7 IRS-Approved Jobs for Kids Under 10 to Start in 2025

The idea of a "job" for a child under ten might seem premature, but it's one of the most powerful financial gifts you can give them. This isn't about child labor; it's about launching their journey into entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Establishing legitimate, earned income is the critical first step to unlocking powerful financial tools, such as a Roth IRA for kids, which can create a significant head start on wealth building.

This guide moves beyond generic advice to provide a practical roadmap for creating real, IRS-compliant jobs for kids under 10. We will explore seven specific, age-appropriate ventures that are both manageable for a young child and straightforward for parents to document. Each idea is designed to teach essential life skills like responsibility, work ethic, and the direct connection between effort and reward. You'll find actionable steps and real-world examples to help your child start earning and learning. This is the foundation for building confidence, understanding the value of money, and beginning a lifetime of financial independence.

Disclaimer: We are not financial advisors and do not provide financial advice. The content in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. Please consult with a qualified professional before making any financial decisions.

1. The Community Pet Helper

One of the most accessible and rewarding jobs for kids under 10 involves caring for the furry, finned, or feathered friends in your community. Becoming a Community Pet Helper allows a young child to take on tangible responsibilities for trusted neighbors, family, or friends, transforming their natural love for animals into a legitimate first business venture. This role is perfect for building a foundation of reliability, empathy, and early business acumen.

How It Works

A Community Pet Helper assists with basic, age-appropriate pet care tasks under adult supervision. The key is to formalize these helping-hand activities into a structured service. Instead of a casual request, the parent helps the child establish a clear agreement with the pet owner.

This involves outlining specific duties, setting a schedule, and agreeing on fair compensation. This structure is what differentiates a simple chore from legitimate earned income, which is crucial for IRS compliance and future financial planning, such as opening a Custodial Roth IRA.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this can look in practice:

• Vacation Cat Care: A nine-year-old agrees to feed a neighbor's cat, refresh its water bowl, and scoop the litter box once daily while the family is on a week-long vacation. Their parent supervises each visit to ensure tasks are done correctly.
• Daily Dog Walks: An eight-year-old, accompanied by a parent, walks their grandmother's small, gentle dog around the block every afternoon. They use a checklist to mark off each completed walk.
• Fish Feeding Service: A seven-year-old is hired by a family friend to feed their fish every other day. The payment is small, but it's consistent, documented, and teaches the child about recurring income.

Key Insight: To ensure compliance, document everything. A simple notebook or spreadsheet can track dates of service, tasks performed (e.g., "Fed Fido, filled water bowl"), and payments received. This paper trail is essential proof of a bona fide service-for-payment arrangement.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Start with Known Pets: Begin with your own pets or those of close family to build confidence and experience in a low-risk environment.
2. Create a "Service Menu": Help your child create a simple list of services they can offer, such as "Water Bowl Refill," "Supervised Feeding," or "5-Minute Playtime."
3. Prioritize Safety: Always ensure adult supervision, especially when first starting. Teach your child never to enter a home without you and how to interact safely with animals.
4. Draft a Simple Agreement: Work with your child and the pet owner to write down the tasks, schedule, and payment rate. This solidifies the arrangement as a professional one and is a fantastic early lesson in contracts.

2. Lemonade Stand Operator

The quintessential childhood business, operating a lemonade stand, remains one of the most powerful and effective jobs for kids under 10. This classic venture is far more than just selling drinks; it’s a comprehensive, hands-on masterclass in entrepreneurship. By running a stand, a child learns fundamental business principles like product creation, pricing, customer service, and profit calculation in a tangible, low-stakes environment.

How It Works

Transforming a simple lemonade stand into a legitimate business involves treating it as one. The parent and child work together to plan the venture, from sourcing ingredients (the cost of goods sold) to setting prices and tracking sales. This formal approach is the key to generating bona fide earned income.

The process involves documenting every expense, like cups and lemons, and every dollar earned. This detailed record-keeping turns a fun afternoon activity into a valid business operation, providing the necessary proof of earned income for IRS purposes and enabling parents to open and fund a Custodial Roth IRA for their child.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this can look in practice:

• Holiday Hot Chocolate Stand: A nine-year-old sets up a hot chocolate and marshmallow stand during the neighborhood's annual holiday light tour. They track the cost of cocoa, milk, and cups, and at the end of the night, calculate their total profit.
• Post-Game Sports Drinks: An eight-year-old and their parent set up a cooler of cold bottled water and sports drinks near the park exit after Saturday morning soccer games, providing a convenient service to thirsty players and parents.
• Community Yard Sale Cafe: A seven-year-old hosts a small stand selling pre-packaged cookies and juice boxes during a neighborhood-wide yard sale, capitalizing on the increased foot traffic.

