Making money as a teenager has never been easier. Gone are the days of settling for a minimum wage part time job at local fast food restaurants, or waiting until you reach a certain age or education level to meet a company’s basic hiring requirements.
Thanks to the internet and the emergence of the gig economy, making at least $500 per month with a side hustle is an attainable goal for any teen with ambition and a good work ethic.
From online surveys to pet sitting to a delivery business, here are 30 side hustles for teens to earn a few extra bucks — or some serious extra cash.
Best Side Hustles for Teens
1. Start a Blog
A blog is simply a regularly updated online journal or informational website about a specific topic. It’s your very own website that you have complete control over, with information usually presented in reverse chronological order, and the content written with an informal or conversational style.
As a blogger, you can build an online presence around your passion or interests, hone your writing skills, explore new ideas, and possibly make a little bit of extra money through Amazon Affiliate Marketing or GoogleAdsense, subscriptions, and product offerings.
How to Get Started
To get started as a blogger, you must first choose a platform. There are free options, as well as some that come with start up costs.
Popular blogging platforms include Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress. Some of these platforms will include hosting, but there are some website builders that require a separate hosting platform.
Once you’ve selected your platform and host, the next steps of starting a blog are:
- Finding the right niche
- Selecting a blog name and domain
- Designing your blog
- Writing your first post
- Setting up a calendar
- Promoting your blog
- Monetization
2. Start a YouTube Channel
A YouTube channel has the potential for being a great side hustle. But, like blogging, there is a lot of competition. The good news is, you don’t need any money to get started. All you need is a phone with a camera, a microphone, and access to the internet — then you can start creating and posting videos on your own YouTube channel.
How to Get Started
To get started, create a YouTube account and follow the steps for setting up your channel and posting videos.
The YouTube studio offers creators a number of different tools and tutorials to help guide you through the process. Your channel will qualify for monetization once you’ve reached 1,000 subscribers and your channel has earned at least 4,000 hours of public watch time.
3. Try Live Streaming
If you are a teen who has dreams of being a content creator and making money online, live streaming on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Live, Instagram Live, or StreamYard can be a great way to build your brand.
Content creators often use various channels to distribute their content — blogs, YouTube channels, live streaming — it can all be done simultaneously to build your online business. There is actually software available like wave.video that allows you to stream to multiple channels simultaneously.
To earn money as a live streamer, options include paid subscriptions, affiliate marketing, brand sponsorships, viewer donations, ad revenue, and merchandise.
How to Get Started
To get started live streaming, all you need is a camera, a microphone, an internet connection, and the right software to start broadcasting.
You’ll need to connect the audio and video sources that are capturing your streaming content to your laptop or PC, configure the encoder, connect the encoder and streaming platform, test your connection and speed, then start streaming away.
4. Sell Your Products & Crafts on Etsy
Etsy is a creative online marketplace for artists and crafters to sell handmade creations, vintage goods, and crafting supplies. This can be a lucrative side hustle for teens if you select the right niche, the right products, and promote your Etsy shop to drive sales.
There are some startup costs associated with an Etsy store, but it’s an easy way to start your own business and it can turn into a great way to make extra money.
How to get started
Setting up a shop on Etsy is easy and free. Simply create an account, set your shop location and currency, choose a shop name, set up a payment method and a billing method, and start creating listings. Of course, you also have to have products to sell — which must be handmade or digital items designed by you.
5. Freelance Writing
If you have a talent for writing, booking gigs as a freelance writer can earn you some extra cash. Every word on the internet must be written by someone — everything from blog posts to news articles and instruction manuals to product descriptions.
Freelance writers produce all types of content across all industries, but many choose to specialize and offer their freelance services in a specific niche.
Of course, you need excellent grammar and spelling skills to be a freelance writer, and you must be able to write in the format dictated by your clients. You also work virtually, so you’ll need a laptop, a business email account, a writing program, and photo editing software. Other freelance writer must-haves are a bank account and an online payment service account like PayPal.
Most clients pay by the word, and you can set your own hours, earnings goals, and work in your free time.
how to get started
To find freelance writing jobs, begin by creating a portfolio. Set up a website to showcase your work, and start offering your services on sites like Fiverr or applying for remote freelance writing jobs on Indeed.
