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How old do I have to be to make money
I'm in the 6th grade and want to make money #money
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5 answers
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Shay’s Answer
There's no required age to make money, it's just a matter of what you can do. Some companies hire at age 14, some at age 16, and from there it goes into education and qualifications. In your case, here are ways that I would recommend making money:
-Babysitting, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, or other common neighborhood tasks that some homeowners don't want to do themselves
-Selling items online: there are several sites and ways to sell online such as Ebay, Amazon, LetGo, and even through any social media. You could sell items that you no longer need.
-Starting a business: this one is a lot easier said than done. But it doesn't have to be a corporation or LLC. You could do something simple like starting a lemonade stand, becoming a DJ, or setting up tutoring services for younger kids in the community.
-Babysitting, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, or other common neighborhood tasks that some homeowners don't want to do themselves
-Selling items online: there are several sites and ways to sell online such as Ebay, Amazon, LetGo, and even through any social media. You could sell items that you no longer need.
-Starting a business: this one is a lot easier said than done. But it doesn't have to be a corporation or LLC. You could do something simple like starting a lemonade stand, becoming a DJ, or setting up tutoring services for younger kids in the community.
Cherie Stueve
Financial Counselor, Financial Coach, Financial Educator
2
Answers
Alameda, California
Updated
Cherie’s Answer
Le'Sya - This is a great question! You have many different ways you can make money being in the 6th grade.
Your state probably will not allow you to work for another company, due to your age. You may want to research at what age you can work for a business in your town. That business has to abide by the laws of child labor. Some states have younger ages than other states.
If you have a family member that owns a business, they might be interested in hiring you to help with some safe tasks.
If your parents need help around the house, you might ask them for opportunities to earn a little more money by taking on more responsibilities. The job might be one time, liking cleaning out the garage and organizing it this weekend. The job might be ongoing like mowing the yard or pulling the weeds in the flower beds.
Many of your neighbors might like to have a reliable and hardworker for help around the house. I know we would love to hire a helpful set of hands when we are spreading mulch, cutting old limbs and bushes, moving rocks, etc. You don't have to have special skills, but just the ability to listen to instructions, work hard, and ask questions. You will need to let your neighbors know you are available to help with a project and your rate of pay. One challenge for you might be that some jobs don't sound very interesting (like moving a load of dirt from the driveway to the backyard), but you might need to take the uninteresting jobs to prove yourself and get more customers. I always told my kids that you do 80% of the not-fun work to get the 20% fun work!
You can also think about your special skills and talents. Do you know how to help someone with their computers or smart phone? Do you play an instrument and could offer a special birthday song?
Finally, most of the jobs that youth are able to do are lawn mowing, snow removal, babysitting, pet sitting, and house sitting. If you do not have experience with these types of jobs, your family or extended family might be willing to let you start with them for free or a low pay. Then you can show that you understand how to mow a yard well, and can let your neighbors know you are willing to help them when they go on vacation with their yard, bringing in the mail, watering plants, etc.
Once you are well-known for a hardworker that listens to instructions, you will receive referrals to other people from your satisfied neighbors.
Best wishes!
Think about what it means to you to earn more money and what that looks like to you.
Ask your parents for a meeting to listen to your goal of making money & ask for their ideas.
Brainstorm how you can help neighbors (within walking distance) with inside and outside chores.
After speaking with your parents, make up a flyer about the types of chores you are interested in doing and your rate of pay to give to neighbors.
Tackle each opportunity as if it's the most important job in the whole wide world to build up a good reputation!
Your state probably will not allow you to work for another company, due to your age. You may want to research at what age you can work for a business in your town. That business has to abide by the laws of child labor. Some states have younger ages than other states.
If you have a family member that owns a business, they might be interested in hiring you to help with some safe tasks.
If your parents need help around the house, you might ask them for opportunities to earn a little more money by taking on more responsibilities. The job might be one time, liking cleaning out the garage and organizing it this weekend. The job might be ongoing like mowing the yard or pulling the weeds in the flower beds.
Many of your neighbors might like to have a reliable and hardworker for help around the house. I know we would love to hire a helpful set of hands when we are spreading mulch, cutting old limbs and bushes, moving rocks, etc. You don't have to have special skills, but just the ability to listen to instructions, work hard, and ask questions. You will need to let your neighbors know you are available to help with a project and your rate of pay. One challenge for you might be that some jobs don't sound very interesting (like moving a load of dirt from the driveway to the backyard), but you might need to take the uninteresting jobs to prove yourself and get more customers. I always told my kids that you do 80% of the not-fun work to get the 20% fun work!
You can also think about your special skills and talents. Do you know how to help someone with their computers or smart phone? Do you play an instrument and could offer a special birthday song?
Finally, most of the jobs that youth are able to do are lawn mowing, snow removal, babysitting, pet sitting, and house sitting. If you do not have experience with these types of jobs, your family or extended family might be willing to let you start with them for free or a low pay. Then you can show that you understand how to mow a yard well, and can let your neighbors know you are willing to help them when they go on vacation with their yard, bringing in the mail, watering plants, etc.
Once you are well-known for a hardworker that listens to instructions, you will receive referrals to other people from your satisfied neighbors.
Best wishes!
Cherie recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Darin’s Answer
There is absolutely no age requirements for making money. A kid can start making money by doing simple chores and earning an allowance from their parents or doing small tasks for neighbors like babysitting or yard work. Now to get employment that's up to the place of employment and what each individual states and labor laws say the minimum age they let minors work is
Updated
Aditi’s Answer
There's no age requirement for making money! There are many different ways to earn money at a young age. While you may not be able to get a job in certain industries until the age of 14 or 16, you can certainly make money elsewhere, taking up jobs around the house and asking for allowance from chores. You could also open a lemonade stand or start a similar business like that. This will teach you a lot about business and give you a great experience!
Updated
Will’s Answer
There is no age minimum or maximum to make money. One important aspect of having money is being able to save money. If you make $20 from cutting someone's lawn but spend $20 at the ice cream parlor, then you end up with $0. So even if you really liked that ice cream and you really worked hard for that $20, you end up with zero money unfortunately. Be smart at saving money, and then you will be able to have more money!
Hey Will, good advice. Do you have any ideas on how a 6th grader can make/save money?
Gurpreet Lally, Admin