In this article
To make money as a teenager in the UK, you have three honest routes: get an employed part-time job from age 13 with a council work permit, start a self-employed micro-business (no minimum age), or earn online through tutoring, content and reselling. Below are 27 real ideas grouped by age, plus the legal and tax basics every UK parent and teen needs to know.
Key Takeaways
- 13-15: max 12 hrs/week in term time, work permit needed from your council
- 16-17: most jobs allowed except pubs, betting shops and heavy industry
- £12,570 personal allowance + £1,000 trading allowance = most teens pay zero tax
- Self-employed routes (tutoring, reselling, pet care) have no minimum age
- Vinted, Depop and Etsy require parent supervision under 18
- The biggest earners turn a side hustle into a tiny real business
"How can I make money?" is one of the most-searched questions by UK teenagers, and one of the worst-answered. Most lists you'll find online are recycled American advice (lemonade stands, mowing lawns for the neighbours, paper rounds that barely exist anymore) - or vague get-rich-quick promises that don't survive a real conversation with HMRC.
This guide is different. It's UK-specific, legally accurate for 2026, and built around three age groups: under 13 (informal earning only), 13-15 (work permits and self-employed micro-jobs), and 16-18 (most jobs open). Let's go.
The quick answer (for if you're in a rush)
The fastest legal way to earn as a UK teenager depends on your age:
- Under 13
Sell crafts/baking at family or school events, do odd jobs for relatives. No formal employment allowed.
- 13-15
Apply for a council work permit, then look at light part-time work (newspaper round, café help, retail). Or self-employ: tutoring, pet sitting, reselling clothes.
- 16-17
Most jobs open up: retail, hospitality, supermarkets, apprenticeships. National Minimum Wage applies (£7.55/hr from April 2025).
- 18
All jobs legally open. National Living Wage applies. Best moment to start a real business with a bank account in your own name.
UK work rules by age (the bit nobody explains properly)
Before any job offer, both teen and parent need to know these rules. They come from the Children (Protection at Work) Regulations and apply across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with small local variations.
Minimum age for employed work: 13 in most council areas. A few councils (mainly in Scotland) require 14. Always check your local authority's young workers page.
Work permit: Required for every 13-15 year old in employment. Your employer applies through your school, then the council issues the permit. Free.
Hours - term time: Up to 12 hours per week. Max 2 hours on a school day, max 5 hours on Saturday (8 if 15+), max 2 hours on Sunday.
Hours - school holidays: 13-14: up to 25 hours/week, max 5 hours/day. 15-year-olds: up to 35 hours/week, max 8 hours/day.
Time of day: No work before 7am or after 7pm. Never during school hours.
Forbidden jobs (under 18): Pubs, betting shops, scrap metal, factories, kitchens with sharp/hot equipment, door-to-door sales after 7pm.
Self-employment: No minimum age. A 10-year-old can legally sell crafts, but cannot sign contracts - a parent/guardian must do that.
Your local council's website is the source of truth. Search "[your council name] child employment permit".
Tax-free allowance basics
Good news: most UK teenagers pay zero income tax. Two HMRC allowances do most of the work:
- 1
Personal Allowance - £12,570/year. Everyone gets this, regardless of age. You only start paying income tax once you earn above this in a single tax year (April to April).
- 2
Trading Allowance - £1,000/year. If you earn from self-employment (crafts, tutoring, reselling), the first £1,000 is completely tax-free and you don't even need to register with HMRC. Only register once you cross £1,000 in a tax year.
The smart move: keep a simple spreadsheet of every pound earned and every pound spent on the business from day one. Our Profit Calculator does this automatically.
How to make money at 13, 14 and 15 (England, Scotland, Wales & NI)
How to make money at 13 in England (and the rest of the UK) comes down to two routes: a council work permit for employed jobs like a paper round or Saturday shop shift, or self-employed micro-work like dog walking, tutoring or reselling - which needs no permit at all. The same applies at 14 and 15, with slightly more weekly hours allowed. Mix and match: the strongest earners pair one stable income (paper round, Saturday shift) with one self-employed micro-job they actually enjoy.
Classic, quick to start. Needs work permit.
Bakery, florist, garden centre, pet shop. Permit required.
Self-employed, no permit. Start with people who know you.
Spring & summer goldmine. Door 5 neighbours with a hand-written card.
Year 6 SATs maths or KS2 English are the easiest entry points.
Start with your own outgrown clothes. Charity shop flips next.
Hair clips, friendship bracelets, baked goods, candles.
Permit needed. Often pays cash and teaches sales fast.
Long-game. Builds skills monetisable later.
How to make money at 16 (UK) and 17: the proper jobs open up
From 16, the working world opens up. How to make money at 16 in the UK is mostly about choice rather than permission - supermarkets, cafés, retail chains and apprenticeships will all hire you, and the National Minimum Wage for under 18s is £7.55 an hour (April 2025). At 17 the same rules apply, plus you can become a company director and open a junior business bank account ready for your 18th birthday.
Supermarket / retail (Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Primark) - £7.55-£9/hr
Café, coffee shop or fast-food crew - £7.55-£10/hr + tips
Babysitting (NSPCC recommends from 16) - £8-£12/hr
Lifeguarding (RLSS NPLQ qualification, 16+) - £10-£14/hr
Cinema, theatre or events crew - £8-£11/hr
Apprenticeships (earn while you learn) - £7.55+/hr from age 18 month 13
Freelance design / video editing on Fiverr - £5-£50/job
Freelance social media management for a local business - £100-£400/month per client
Selling a real product on Etsy or your own Shopify - Fully variable - £50 to £2,000+/month
Coaching younger kids in a sport you play - £10-£20/hour
Make money the smart way, not the hard way
Anyone can do odd jobs for an hour's pay. Module 1 shows you how to price properly, find repeat customers and build something that keeps earning after you stop working. Free, about 20 minutes, no card.