Key Insight: Maintain a "business ledger" in a simple notebook. On one page, list all startup costs (e.g., "Poster board: $2," "Lemons: $5"). On another, record each sale. This simple accounting practice provides clear, compliant documentation of income and expenses.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Focus on Location: Help your child choose a safe, high-traffic location. A spot on a corner during a community event or near a park on a sunny day is ideal. Always supervise from a close, visible distance.
2. Create a "Brand": Encourage creativity with a colorful, eye-catching sign and a fun name for the stand. This teaches basic marketing and helps attract customers.
3. Practice Money Handling: Before opening, use play money to practice making change. This builds confidence and ensures smooth, quick transactions with real customers.
4. Keep Meticulous Records: This is non-negotiable for compliance. Use a spreadsheet or a dedicated notebook to log every single expense and sale. This record is your proof of a legitimate business operation.

3. The Yard Work Assistant

Transforming outdoor chores into one of the most classic jobs for kids under 10, the Yard Work Assistant role teaches children the value of hard work and neighborhood contribution. A young entrepreneur can help neighbors and family keep their properties beautiful, offering tangible assistance while learning about botany, responsibility, and the satisfaction of a job well done. This role is ideal for active kids who enjoy being outdoors.

How It Works

A Yard Work Assistant performs simple, age-appropriate outdoor tasks for an agreed-upon wage. The parent's role is to help the child formalize this service, moving it from a simple favor to a legitimate business transaction. This involves defining the specific tasks, setting a clear schedule, and establishing fair pay.

This professional structure is essential for compliance and financial planning. Documenting the work and payment provides the necessary proof of earned income, a prerequisite for opening tax-advantaged investment accounts like a Custodial Roth IRA for your child.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this job can be structured for success:

• Autumn Leaf Patrol: A nine-year-old is hired by an elderly neighbor to rake and bag leaves from a small front yard every Saturday in October. Their parent supervises to ensure safety and completeness.
• Spring Planting Team: An eight-year-old helps a family friend plant a flower bed, digging small holes (with a hand trowel), placing pre-potted flowers, and watering them.
• Summer Weeding Crew: A seven-year-old spends 30 minutes each week pulling easily identifiable weeds from a grandparent's raised vegetable garden. They get paid per session, creating a steady income stream.

Key Insight: Create a "Task Completion" photo log. Have your child take a "before" and "after" picture of their work area (e.g., the unraked lawn vs. the bagged leaves). This provides visual proof of service for your records and gives the child a sense of accomplishment.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Use Kid-Sized Tools: Invest in child-appropriate gloves, rakes, and trowels. Using proper-fitting equipment makes the work safer and more enjoyable.
2. Define a Clear "Work Zone": Clearly mark the specific area your child is responsible for (e.g., "only the flower bed by the mailbox"). This prevents them from feeling overwhelmed.
3. Teach Safety First: Instruct your child on outdoor safety: wear sunscreen, stay hydrated, and never handle unfamiliar plants or large equipment. Always provide direct supervision. For additional ideas on how kids can earn money safely, check out our guide on rothira.kids.
4. Create a Service Agreement: Draft a simple, one-page document with your child outlining the job (e.g., "Pulling Weeds"), the location, the pay rate (e.g., $5 per session), and the schedule. This reinforces the business nature of the work.

4. The Craft and Artwork Seller

Channeling a child's natural creativity into a business venture is one of the most empowering jobs for kids under 10. Becoming a Craft and Artwork Seller allows a young entrepreneur to design, create, and sell their own unique products. This role is a fantastic way to blend artistic expression with foundational business principles like pricing, marketing, and customer service.

How It Works

A Craft and Artwork Seller turns a hobby into a source of legitimate earned income. The parent’s role is to help the child structure this creative outlet as a real business. This involves helping them source materials, calculate costs, set prices, and find appropriate sales venues, whether online (with parental management) or at local events.

The key to compliance is establishing that the child is producing a tangible good that is sold for a fair market price. This clear transaction of product-for-payment is what legitimizes the income, making it eligible for reporting and for contributions to investment vehicles like a Custodial Roth IRA.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this can look in practice:

• Friendship Bracelet Business: A nine-year-old learns to make intricate friendship bracelets and sells them to classmates and friends. Their parent helps them set up a small display and manage orders and payments.
• Holiday Decoration Stand: An eight-year-old creates hand-painted ornaments and holiday cards. With a parent's help, they set up a small table at a community craft fair or a family holiday gathering to sell their creations.
• Custom Bookmark Creator: A seven-year-old designs and laminates personalized bookmarks, taking custom orders from family members and neighbors who want specific colors or themes.

Key Insight: Keep meticulous records of all business-related transactions. Use a simple ledger to track the cost of art supplies (e.g., paint, paper, clay) against the revenue from sales. This documentation proves a genuine profit motive and provides the necessary data for tax purposes.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Start with Low-Cost Materials: Begin with simple, affordable crafts like painted rocks, beaded jewelry, or greeting cards to minimize initial investment and risk.
2. Calculate Fair Pricing: Help your child calculate the cost of materials per item and add a small markup for their time and creativity. This teaches the fundamental concept of profit. For more ideas on what to create, you can explore things kids can sell.
3. Build a "Portfolio": Take high-quality photos of your child's best creations. This digital portfolio can be shared with potential customers via text or a parent-managed social media account.
4. Explore Sales Venues: Look for safe, parent-supervised opportunities to sell, such as school markets, local farmers' markets, community events, or even a simple "porch pop-up" shop for neighbors.

