Ready for a name badge and a paycheck with your name on it? Where 15 year olds get hired, how to write a first resume, and what changes with a W-2.
This in-depth guide covers everything you need to know about jobs for 15 year olds: your first real paycheck. Based on verified income data and real-world case studies from our database of 138 side hustle tactics.
At 15 you can hold a real part time job with a paycheck in the US: retail, grocery, offices, some restaurant work, and, once you are certified, lifeguarding at a pool. Federal hours limits still apply until 16, and your state may add its own rules. The big step this year is moving from cash jobs for neighbours to a first employer, which means a resume, an interview and your first W-2.
Fifteen is the year it gets real
At 14, most work is a favour that pays: watching a neighbour's kids, feeding someone's cat. At 15, something shifts. You can walk into a store, ask for a manager, and leave with an application. You can get a name badge, a schedule and a pay stub with your name printed on it.
That first paycheck hits differently. It arrives whether or not you asked anyone for anything. You can buy the phone, put gas money aside for the car you are saving toward, or quietly cover something for your family without telling anyone. Can you picture the day you open that first deposit?
There is also a practical reason to start now. Every month of work experience you collect at 15 makes the next application easier, the next interview shorter and the next pay rate a little better. People who start early are simply further along when everyone else begins.
What the law allows at 15
The federal rules for 15 year olds are the same as for 14 year olds, set by the Fair Labor Standards Act. According to the Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #43, as of 2026, a 15 year old working for a covered employer can work outside school hours only, up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week, up to 8 hours on a non school day and 40 hours in a non school week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). Those limits lift at 16.
What changes at 15 is mostly about who will hire you.
- Lifeguarding opens up. The Department of Labor's YouthRules page for 14 and 15 year olds says properly certified 15 year olds may work as lifeguards and swimming instructors at traditional pools and water amusement parks. The American Red Cross lifeguard training requires you to be at least 15 by the last day of class and to pass a swim test before training starts.
- More employers say yes. Many businesses set their own minimum hiring age above the legal floor. Plenty of stores and restaurants that would turn down a 14 year old will consider a 15 year old, especially for summer work. Policies vary by company and location, so ask.
- Your state may change the picture. Some states require a work permit or employment certificate until 16 or 18, and some limit hours further. The Department of Labor notes that the stricter law applies when state and federal rules differ. Your school counsellor or your state labor department can tell you whether you need a permit.
The hazard rules still hold. The YouthRules page bars 14 and 15 year olds from power driven machinery other than office machines, baking, ladders and scaffolds, door to door sales and most transportation, construction and warehouse work. The Hazardous Occupations Orders keep the most dangerous jobs closed until 18. If you live outside the US, your country's rules will differ, so check them first.
Where 15 year olds actually get hired
The Department of Labor's list of permitted work points you to the right doors.
- Grocery stores. Bagging, carrying out groceries, stocking shelves, cashiering, cleaning.
- Retail shops. Price marking, folding, shelving, register work, greeting.
- Restaurants and cafés. Front counter, bussing tables, cleaning, and limited kitchen work involving food and drink preparation. Baking is off limits, and cooking is restricted to a short list of equipment.
- Pools and recreation centres. Lifeguarding, swim instruction, front desk.
- Offices. Filing, data entry, answering phones, especially at small local businesses.
- Movie theatres, amusement venues and community programmes. Ticket desks, concessions, helping at camps and recreation programmes run by your town.
Here is a useful hint about where young people end up. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics' summer 2025 youth employment release, which covers 16 to 24 year olds, 25 percent of employed youth worked in leisure and hospitality and another 17 percent in retail trade in July 2025. That data starts at 16, but it shows which industries are used to hiring and training first time workers. Those are the doors to knock on at 15.
Which of these places do you already walk past every week? Start there. A manager who has seen your face before is easier to talk to.
Building your first resume with no job history
A blank page is intimidating. The good news is that nobody expects a 15 year old to have a long work history. A first resume is a single page that shows you are reliable, reachable and willing to learn.