Online & digital: 8 ways to earn from your bedroom
These work from any age (with parent supervision under 18) and reward the willingness to start rough and improve fast - the same instinct that powers every founder we feature.
Reselling on Vinted, Depop or eBay
Parent's account if under 18. Start with your wardrobe, then charity shops.
Print-on-demand (Redbubble, Teespring)
Upload designs once, earn whenever someone buys. Long tail income.
Selling digital templates on Etsy/Gumroad
Notion templates, study planners, Canva templates. Low overhead.
Writing & selling Kindle ebooks
Niche guides for hobbies you know inside out. Lifetime royalties.
Tutoring online via Tutorful or MyTutor
MyTutor accepts university students; Tutorful is more flexible.
User-testing apps (UserTesting, TestingTime)
Most platforms require 18+, but a few allow 16+.
Building tiny apps or websites for local businesses
AI tools mean you can prototype in hours. Perfect for tech-curious teens.
Becoming a small content creator (TikTok/YouTube/IG)
TikTok Creator Rewards from 18, but build the audience now.
Summer jobs in the UK
The six weeks between July and September are the single best earning window of the year. UK businesses actively hire seasonal teen staff - especially in tourism, hospitality and outdoor events.
Strongest summer roles in 2026:
- ✓
Holiday park crew (Haven, Butlin's, Pontins) - 16+, often live-in
- ✓
National Trust seasonal cafés and shops - 16+
- ✓
Festival stewarding via Oxfam Stewards - 18+, free festival ticket
- ✓
Beach kiosks, ice cream vans, mini-golf, crazy golf - 13+ with permit
- ✓
Holiday club / activity camp assistants (PGL, Kingswood) - 16+
- ✓
Local farm shops & pick-your-own - 13+ with permit
- ✓
Garden centres in spring/summer rush - 16+
Apply in February to April, not June - the best seasonal roles are filled by Easter.
Turn a side hustle into a real business - £29 lifetime
The Trailblazers track (15-18) walks teens through MVP, pricing, marketing and pitching. All courses included for one £29 payment.
- All 4 age tracks (6-18)
- AI tools + worksheets
- Badges & certificates
- Lifetime updates
Kid businesses that make money (and keep paying)
Here's the part most "teen money" articles skip. The kid businesses that actually make money aren't the ones working the most hours - they're the ones who turn a £20-a-week side hustle into something that scales. Think reselling shops on Vinted, custom Etsy print-on-demand, tutoring rosters, baked-goods stalls at local markets, and small Shopify brands - all started by under-18s in the UK.
"The best teen earners aren't the ones with the longest shifts - they're the ones who turn one good idea into something that earns while they sleep."
Grace Beverley started TALA selling a few gym leggings as a teen at uni. Issy Granger built her gold and silver jewellery brand from her bedroom at 19. Both started messy. Both started small. Both used the same playbook:
- →
Validate first - 10 sales beat 100 likes
- →
Know three numbers: cost, price, profit
- →
Reinvest the first £100 into better materials or marketing
- →
Build an audience even if you have no product yet
- →
Treat every "no" as data, not rejection
Read our deeper guide: From Side Hustle to Real Business: A Teen's Guide.
Your next step (pick one, do it this week)
Reading lists doesn't pay. Doing one thing this week does. Pick one:
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Go deeper
The Trailblazers course (15-18) builds a real business with you, week by week.
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The skills you build right now - knowing your numbers, finding customers, handling a knockback - will be paying you back for the next 50 years. Start small, start rough, but start. Need proof it works? Every one of the UK female founders in our directory started exactly here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the youngest age you can legally earn money in the UK?
There is no minimum age to run your own small business in the UK, so even a 10-year-old can sell crafts at a school fair. For employed work, the legal minimum age is 13 in most council areas, with strict rules on hours. From 13-15 you need a work permit from your local council. From 16 you can work most jobs but not in pubs, betting shops or industrial settings until 18.
How many hours can a 13, 14 or 15 year old work in the UK?
During term time: a maximum of 12 hours per week, no more than 2 hours on a school day or Sunday, and up to 5 hours on a Saturday (8 hours if you are 15+). During school holidays: 13-14 year olds can work up to 25 hours per week, 15 year olds up to 35 hours. You cannot work before 7am or after 7pm, and not during school hours.
Do teenagers pay tax on money they earn in the UK?
Everyone in the UK has a tax-free Personal Allowance (£12,570 for 2025/26), so most teenagers pay no income tax. If you are self-employed (selling crafts, tutoring, freelancing) you only need to register with HMRC once you earn over £1,000 in a tax year thanks to the Trading Allowance. Keep simple records of income from day one.
What are the best ways for a 13 year old to make money in the UK?
The best options are self-employed micro-jobs that don't need a work permit: pet sitting, dog walking, washing cars, garden help, baking and selling at school fairs, reselling pre-loved items on Vinted or Depop, tutoring younger children, and running a tiny YouTube or TikTok side project. Babysitting is recommended only from age 16 by NSPCC guidance.
Can teenagers under 18 use Vinted, Depop or eBay?
Vinted's terms require users to be 18+, but younger teens can use the platform with a parent's account and supervision. Depop allows users from age 13 with parental consent. eBay requires the account to belong to someone 18+. The simplest and safest route is to set up a shared account with a parent or guardian.
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