Turning 16 opens almost every job door. Here is where teens get hired, what the law still blocks, and how to land your first paycheck.
This in-depth guide covers everything you need to know about jobs for 16 year olds: rules, pay and who hires (2026). Based on verified income data and real-world case studies from our database of 138 side hustle tactics.
At 16 you can work almost any ordinary job in the US: restaurants, grocery stores, retail, camps, pools, offices and your own small business. The federal limits on your hours end on your 16th birthday. What stays until 18 is a list of 17 hazardous jobs, and the rule that you cannot drive for work until you are 17.
So the doors are mostly open. The question is which ones are worth walking through, and how to get the first yes. Start with this: what are you actually saving for? A car, a phone, a trip, or the relief of never asking your parents for cash again?
What changes on your 16th birthday
Think about last summer. Maybe you were 15, you got a job, and your manager kept sending you home at 7 p.m. because the law said so. Or you wanted more shifts and the answer was always "we can't schedule you for that."
That part is over. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, 16 is the basic minimum age for employment, and 16 and 17 year olds may work unlimited hours in any job the Department of Labor has not declared hazardous. Compare that with the rules you just left behind. At 14 and 15, federal law caps you at 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 40 hours in a summer week, and no work after 7 p.m. outside of summer, per the same Department of Labor fact sheet. If you want the full picture of those younger years, the jobs for 15 year olds guide walks through them.
Here is the catch most teens miss. Federal law stopped limiting your hours, and your state may still limit them. The Department of Labor says plainly that where a state child labor law is stricter than the federal one, the state law applies. Plenty of states still cap school night hours or late shifts for 16 and 17 year olds, and some still require a work permit. Check your state's line in that Department of Labor table before you agree to a closing shift. Do you know what your state allows on a school night?
What does that mean for you right now? It means you can say yes to a full summer schedule, a weekend double, or a real job with real hours. It also means a manager can ask a lot of you. More on protecting your grades and your sleep later.
The jobs you still cannot do until 18
The Department of Labor keeps a list of 17 Hazardous Occupations Orders that apply to everyone under 18. Some are obvious, like mining, explosives and demolition. Others show up in ordinary teen jobs, and those are the ones worth knowing, because an employer who ignores them is putting you at risk.
Here are the ones you are most likely to bump into, with the order number from the Department of Labor list:
| Where you work | What you are barred from until 18 | Hazardous order |
|---|
| Grocery store or deli | Power-driven meat slicers and meat processing machines | HO 10 |
| Bakery or pizza place | Power-driven bakery machines, such as large mixers | HO 11 |
| Grocery or retail back room | Cardboard balers and trash compactors | HO 12 |
| Warehouse or hardware store | Forklifts and other power-driven hoisting equipment | HO 7 |
| Landscaping or tree work | Chain saws, wood chippers and power circular saws | HO 14 |
| Construction or home repair | Roofing and work on or about a roof | HO 16 |
| Any job with a vehicle | Driving on public roads, or riding as an outside helper | HO 2 |
If your manager at a supermarket asks you to run the slicer "just this once," you are allowed to say no, and the law is on your side. You can also look up the full list yourself on the Department of Labor fact sheet, which is worth showing a parent.
One more rule surprises people. If your parent owns the business, the same fact sheet says you can generally work for them at any age, with two limits: no mining or manufacturing under 16, and still none of the hazardous jobs under 18. So the family landscaping company can hire you, and still cannot hand you the chain saw.
Driving: why your license opens doors slowly
You got your license, or you are about to. Freedom. You can get yourself to a shift across town without asking anyone for a ride, and that alone widens the map of jobs you can reach.
What you cannot do yet is drive as part of the job. The Department of Labor's guidance on Hazardous Occupations Order No. 2 says no employee under 17 may drive on public roads for an FLSA covered job, per its driving fact sheet. At 17, driving for work is allowed only when every one of these is true, per that same fact sheet:
- It happens in daylight hours.
- You hold a state license valid for that driving, finished a state approved driver education course, and had no moving violations when you were hired.
- The car or truck weighs 6,000 pounds or less and has seat belts for everyone.
- Driving takes no more than a third of your workday and 20 percent of your work week.
- You stay within 30 miles of where you work and make no more than two trips away in a day.
The same fact sheet bans 17 year olds from towing, route deliveries, urgent time sensitive deliveries, and carrying more than three passengers. That last pair is why pizza delivery is usually an 18 and over job.
App based delivery is later still. DoorDash, for example, says you must be at least 18 to dash, with higher minimums in some states.