6. Teach Music
If you are a teenage musician, consider teaching music as a side hustle. You can give private piano or guitar lessons — or whatever instrument you can play at a competent level — either in person or virtually.
You could pair teaching music with starting a YouTube channel or blog about the topic, and find a few regular clients online instead of being limited by geography and local demand.
how to get started
To find clients, promote your music lessons on social media and advertise your services at school. Talk to the music teachers at your school and let them know you are interested in finding clients. This kind of side hustle is all about networking and promoting your services.
7. Become a Tutor
If you have a special interest or passion for a particular subject at school, becoming a tutor could be the perfect side hustle for teens.
Earn money by the hour for simply sharing your knowledge and guiding someone else through the subject and assigned lessons. One of the best things about tutoring as a side hustle is that you can set your own schedule and hourly rate.
How to get started
To find tutoring clients, talk to your guidance counselor at school to get pointed in the right direction. You can also contact the teachers who teach the specific subjects you are interested in offering your tutoring services for, as they may be your best source for potential business.
8. Manage Social Media Profiles
If you love social media and know how to produce fresh content, your perfect side hustle could be managing social media profiles. A social media manager’s job is to curate and manage a person, group, or company’s online presence, usually across multiple platforms.
Whether you are hired by a content creator, influencer, or local business, being a social media manager can help build a client’s online presence and attract new customers. Social media management plays a big role in staying connected with customers on a daily basis..
how to get started
Make sure your own social media accounts are looking good and some of your posts are engaging before you create your CV and attempt to start finding clients. The best places to find work when you are starting out include Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal, and freelancer.com.
9. Take Online Surveys for Cash
Companies and brands across the globe are always seeking out consumer opinions to help with product development and marketing. With that in mind, there are legitimate online survey sites that actually do pay for you to share your thoughts. Completing online surveys as a side hustle simply consists of giving your opinion and answering questions about a variety of topics.
The caveat is to just be careful about which sites you choose because some of them are scams. Remember, there’s no reason to share your credit card information in order to start taking surveys. If you are asked for any financial or sensitive personal information before you can take the surveys, get away from that site.
On a legit site, most paid surveys are usually worth between $0.25 to $5.00, but the rate does depend on the needs of the market research firm. On some sites, you can find surveys paying up to $20 or more – depending on how detailed the survey is.
how to get started
Look for legitimate paid survey sites online and sign up to get started. Some of the most popular are Swagbucks, Lifepoints, InboxDollars, and SurveyJunkie.
You can make some extra cash — approximately $100 to $250 per month — depending on how much time you put into it and how many surveys you complete. The more surveys you complete, the more money you make.
10. Design T-Shirts
One of the easiest and most popular hustle ideas for an online business is to design and sell t-shirts. Thanks to graphic design software like Canva and the dropship business model available on sites like Shopify and RedBubble, creating an online store and designing and selling t-shirts and other products can all be done with just a few bucks, some free time, and a laptop.
The challenge with this kind of side hustle is finding customers because they won’t just automatically show up once your store goes live.
Chances are, you’ll need to do some advertising for your products. And, you should do extensive research about niche markets and products before you get started.
How to get started
To get started designing t-shirts, create an account on a dropship site like Shopify and a graphics site like Canva. You must design your images and create the products yourself because you can’t use copyrighted or trademarked material.
These sites are very user-friendly and easy to navigate, but there are plenty of video tutorials available online if you need some extra help.
11. Website Testing for Money
If you are internet savvy and have good communication skills, website testing for money could be a great side hustle. Website testing is a way for companies to determine how user-friendly their site is.
They want to know about navigation, design, content, clarity, and the overall user experience. Businesses don’t want to lose customers over a bad website, so this feedback is valuable.
Most website tests take somewhere between 5-25 minutes to complete, and the pay rate is around $10 per test.
How to get started
To get started in website testing, sign up on sites like Checkealos, Enroll, and Ferception to receive assignments.
12. Sell Photographs as Stock Photos
Stock images are in high-demand because they are a vital creative resource for most online businesses. To sell your own photographs as stock photos, this side hustle requires the proper photography equipment and a talent for taking quality photos.
