How To Make Money As A Teenager List (19 Legit Ideas That Actually Work)

A how to make money as a teenager list to get your teenager earning money and learning how to manage it.

Does your teenager have their eyes set on earning extra cash?

Great – send them to this list of ways for teens to make money.

It’s up to date and has specific pro tips throughout.

I've also categorized them by online cash earning opportunities (we'll start here) and then move to IRL (in real life) ones.

How to Make Money as a Teenager List – Online Cash Earners

I want to take this seriously – treat these opportunities as a “real” part-time job.

And one way you can do that is by downloading this free printable online job tracker for teens.

Talk to your parents, write down a goal (either an earnings goal or what you want to earn money for – such as an item), and keep to your hourly allowed times to work these jobs.

Keep the end goal in sight: you’re online to earn money, not just to play endless games.

Hint: get inspired by filling out this free Earn Your First $100 Tracker.

1. Become an Oppizi Brand Ambassador

Age Requirement: 16+ years

Oppizi lets you get paid to promote companies you likely already use, like Uber, DoorDash, and Amazon.

You’ll do this by signing up for Missions (available through the app), collecting your flyers, and handing them out in specific locations.

Missions last 3 hours, and the pay is $23/hour (plus a $1 – $5 commission for each person who redeems the offer on the flyer).

Payouts are every week.

2. Get Paid to Play Games & Watch Ads

Age Requirement: 16+ years

Wow – I’ve never tried an app (Freecash) where you play games to earn actual cash.

It might sound like a pipe dream from a 9-year-old to earn cash for playing video games…but I can confidently tell you that it exists.

Though you won’t get rich.

Reasons places like this company will pay you to play their video games:

• To test out and report any problems with new game apps
• To get you to watch ads (hint: the ads can be challenging to get out of; wait it out until you see the “X” in the upper right-hand corner)
• In hopes that you’ll make an in-app purchase (hint: some in-app purchases are rewarded by giving you bigger earnings, such as purchasing $3 in a game and getting $4 in earnings – choose these at your own discretion)
• So that you’ll potentially spread the word/ask your friends

And you know what? The first day I tried this one out, I played a really silly game called “Animals & Coins” and a puzzle game called “Color Wood Jam” and earned a total of $6.28.

After 7 days? I’m up over $15 (with no in-app purchases – though I was offered many, many times).

Again, it won’t make you rich.

But after one month, check out my earnings ($92.99!!):

You’ll also have to watch a decent amount of ads as you go along (some of the games allow you to pay to get an ad-free experience).

Pro Tip: Treat this like a job. A fun one, but a job at that. Set parent-approved hours you’re allowed to play each day, set an alert to stop you, and stop playing when the alert goes off. Also, keep track of the amount of time you’re “working” playing these games, and how much you make. On iOS, you can do this by going into your settings>screen time>see all app and website activity>find the game app you were playing (broken down by week, or by day).  

You have to earn a minimum of $20 to withdraw your money, FYI.

3. Earn through MyPoints (Get $2 Just for Confirming Your Email)

Age Requirement: 13+ years

MyPoints has been around for a long time – it’s one of the first survey sites that I ever earned money with as a financial blogger.

And guess what?

As long as you’re at least 13 and have your parents’ permission, you can start earning through them, too!

It's sort of your one-stop-shop for getting paid for all kinds of online activities, such as:

• Taking surveys
• Shopping online
• Playing video games
• Watching videos
• etc.

4. Sell Your Extra Internet Bandwidth

Age Requirement: Under 18? Submit a support ticket stating you’re underage, and have your parents’ permission to download and use this app

I’m so excited about this one – and know you’ll need your parents’ permission to do it.

Honeygain securely uses your unused bandwidth for data intelligence tasks. It runs in the background (only on desktops/laptops), and is completely passive income.

Here’s more info:

You’re paid for every KB of bandwidth shared, and you can cash out once you hit $20.

Psst: In just a few weeks, I’ve earned $3.65 for doing absolutely nothing except installing it.

5. Change Your Internet Browser to One that Pays

Age Requirement: 13+ years

I've used Swagbucks since 2009, and have earned over $3,000 with them (and they pay by PayPal cash, if you'd like, or through cash-like gift options like a Visa gift card).

What's neat is that you can earn this money just by searching the internet, or you can earn even more by participating in surveys.

Hint: you'll need a PayPal account to receive money from some of these – read up on can a parent make a PayPal account for their child.

6. Earn Cash while Playing Video Games

Age Requirement: 13+ years

If your teen is 13 or older and has an Android phone, then they can sign up for MistPlay, a money-making app.

They'll be given video games to test out, and testing earns them units that are redeemable for gift cards like a prepaid Visa gift card.

7. Take Teen Surveys that Pay Cash

Did you know that some companies will actually pay teens per survey that they complete? Here are two to check out:

• Survey Junkie
• SurveyClub

8. Find Bugs in Video Games

Age Requirement: Parental consent form needed

What a cool opportunity that kids of any age can do (as long as their guardian signs the parental consent form).