What goes on it
- Header. Your name, town, a phone number and an email address that sounds grown up. A first name and last name address is ideal.
- Availability. List the days and times you can work, within the federal limits. Managers read this first.
- Experience. This is where your informal work counts. Babysitting for two families, walking a neighbour's dogs every weekday, tutoring a younger student, helping at a family business. Write each one with dates and one line about what you did: "Walked two dogs daily for a neighbour, Jan to Jun 2026."
- School and activities. Your grade, your school, clubs, sports teams, volunteering, anything that shows you show up on schedule.
- Skills. Concrete ones. Languages you speak, software you use, first aid or babysitting certification, a lifeguard certificate if you have one.
- References. One or two adults who are not family: a coach, a teacher, a family you babysat for. Ask them first.
What to leave off
Leave out your photo, your full home address, your birthday and anything you would not want a stranger to have. Leave off made up job titles too. A manager would rather read "helped at my aunt's market stall on Saturdays" than an inflated title.
If you have nothing for the experience section at all, that is okay. Spend the next month helping two neighbours, then come back and fill it in. Do you have one adult who would describe you as dependable? That person is your first reference.
Applying and interviewing
Most hiring for first jobs happens in two ways: online applications through a company's website, and walking in to ask. Do both.
Walking in. Go at a quiet time, mid afternoon on a weekday, never during a lunch rush. Ask if they are hiring, ask who handles it, and have a copy of your resume ready. Keep it short. "Hi, I'm 15 and I'm looking for weekend and after school work. Are you hiring?"
The interview. Most first job interviews are short and friendly. Expect questions like these:
- Why do you want to work here?
- What hours can you work?
- Tell me about a time you had to be responsible for something.
- What would you do if a customer was upset?
Practise your answers out loud with a parent or friend. Use your informal jobs as stories: the toddler who would not nap, the dog that pulled on the lead, how you handled it. What is one story from the last year that shows you can stay calm?
Follow up. If you have not heard back in a week, call or stop by once and ask politely. Managers remember the applicant who checked in.
The paperwork on your first day
Your first job comes with forms. Knowing them in advance makes you look ready.
- Work permit, if your state needs one. Usually issued through your school or state labor department, often with a parent's signature.
- Form I-9. Every new employee proves identity and permission to work. If you are under 18 and do not have a photo ID, US Citizenship and Immigration Services says a parent or legal guardian may establish your identity, and you would still show a document such as your Social Security card. Employers that use E-Verify need a List B document with a photo, so check with your employer before your first day.
- Form W-4. This tells your employer how much federal income tax to hold back from each paycheck. Ask a parent to help fill it in.
Bring your Social Security card or number and a parent's phone number. That covers most of it.
First W-2 job or self employed income: what is different
This is the step up most 15 year olds do not see coming. Once you have a job with an employer, your money and your neighbourhood money are taxed in different ways.
| Job with an employer (W-2) | Your own customers (self employed) |
|---|
| Who pays you | A business, through payroll | Families and clients, often in cash or by app |
| Tax taken out | Your employer withholds from each paycheck based on your W-4 | Nothing is withheld; you handle it |
| Year end form | A Form W-2 from your employer | Usually no form; your own records count |
| When you must file | Depends on your total income and filing status | The IRS says anyone, including minors, with net self employment earnings of $400 or more must file |
| Extra tax | Social Security and Medicare are usually withheld from your pay | Self employment tax may apply on top of income tax |
| Records you keep | Your pay stubs | Every payment and every expense |
A few things follow from that.
Your W-2 job may withhold more than you owe. If income tax is withheld but your total income is small, you may get some of it back by filing a return. A parent or a free tax help service can walk you through it.
Your side money still counts. If you keep babysitting on weekends while working at a store, the babysitting is still self employment. Keep a log of who paid, when and how much.