To make the most money from your photos online, sell them as stock images under a royalty-free license. You will maximize your earnings from repeatedly licensing your image instead of selling it outright..
How to get started
To get started selling stock photos and videos online, submit them to a stock photo agency like Photocase, Shutterstock, or iStock by Getty Images.
13. Become an Influencer
An influencer is someone who is extremely popular or has a high level of authority within a particular field or industry. They usually gain their following because they have significant experience, success or expertise in that field.
But as a teenage influencer, you’ll probably have to focus on something like gaming, lifestyle, sports, movies & TV, food, or fitness.
Becoming a social media influencer combines multiple side hustles for teens into one. This requires building a significant following on a site like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and/or Twitter, which means you’ll need to be a social media manager, YouTuber, blogger, and live streamer all at once.
Different types of influencers:
- Nano-influencers: 1,000-10,000 followers
- Micro-influencers: 10,000-50,000 followers
- Mid-tier influencers: 50,000-500,000 followers
- Macro-influencers: 500,000-1,000,000 followers
- Mega influencers (celebrities): Over 1,000,000 followers
How to get started
The first thing to do when you have the goal of becoming on influencer is to determine your niche. Choosing a niche allows you to put your entire focus on just one area, which makes it easier to establish your “authority” and attract an audience.
Choose the right social media platforms to grow your audience, develop a content strategy, have a clear opinion, engage with your audience, and consistently post. How successful you will be is determined by content quality, platform strategy, and the amount of work you put into it.
14. Babysitting
Childcare is needed in every neighborhood in America, and babysitter services can be one of the most lucrative side hustles for teens. It’s not uncommon to get paid $20 bucks per hour in cash, and if you’re good at what you do you will always have work opportunities.
Before you babysit, you should learn basic safety and first aid, and how to respond to common emergencies. Learning how to deal with the following situations is also helpful:
- Major tantrums and refusal to cooperate
- Getting locked out of the house
- Minor cuts
- Choking
- A child running off
How to get started
There are many ways to find work as a babysitter. Start networking by letting your family members and friends with small children know that you are available. You can also volunteer to care for children you know to get some experience and build your resume. Also, check with your school to see if they know of families in need.
There are apps like SitterCity and Care.com that connects parents with babysitters, but you must be at least 18 to join.
15. Help the Elderly with Tech
Helping the elderly with tech is a simple side hustle where you teach older citizens how to use new technology. They might need help learning things like a smartphone, computer, or app, how to stream, or how refill prescriptions online — things that teenagers know how to do but are a challenge for the elderly.
How to get started
To get started in this field, apply to sites like Teeniors. They connect tech savvy teens with older adults via video call to help coach them through all of their tech issues. You can do one-on-one coaching or group classes, at a rate of $15 per hour.
If you are under 18, you will need a parent or guardian for the orientation and interview to help fill out the paperwork.
16. House Cleaning Jobs
Cleaning houses can be a great side hustle for earning extra money. Advertising is easy, it is scalable, and it doesn’t take a lot of money to start.
How to get started
To get started in the house cleaning business you’ll need a vacuum and some cleaning supplies, plus a phone that you can take calls and receive messages on. You’ll also need to advertise both online and door-to-door.
Print a few hundred business cards or small flyers (this can be done for less than $50) and pass them out in your neighborhood and at local apartment complexes. For every 500 you hand out, you might get 2 or 3 phone calls. These jobs can lead to referrals, and help you scale your business.
You can also create a business page on Facebook and Google and build a website, learn some SEO skills, and generate leads online.
17. Pet Care Services
If you are a dog or cat lover, pet care services — like pet sitting and walking dogs — are in high demand in just about every American neighborhood. The demand increases during popular vacation seasons and during the holidays.
Outside of the basic services, you can also offer things like pet photography, pet blogging and social media management, pet party planning, and pet grooming.
How to get started
You can take advantage of this high demand for pet services by starting a small business that offers to walk dogs during weekends and holidays. Advertise locally by handing out flyers and business cards, and posting them on community bulletin boards at pet stores and adoption centers.
The great thing about this side hustle is that you can charge your own rates for your pet care services, and only accept the jobs that you are interested in. You can use a website like Rover to find clients, but you must be at least 18.