So where does your license help at 16? It gets you to the job. That matters more than it sounds. With a car you can take the better paying shift at a store two towns over, reach a summer camp outside the city, or run a lawn route across your neighborhood without your mom driving the mower.
What you will be paid
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour as of 2026, and it has been since 2009. Many states and cities set a higher minimum, and when both apply, you get the higher one.
There is a lower rate you should know about. Federal law lets an employer pay a worker under 20 a youth minimum wage of $4.25 an hour for the first 90 calendar days of a new job, unless state or local law forbids it. The employer cannot fire someone else to hire you at that rate. Many employers pay more, but the lower rate is legal in places, so ask what the starting pay is and when it changes.
Restaurant jobs can involve tips. Federally, an employer can pay a tipped worker a cash wage of $2.13 an hour as long as tips bring you up to the full minimum, and the employer must make up any gap. Many states require more.
Ask yourself one thing before you accept any offer: after taxes and the cost of getting there, what is an hour of my time actually worth here? A job that pays a dollar more but needs two buses might leave you with less than the one you can walk to.
Who hires 16 year olds
Most entry level hiring opens up at 16. These are the places teens most often land, and what the work usually looks like.
Restaurants and fast food. Cashier, drive through, prep, dishes. Many fast food restaurants are franchises, which means the local owner sets the minimum hiring age within the law. McDonald's own employment FAQ tells applicants to contact the restaurant directly, since company owned and franchised restaurants hire separately. Chick-fil-A says the same: hiring decisions and minimum age are set by each independent Operator.
Grocery stores. Bagger, cashier, stocking, carts, the floral or bakery counter (minus the hazardous machines above). Shifts are often flexible around school.
Retail. Sales floor, fitting rooms, stocking, seasonal holiday help. Large chains list the minimum age on each job posting, and it can differ by role and by state, so read the posting itself instead of trusting a blog that claims one number for the whole company.
Pools, camps and recreation. Lifeguarding pays well for a teen job and looks good on any future application. Red Cross lifeguarding classes typically require you to be at least 15 by the last day of the course and to pass a swim test first. Camp counselor, junior counselor, rec center front desk and youth sports referee are all common at 16.
Movie theaters, amusement parks, bowling alleys. Concessions, tickets, ride attendants. These tend to hire big batches before summer.
Offices, clinics and family businesses. Filing, front desk, answering phones. Often found through someone you know.
Places that usually wait until 18. Warehouses are the big one. Amazon's warehouse listings, for example, say candidates must be 18 years or older. Anything that involves serving alcohol, driving, or the hazardous machines above will usually say 18 and over too.
Which of these sounds like a place you would actually show up to on a Saturday morning? That answer matters more than which one pays 50 cents more.
Jobs you can create yourself at 16
You do not need anyone to hire you. At 16 you are old enough to run a small service that neighbors trust, and you set the price yourself.
Pet sitting and dog walking. Do you already get asked to feed the neighbor's cat? Families travel, dogs need walks, and a teen down the street who shows up every time is worth a lot. The site's pet sitting guide puts home boarding at $30 to $65 a night, though at 16 that means boarding in your parents' home, with their yes.
Lawn care and yard work. Mowing, raking, weeding, snow shoveling. Use a push or riding mower your family owns, skip the chain saw until 18, and read the lawn care guide for pricing and how to build a weekly route.
Tutoring younger kids. If you are strong in math or reading, parents of middle schoolers will pay. The online tutoring guide covers setting up and finding students, including the safeguarding rules for working with kids.
Reselling clothes. Thrift, clean, photograph, list. The Depop reselling guide is built around buying pieces for $2 to $10 and reselling for $25 to $100 or more. Most selling platforms need a parent on the account under 18.
Game coaching. If you are high ranked in a competitive game, players will pay for lessons. The game coaching guide lists typical rates of $25 to $150 an hour and is honest that most coaches earn very little.
Video editing. Creators need short clips cut. The freelance video editing guide puts freelance rates at $25 to $150 an hour once you have a portfolio.
Running your own thing changes how money feels. When a neighbor hands you cash for an afternoon of yard work, nobody gave you permission to earn it. You set the price, you did the work, and it is yours. For more ideas built around a school schedule, see side hustles for students.
How to get hired with no experience
Everyone starting at 16 has the same résumé: nothing. Managers know that. What they are hiring for is someone who shows up, listens, and does not make their day harder.
Here is how you show that before your first shift:
- Apply in person when you can. Go mid afternoon on a weekday, when it is quiet. Ask for the manager, say you are 16 and looking for part time work, and ask how to apply. A face beats an online form.