Both types count as earned income. That matters for the next section. The site's side hustle tax guide covers thresholds and deductions in more detail, and its post on how much side hustles actually pay is a useful reality check when you compare an hourly job with your own projects.
Keeping a side project going next to the job
A job gives you steady hours. A side project gives you something you own. At 15 you can have both, as long as your schoolwork stays first.
Ideas that fit around shifts:
Most payout tools need an adult. Google, for example, says that under 18s who want to earn from YouTube must link their channel to a parent or guardian's AdSense account, and the PayPal User Agreement requires you to be 18 or your state's age of majority to open a US account. Plan the money route with your parent before you sell anything.
Which matters more to you right now: steady hours you can count on, or a small project that is fully yours? There is no wrong answer, and many people do both for a while.
What to do with the first paycheck
You earned it, so enjoy some of it. Buy the thing. Then think about the rest.
Split it on payday. Decide a percentage to save before the money arrives, so it never feels like you are giving something up. Even a small fixed share adds up over a school year.
Open a Roth IRA with a parent. Because a W-2 job gives you earned income, you can put some of it into an IRA, and a parent can open a custodial Roth IRA for you. The IRS sets the 2026 limit at $7,500 or your taxable compensation, whichever is less. Starting at 15 gives your savings a very long runway. The site's index investing guide explains why simple, low cost funds are where much of this money tends to go.
Learn the money rules your parents were taught, and the ones that changed. The site's piece on why your parents' money advice does not work any more is worth reading together.
Picture yourself at 18 with a resume that shows three years of work, two references who would pick up the phone, and savings you built yourself. How different would your choices look?
What to avoid
Fifteen year olds get targeted because you are actively looking for work, and a fake offer can look like the break you were hoping for. The Federal Trade Commission's job scams guidance is the reference here.
- Job offers that ask for money up front. Training fees, uniform deposits, equipment you must buy first. The FTC says honest employers do not charge you to get hired.
- A paycheck that arrives before you start. A check comes in the post with instructions to deposit it and send part of it on. The FTC flags this as a scam, and the bank will want back what you withdrew when the check fails.
- Requests for gift cards. Any job that involves buying gift cards and sharing the codes is fake.
- Money flipping and "investment" DMs. Someone offers to multiply your paycheck if you send it to them first. Walk away.
- Interviews in someone's home or car, or chats moved to private apps. Real employers interview at their workplace or by a normal video call. Tell a parent where you are going and who you are meeting.
- Jobs that break the hours rules. If a manager asks you to close at 10 p.m. on a school night at 15, that conflicts with federal limits. You are allowed to say no.
- Unsafe tasks. Meat slicers, ladders and driving for deliveries are off limits at 15 for good reason. Saying no to them protects you and the business.
- Burning out on school. Hours that crush your grades cost more than they pay. Keep an eye on it.
If you get caught in something, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and tell an adult you trust. There is no shame in it.
For parents
A first employer is a big step, and a few things help it go well.
- Help with paperwork. Work permits, the I-9 and the W-4 are new to your teen, and you may need to sign or attest to some of them.
- Know the hours limits. The federal limits above are easy to break by accident during busy seasons. Knowing them helps your teen speak up.
- Talk about the two kinds of income. W-2 wages and self employment income are taxed differently. If side income passes $400 net, help with a return.
- Hold the online accounts responsibly. Etsy, Fiverr, AdSense and PayPal put the adult account owner in charge and on the hook.
- Encourage saving without taking it over. A custodial Roth IRA is a powerful option if your teen has earned income.
The site's guide to side hustles for students and its side hustle reality check are both good reads to share.
Your first step today
Open a blank document and write the first draft of your resume. Name, contact, availability, two lines of experience, one reference. It does not need to be perfect. Then pick three places within walking or biking distance that hire young workers, and plan to visit one this week.
You are 15. A year from now you could have a work history, a reference list and money in an account with your name on it. That begins with one page and one conversation.