18. Washing Cars
Washing and detailing cars can be a lucrative side hustle for a teenager. You can start small and then scale the business as you gain clients. To get some training on how to clean and detail a vehicle, there are how-to videos all over the internet.
How to get started
To get started, you’ll need a vehicle so you can travel to clients, basic car/tire/engine cleaning chemicals, towels, and access to water. Advertise your services with your friends, family members, local businesses, your local church, and post about it online.
As a beginner, you’ll want to keep your prices low (around $50 for a full interior/exterior cleaning) so people will give you a chance. As you gain experience and a clientele, you can raise your prices, increase your resources and mobility, and turn it into a full-time business.
19. Deliver Newspapers
Daily and weekly newspapers are still delivered in cities and towns all across the country, and that means delivery jobs are still available as a side hustle.
This job will require you to pick up your assigned bulk of papers at the distribution center, then roll and bag or rubber band each copy before heading out on your route.
How to get started
Contact your local newspaper to find out about delivery options in your area. You will need transportation for this job, and early morning availability. The pay will be based on your route, how many days per week you work, and the number of papers delivered.
Just remember, some publications require that you commit up to seven days per week. You won’t have control over your hours or your earnings.
20. Provide Lawn Care Services
Do you have access to a vehicle, lawn mower, weed eater, and blower? If so, providing lawn care services could be the perfect side hustle for the summertime.
An average hourly rate for mowing lawns is $50. As you gain experience and improve your service quality, that rate can easily go up. To land your first clients and get your business started, you can always offer a discounted rate.
How to get started
Start by posting your services and rates on social media and let your circle know that you are starting a lawn care business. Print out flyers, then target a few neighborhoods and go door-to-door handing them out. With this kind of business, face-to-face is always better than online marketing.
21. Wait in Line for Money
Some people hate waiting in line so much that they will pay other people to do it for them! If you have the patience, standing in line for an extended period of time could be a legit side hustle where you can earn extra money in your spare time. This is a flexible gig that requires absolutely no skills or training, which is the best kind of side hustle.
But, you don’t have to just stand there and wait to get tickets to a show or for the release of the latest iPhone or gaming console. While you’re earning money for waiting, you can do things like study, listen to a podcast, or binge your favorite TV show.
How to get started
There are a few apps and websites to look into for line-standing opportunities. Some of the most popular websites for finding line sitter jobs include TaskRabbit, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter. The busiest times are around the holidays and Black Friday, making it easy to earn extra money during that time of the year.
If it’s a popular event, like an iPhone or Playstation launch or a chance to meet a celebrity, you can easily charge $50-80 per hour for your time. If you are standing outside in bad weather, you can charge even more.
22. Deliver Food & Groceries
Everything is delivered these days, especially food and groceries. That means numerous delivery services and apps are hiring independent contractors who are looking to make some extra money.
However, this might not be the best side hustle option for a teenager because Walmart Spark, Postmates, and DoorDash won’t let you deliver unless you are 18. And, the minimum age for Amazon Flex is 21.
How to get started
If you are 18 and have a vehicle, you can get started delivering food and groceries by signing up for Walmart Spark, Postmates, InstaCart, and DoorDash.
After a background check — and confirming that you have a vehicle and car insurance — you will be able to use the respective apps to start earning money right away. You can work whenever you want, and as many hours as you want.
23. Paint Houses for Cash
A great side hustle for teens that always has work available is painting houses for cash. Whether it’s a new build or an older home that needs freshened up, finding work in the house painting business is relatively easy.
How to get started
To get a house painting side hustle started, all you need is some basic painting skills and equipment. To get some training, check out one of the many online courses or tutorials that can teach you the basics of painting. Then, you can start marketing yourself as a painter.
Set up a business page on social media, and check out your local neighborhoods to scout any prospective clients that you could leave a business card with.
24. YouTube Video Editor
If you are interested in video production and editing, a YouTube video editor is one of the best side hustles for teens out there. With software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, you can help a YouTuber save hours each week by editing their videos.
How to get started
Learn the editing software you have access to with a few online tutorials, and then start reaching out to your favorite YouTubers and offering your services. You can start with a test video at a discount rate to show them your skills, and that could book you plenty of steady work.