- Write a one page résumé anyway. List school, any volunteering, sports or clubs, babysitting or yard work you have done, and two adults who can vouch for you (a coach, a teacher, a neighbor you have worked for). Skip family members.
- Know your availability before you walk in. Managers ask first thing. Have your school schedule, sports and the hours your state allows ready to say out loud.
- Prepare three answers. Why do you want to work here? Tell me about a time you handled something hard. What would you do if a customer was upset? Short and honest beats polished.
- Follow up once. If you hear nothing after a week, call or stop by and ask. Following up shows exactly the reliability a manager is hiring for.
When should you start looking? For summer jobs, spring is the hiring season for pools, camps and parks. For holiday retail, early fall. If you wait until June, the counselor spots are gone.
Paperwork and money basics
Work permits. Some states require one for anyone under 18, some only for younger teens, some none at all. The Department of Labor's state table points you to your state's rules. Your school counselor's office often handles them.
Hiring forms. You will fill in tax and identity forms on your first day. Bring the ID documents your employer asks for, and keep copies.
A bank account. Direct deposit needs one, and most banks need a parent on the account under 18. The teen bank account and credit guide walks through your options.
Taxes. If you are on payroll, tax is withheld from your check, and you may get some back when you file. If you run your own small business, the rules change: the IRS says self employment tax applies once your net self employment earnings reach $400 in a year, at a rate of 15.3 percent. Keep a simple record of what you earn and spend from day one. The side hustle tax guide explains the rest.
Your first investing move. This one is easy to skip and worth the most later. Any year you have earned income, you can put money into an IRA. The IRS says contributions are capped at the annual limit or your taxable compensation for the year, whichever is less, with no age limit, and the 2026 limit is $7,500. Under 18, a parent opens it as a custodial account. Even a few hundred dollars from your first summer has decades to grow. The index investing guide explains where that money usually goes.
How much of your first paycheck could you leave alone? Picture it. Ten years from now, you are 26, and the money you put away the summer you worked at the pool is still there, still growing, and you did it before most of your friends even thought about it.
What to avoid
Fake job offers. If anyone asks you to pay to get a job, walk away. The FTC is direct about it: don't pay for the promise of a job, and never deposit a check from a new "employer" and send part of it back. The check bounces and the bank makes you repay the full amount.
Gift card requests. Any "boss," "recruiter" or "customer" who asks you to buy gift cards and send the codes is running a scam. The FTC puts it simply: no real business will tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.
Money flipping. Social media accounts that promise to double or triple whatever you send them are stealing from you. There is no flip. Block and report.
Jobs that skip the paperwork for under 18s. An employer who pays cash with no forms, schedules you past your state's limits, or asks you to run the slicer is cutting corners with your safety. If something feels wrong, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes complaints, and you can bring a parent with you.
Overloading your schedule. Unlimited federal hours is a ceiling. Your grades, sleep and sports are part of your future income too. Do you know how many hours a week you can work before something slips? Most teens find out the hard way. Start lower and add shifts.
Driving for anyone while on the clock. Even a quick run to pick up supplies is off limits at 16. Say no politely.
For parents
If you are reading over your teen's shoulder, a few things are worth doing together.
Look up your state's rules on the Department of Labor's state table. They decide how late your teen can work on a school night and whether a permit is needed.
Read the hazardous jobs list above with them. A 16 year old may not know they are allowed to refuse a meat slicer or a compactor. Hearing it from you makes it easier to say no to a manager.
Be part of any job that happens in someone else's home, such as tutoring, babysitting or pet sitting. Meet the family first, know the address, and agree how your teen will be paid.
Help with the money side. Has your teen ever seen a pay stub? Walk through the first one together. Open the bank account, set up the custodial IRA if you can, and talk about what the paycheck is for. A teen who decides to save half and spend half learns more from that one choice than from any lecture.
And let them keep some of it with no strings. The pride of buying something with money you earned yourself is a big part of why the first job matters.
Your first step today
Pick one. Today, before you close this tab.
- Write down every place within walking or biking distance that hires teens, then visit two of them this week.
- Or text three neighbors offering yard work or pet sitting, with a price and the days you are free.
- Or look up your state's line in the Department of Labor table so you know your hours before you apply.
What would it feel like to get your first paycheck before the end of the month? Somebody your age will get that job at the grocery store down the road this week. Why not you?
If you want the bigger map of every way a teenager can earn, from first jobs to selling online to content, start with the how to make money as a teenager guide. And if you are ready to try earning online, the first dollar online plan takes seven days.
Rules and pay rates here are as of 2026. State laws change often, and if you live outside the US, your country's youth employment rules will differ.