: You can place a car cleaning station in your clients’ driveways or provide mobile car wash services to wash automobiles at their houses. Depending on the size and level of dirtiness of each automobile, you may charge $5 to $20.
  • Car Detailing: It is just the cleaning of the interior. It is very detailed in nature and thus slightly more complicated and takes more time. You want it to appear spectacular. Depending on the size and level of dirtiness of each automobile, you may charge anywhere from $10 to $30.

Summary

There are still plenty of jobs available for 13-year-olds, despite the fact that they face limits in regular employment. Smaller teens have the ideal opportunity to brainstorm and come up with unique ideas to find employment around the house and community, since labor rules prohibit small children from working. “Can a 13-year-old get a job?” Definitely, with the right job types and boundaries in place.

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