25. Sell your Old Clothes and Other Stuff
Selling your old clothes and other stuff is easy to do with sites like Facebook Marketplace and apps like OfferUp and PoshMark. But, you don’t have to stick to selling just your stuff as a side hustle.
Retail arbitrage — finding low priced items in local retail stores, garage sales, and thrift shops and selling them for a higher price online — has become a popular money-making side hustle. It’s easy to get started and doesn’t cost much, but sourcing products can be time consuming.
How To get Started
Start by going through your closet — or visiting a garage sale or thrift store — and buying your first couple of items. Take photos of the items you want to sell and post them with clear, well-written listings across various online marketplaces and apps.
You’ll need to create seller accounts for most of those sites, and have a way of accepting payments and paying fees with a bank account, debit card, credit card, or online payment processor like PayPal.
26. Work as a Lifeguard
The classic summertime side hustle for teens is working as a lifeguard. It’s usually low-stress, outdoors, and you can earn up to $20 per hour sitting by the pool. The certifications to become a lifeguard do vary by state. Generally, you must:
- Be at least 15 years old.
- Have the ability to swim 300 yards continuously using the breast or front crawl.
- Tread water for 2 minutes using only the legs.
- Complete a timed event.
- Be able to surface dive to a depth of 7 to 10 feet to retrieve a weighted object.
How to get started
Lifeguards are in high demand. Finding a job at the local pool or rec center probably won’t be too difficult, depending on where you live. You’ll need to become CPR certified and go through First Aid training before you can start working, which usually costs less than $300.
27. Referee Sports
If you love baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, football, lacrosse, or any other team sport, consider sports refereeing/umpiring as a side hustle. As long as you have a basic understanding of the sport and can handle the physical demands required, you can get started.
Many youth sports for elementary school children do promote refereeing at a young age, but those positions are often for volunteers and aren’t paid. For high school leagues and older, you must be at least 18 to be a referee or umpire.
This is not a high-paying gig, but you can earn a few dollars each game. And, if you enjoy it, it’s possible to become a professional referee and make a career out of it.
How to get started
The National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) is the leading resource for sports officiating, so check them out for all of the basic requirements for each sport.
Your local association should help you make contacts to get games. You can also reach out to the local Little League and Parks & Rec Department. After working youth games, you may be able to move up to higher levels of competition. For junior high games, contact your school district.
High school games require you to work with the local association. You must be registered through your state for any work with sanctioned school games.
28. Shovel Snow for Cash
Many people who have a lawncare side hustle will turn that business into shoveling snow for cash in the winter. The only equipment you need is a shovel and good winter gear.
How to get started
Start by posting your services and rates on social media and let everyone know that you are in the snow shoveling business. Print out flyers, then target a few neighborhoods and go door-to-door handing them out before a storm hits.
29. Flipping
Flipping doesn’t require any special business skills or experience, making it an attractive side hustle. Just like retail arbitrage, the basic premise of flipping is to find products you can acquire cheaply and sell at a high price.
Popular flipping items include:
- Clothing
- Vintage Jewelry
- Furniture
- Sneakers
- Appliances
- Baby Gear
- Lawn Equipment
- Vintage electronics
How to get started
You can find cheap (and sometimes free) things to flip absolutely everywhere — in dumpsters, sitting on the curb, in thrift stores, and at flea markets. You can even source items from friends who are decluttering their houses.
Sell your flipped products online via Facebook Marketplace, eBay, NextDoor, PoshMark, Craigslist, or Amazon. You can also create a website and share your products on social media, but you don’t have to have an official online store to do this.
30. Computer Repair
Put your computer skills to good use by doing computer repair work as a side hustle. Many people can’t handle malware, viruses, or the dreaded blue screen of death, and they need help fixing their device when something goes wrong.
How to get started
To start fixing computers from home, you’ll need knowledge and experience in cleaning, repairing, or replacing hardware and software. You can advertise your services online, and enlist your parents to help market your skills to their friends and colleagues so you can grow your business.
We hope these ideas for side hustles for teens gave you inspiration. From old school ideas like house painting and lawncare to new ones that require an internet connection — like starting a blog and live streaming — there is something on this side hustle list for everyone.