If you’re 13 and eager to start making money, there are plenty of opportunities available—even without a car or a formal job. Whether you want to work online or around your neighborhood, you can turn your skills into cold, hard cash.
Here are 20 ways to make money as a 13-year-old!
📌 1. Take Online Surveys
💰 Potential Earnings: $5 – $20 per week
- Sign up for survey sites like Swagbucks, MyPoints, Survey Junkie, or PaidViewpoint.
- Earn points for answering surveys and redeem them for cash or gift cards.
- You need parental consent and a PayPal account to collect your money.
✔ Tip: Join multiple survey sites to increase your chances of qualifying for more surveys.
📌 2. Offer Online Freelancing Services
💰 Potential Earnings: $5 – $50 per gig
- Sell graphic design, writing, video editing, or voice-over services on Fiverr (minimum age: 13).
- Create logos, write stories, edit videos, or design simple websites for cash.
- No tech skills? Offer services like proofreading, typing, or creating lists.
✔ Tip: Check out Canva (free design tool) to make logos or social media graphics.
📌 3. Become a Social Media Influencer
💰 Potential Earnings: $50 – $500 per post (if you grow your account)
- Grow a following on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube and attract sponsors.
- Companies pay influencers for sponsored posts and product promotions.
- Once you gain enough subscribers, YouTube allows you to monetize your videos.
✔ Tip: Post engaging content regularly and use trending hashtags to get noticed.
📌 4. Self-Publish a Book
💰 Potential Earnings: $50 – $1,000 per book
- If you love writing, publish your own book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
- Write short stories, poetry, or even a kid’s guide on a topic you love.
- Promote your book on social media and at school to drive sales.
✔ Tip: Use Canva to create a book cover for free.
📌 5. Sell Handmade Crafts on Etsy
💰 Potential Earnings: $20 – $500 per month
- Make and sell bracelets, jewelry, keychains, stickers, or digital art.
- Open an Etsy shop (requires parental permission).
- Price your items to cover materials, time, and a small profit.
✔ Tip: Check out YouTube tutorials on DIY crafts that sell well.
📌 6. Flip Items Online (eBay, Facebook Marketplace)
💰 Potential Earnings: $50 – $500 per month
- Sell old toys, video games, clothes, or collectibles on eBay or Poshmark.
- Buy cheap vintage items at yard sales and resell them for a higher price.
✔ Tip: Clean and take great photos of your items to attract more buyers.
📌 7. Organize a Yard Sale
💰 Potential Earnings: $50 – $300 in a weekend
- Sell unwanted items from your home, like books, clothes, and electronics.
- Get friends or neighbors to contribute and split the profits.
- Advertise on social media and neighborhood boards.
✔ Tip: Offer baked goods or lemonade to make extra cash.
📌 8. Do Chores for Neighbors
💰 Potential Earnings: $10 – $50 per job
- Offer to vacuum, clean windows, do laundry, or organize garages.
- Hand out flyers in your neighborhood to get clients.
✔ Tip: Ask which chores people hate most and charge to do them.
📌 9. Work on a Farm (Seasonal Jobs)
💰 Potential Earnings: $8 – $15 per hour
- If you live in a rural area, you can pick fruit, sort crops, or help at a farm.
- Many states allow agricultural work from the age of 10-12.
✔ Tip: Check local farms or farmers’ markets for job openings.
📌 10. Deliver Newspapers
💰 Potential Earnings: $100 – $300 per month
- Many local newspapers hire 13-year-olds for delivery routes.
- Requires waking up early in the morning and delivering papers by bike.
✔ Tip: Check with your local newspaper to see if they’re hiring.
📌 11. Help with a Family Business
💰 Potential Earnings: $50 – $300 per month
- If your parents own a business, you can help with cashier duties, cleaning, or deliveries.
- Family businesses often have flexible work hours for younger teens.
✔ Tip: Ask your parents how you can help to earn money and gain experience.
📌 12. Become a Tutor
💰 Potential Earnings: $10 – $30 per hour
- Help younger kids with math, reading, or foreign languages.
- Promote your tutoring service at schools, churches, and community centers.
✔ Tip: If you’re good at a subject, offer homework help online via Zoom.
📌 13. Babysitting
💰 Potential Earnings: $10 – $20 per hour
- Babysit family members, neighbors, or parents’ coworkers’ children.
- Get CPR-certified to make parents feel more comfortable hiring you.
✔ Tip: Make flyers and advertise on local Facebook groups.
📌 14. Dog Walking
💰 Potential Earnings: $10 – $25 per walk
- Offer dog-walking services for busy pet owners in your neighborhood.
- Walk multiple dogs at once to increase your earnings.
✔ Tip: Print business cards and leave them at a local vet or pet store.
📌 15. Pet-Sitting or House-Sitting
💰 Potential Earnings: $15 – $50 per job
- Watch pets, water plants, or collect mail while homeowners are on vacation.
- Get referrals from friends and ask for reviews to attract more customers.
✔ Tip: Offer overnight pet-sitting for higher pay.
📌 16. Start a Mobile Car Wash
💰 Potential Earnings: $10 – $50 per car
- Wash cars in your neighborhood with just soap, water, and a sponge.
- Offer extra services like vacuuming interiors for higher pay.
✔ Tip: Sell subscription packages (4 washes/month for a discount).
📌 17. Do Yard Work (Lawn Mowing, Raking Leaves)
💰 Potential Earnings: $20 – $100 per job
- Offer to mow lawns, rake leaves, or shovel snow seasonally.
- Charge per hour or per job and offer bulk discounts.
✔ Tip: Create a flyer listing all your services to get more clients.
📌 18. Run Errands for Busy People
💰 Potential Earnings: $5 – $30 per errand
- Offer to pick up groceries, return library books, or drop off donations.
- If you have an older sibling who drives, partner up for more deliveries.
✔ Tip: Charge extra for same-day delivery.
📌 19. Referee Youth Sports
💰 Potential Earnings: $10 – $40 per game
- Referee soccer, basketball, or baseball for younger kids.
- Check with your local community center for openings.
✔ Tip: You may need a short training course to get started.
📌 20. Sell Snacks & Drinks
💰 Potential Earnings: $20 – $200 per day
- Set up a lemonade stand, sell cold drinks, or make baked goods.
- Best locations: Parks, playgrounds, or outside sports games.
✔ Tip: Sell hot chocolate in winter for year-round income.
🎯 Final Tips for Success
✔ Be consistent—show up on time and do a great job.
✔ Always ask for referrals—happy customers will recommend you!
✔ Save some of your earnings—build good money habits early.
💰 What side hustle excites you the most? Start today and start earning! 🚀
