For students
How to make money as a teenager
You don't need a job to make your first hundred dollars. You need one small problem, one person who has it, and the nerve to ask.
Start here
A job is not the only way
Most people your age look for a job, get told to come back at sixteen, and stop. The other route is to find one small problem near you and solve it for money. It pays sooner, it pays better per hour, and nobody can tell you that you are too young for it.
Pick something you can already do
Not the most profitable idea. The one you could start on Saturday without learning anything new.Decide what you will charge
Look up what an adult near you charges for the same job, then start a little under it. Never leave the price out when you ask.Tell five people you know
Not a post. Five actual people, by name, one at a time. This is the step almost everyone skips.Do the first job better than it needed to be
Because the second customer comes from the first one's street, and they will have heard about it.
Costs nothing to begin
Eight you could start this weekend
These need no money up front, because you borrow what you need for the first few jobs and buy your own once someone has paid you.
- Lawn mowingCut grass for neighbours on a schedule they don't have to think about.From age 12 · One weekend, if you borrow a mower.
- Dog walkingWalk dogs whose owners are at work all day.From age 13 · A few days, once one neighbour says yes.
- TutoringHelp a younger student with the subject you're best at.From age 13 · A week, usually through a parent you know.
- Tech help for older adultsPhones, printers, passwords, photos, video calls. Patience is the product.From age 13 · A week.
- Leaf raking and fall cleanupSix weeks of the year when every yard needs the same thing.From age 12 · The first Saturday in October.
- Garden weeding and wateringWeekly upkeep for people who like their garden but not the work.From age 12 · A week.
- Plant and pet sitting while people travelFeed the cat, water the plants, bring in the mail.From age 13 · The next long weekend.
- Posters and flyersDesign for clubs, teams and small businesses using free tools.From age 13 · Two weeks.
The part nobody tells you
The hard bit is asking
Every teenager who has done this says the same thing: the work was easy and the asking was terrifying. It gets easier after the third time and it never gets easier before that. There is no version of this where you skip it.
- Ask someone who already knows you. A stranger is a much harder first no to take.
- Say the price out loud. “I'd do it for $30” ends the conversation cleanly; “whatever you think” starts an awkward one.
- Offer to do the first one and let them decide after. It is a small risk for you and none for them.
- Expect to be told no. Four out of five is a normal week and it says nothing about you.
Send this, word for word
“Hi Mrs. Bennett \u2014 it’s Jordan from two doors down. I’m mowing lawns on our street this summer. I’d do yours for $30, front and back, same day every week. Want me to do this week’s and you can decide after?”
Name, connection, what you do, the price, an easy way to say yes. Five parts, one message.
Questions
The ones people actually ask
- How can I make money at 13 or 14 in Canada?
- Almost every job that pays a 13 or 14 year old is one you make for yourself, because most employers hire at 15 or 16. The fastest route is a small service for people who already know you — mowing, shovelling, dog walking, tutoring, tech help — where the customer pays you directly and there is no application to fill in.
- What is the fastest way to make my first $100?
- Pick one job you can already do, tell five people you know that you are doing it, and name a price when you tell them. Most people who get to $100 do it in a weekend with something ordinary. The thing that takes time is deciding to ask, not the work.
- Do I need money to start?
- No. Around a third of the ideas on this page cost nothing to begin because you borrow the equipment for the first few jobs and buy your own once you have been paid. Never spend money on a business before a customer has said yes.
- Do I have to pay taxes on money I make?
- Money you earn from your own business is taxable income in Canada no matter how old you are, though most students earn well under the basic personal amount and owe nothing. There is no minimum age for filing. See our guide to running a business under 18 in Ontario for what that means in practice.
Anything about licences, taxes or getting paid under 18 is answered on running a business under 18 in Ontario. Launch League is free from age 12.
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All the ways to make money 50 business ideas Getting your first customer