Your child can get paid to find bugs in software, between €1-5 (around $1-$5). 

When they sign up, they can take the Entry Test (optional) to familiarize themselves with what a test looks like and how to use their platform.

Training is also available at The Bird School, too!

Hint: Testbirds works with the currency Euro, but you can get paid in U.S. Dollars through PayPal.

9. Creating Roblox Digital Games

Alex started creating his own Roblox games within the Roblox platform that others could play when he was 9.

As a teen, he created a game called Jailbreak, and it really took off.

People can play the game for free, and then they can pay to upgrade things within the game, like their car. When someone buys an upgrade with Roblox currency, they can cash it out.

Alex actually ended up funding his college education from this game!

Here’s another story of a teen getting a $3 million buyout from his soccer-themed Roblox game.

Here’s a beginner’s tutorial for how to create your own Roblox game.

10. Find Bugs in Video Games

Age Requirement: 3-15 years (through parents’ account)

I know of few kids who wouldn’t want to make a little extra cash testing out video games (my 9-year-old son told me how he wants to build video games as an adult…I think I’ll have him start with this!).

You can playtest with your child by adding them to your profile (then you’ll receive playtests for them to do themselves).

Earnings aren’t bad, either; they estimate a 15-minute playtest will have a reward of $9.

Upon signing up, your child will need to take an unpaid qualification test that will also help them learn what to do on upcoming playtests.

11. Test Website Usability (Enroll App)

Age Requirement: 13+ years

Kids aged 13 and older can complete usability tasks to help test websites for how usable they are.

You can do these tests on a smartphone, desktop, or tablet. Usability tests take between 30 seconds and 1.5 minutes to complete, and you can earn between $0.10 and $1.50 each.

Compensation is through PayPal, and you can cash out when you reach at least $1.

12. Sell Beats You Create

Age Requirement: 13+ years and parental consent

Have you ever heard of BandLab?

It’s a freemium music creation platform where your child can create their own beats and try to earn some cash.

Right now, they keep 100% of their earnings through this site (WOW, that’s a big difference from the music industry!).

The minimum age requirement is 13, and your child will need parental consent.

How to Make Money as a Teenager List – Online Cash Earners

1. Youth Sports Assistant Referee

Age Requirement: 12+ years

Amazingly enough, teens and tweens as young as 12-14 can start refereeing for soccer games!

Check in with your local government for any leagues that are looking for referees or assistant referees, as well as middle schools and elementary schools…even your high school coach may know of an open position (and may be willing to recommend you for it).

US Youth Soccer even gives out an annual Young Referee of the Year Award!

2. Teen Apprenticeship or Pre-Apprenticeship Program

Did you know there are federally-backed apprenticeship programs that teens can participate in?

For example, here’s an art studio with a teen apprenticeship program that pays $15.00/hr. Not only do you get paid for the work, but you're also getting on-the-job training? It’s paid, as well. Great skills to take with you into young adulthood.

If your teenager completes a program that’s recognized by the government, then they can even get a certificate of completion from the Department of Labor – a great addition to any resume.

Here’s how to find a high school apprenticeship program near you.

3. Sneaker Restoration & Deep Cleaning

People spend a lot of money on sneakers at this point in time. And they want them to last, and have that brand-new look to them.

15-year-old Antonio Davis saw an opportunity while very, very bored during 2020 and started a sneaker restoration and deep cleaning business in his parents’ basement.

Not only does he deep clean, de-scuff, and otherwise make sneaker owners’ shoes shine again, but he also occasionally buys quality sneakers from thrift shops and restores them to sell.

Find his pricing and lots of photos on his Instagram.

Also, here’s a video on how to start a sneaker restoration business.

4. Camp Counselor

Most teens look for these positions during the summer – and that’s a great time for them. But don’t forget that there are also week-long camps during spring break, over the holidays, and even weekend camps.

And if your teen gets in for a short term and shows the camp that they have what it takes to work there, then they might get ahead of the competition for a summer camp counselor position. 

Check out the local YMCA, and search for local camps to get started.

5. Paid Internship

The two types of internships are either a) a paid position or b) a non-paid position.

Seek out paid internship opportunities.

A few places to get your teen started on their search:

• Paid Science Internships for High School Students
• Urban Alliance Paid Internships database
• List of High School Internships (paid and unpaid)

Also, check out paid teen apprenticeship positions (see above).

6. National Parks Youth Program

Your teen can work in a National Park through their youth program, starting at the age of 15.

Choose one of these teen cash-earning opportunities to get started with, and make sure you and your parents are on the same page when it comes to the hours you can work and the platforms you're allowed to use. You also want to be very clear about how much you're earning, so track that, and then you can make wise decisions about how to use your time to earn more cash moving forward. Good luck!