5. The Snow Removal Helper

When winter arrives, a fantastic seasonal opportunity emerges, making it one of the most impactful jobs for kids under 10. Acting as a Snow Removal Helper teaches children about work ethic, community service, and the direct relationship between effort and reward. This role allows a child to provide a tangible, much-needed service to neighbors and family, especially after a heavy snowfall.

How It Works

A Snow Removal Helper assists with age-appropriate and safe snow-clearing tasks, always under direct adult supervision. The parent's role is to transform this seasonal chore into a legitimate business by formalizing the arrangement. Instead of just helping out, the child and parent establish a clear service agreement with a client, such as a neighbor or family friend.

This involves defining specific tasks (e.g., clearing the front steps and a 3-foot path to the mailbox), setting a per-job or hourly rate, and confirming the terms. This structure is what validates the work as a bona fide service for payment, creating the legitimate earned income necessary for tax documentation and setting up powerful investment tools like a Custodial Roth IRA.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this can look in practice:

• Walkway Clearing Service: An eight-year-old agrees to shovel a neighbor's front walkway and porch steps after every snowfall for a flat fee of $10. Their parent supervises, ensuring safety and helping with any icy patches.
• Post-Storm Team-Up: After a big storm, a nine-year-old helps their parent clear the family driveway. The parent pays them a set amount for their specific contribution, such as clearing a designated section or keeping the front steps clear while the parent uses a snow blower on the larger area.
• Elderly Neighbor Assistance: A seven-year-old is hired by a grandparent to clear the snow from their deck and around their bird feeder. The task is light, but the service is valuable and provides consistent, documentable income.

Key Insight: Maintain a "snow log" to legitimize the income. In a simple notebook or app, record the date, client's name, service performed ("Shoveled Mrs. Gable's 15-foot walkway"), and payment received. This record is crucial for demonstrating a genuine business relationship to the IRS.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Equip for Success and Safety: Provide your child with an appropriately sized, lightweight, ergonomic snow shovel. Avoid heavy, adult-sized tools that can cause strain.
2. Define the Job Scope: Work with your child and the client to set clear, manageable boundaries. For example, the job is to clear a path, not the entire three-car driveway. This prevents overwhelm.
3. Prioritize Safety Above All: Always supervise your child. Ensure they dress warmly in layers, take frequent breaks in a warm place, and work only during daylight hours. Teach them about safety near roads and driveways.
4. Create a "Service Receipt": After a job is complete, help your child fill out a simple, pre-made receipt for the client. This reinforces the professionalism of the service and provides another layer of documentation.

6. The Neighborhood Recycling Helper

Transforming an everyday household chore into one of the most eco-conscious jobs for kids under 10, the Neighborhood Recycling Helper is a brilliant way to teach environmental stewardship and financial literacy simultaneously. This role empowers a child to manage and organize recycling efforts for their family and trusted neighbors, turning redeemable cans, bottles, and other materials into earned income through local recycling programs.

How It Works

A Neighborhood Recycling Helper offers a structured service to help others manage their recyclables. This goes beyond simply taking out the family's own bin; it involves creating a mini-business around collection, sorting, and redemption. The parent helps the child establish a formal service agreement with neighbors or community groups.

The process involves defining specific duties (e.g., sorting glass from plastic, collecting cans after a party), setting a regular pickup schedule, and determining compensation. Compensation can be a flat fee for the service or a share of the redemption value, which must be clearly tracked. This formal structure is vital for creating a bona fide business arrangement, providing the necessary documentation for IRS compliance and funding investment vehicles like a Custodial Roth IRA.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this can look in practice:

• Weekly Bin Service: A nine-year-old agrees to collect, sort, and take the recycling bins to the curb for two elderly neighbors every week for a small, agreed-upon fee.
• Community Event Cleanup: After a neighborhood block party, an eight-year-old, with parental help, collects all the aluminum cans and plastic bottles. They then redeem them at a local center and keep the earnings.
• Family Collection Center: A seven-year-old sets up labeled bins in the family garage for aluminum, plastic, and glass. They are responsible for keeping the area tidy and reminding family members to sort their items correctly, earning a "management fee" for their efforts.

Key Insight: Create a "Recycling Ledger" to meticulously document the business activity. This ledger should track the date of service, the source of materials (e.g., "Smith family," "Park event"), the quantity and type of recyclables collected, and the exact amount received from the recycling center or client. This record is non-negotiable proof of earned income.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Research Local Programs: Before starting, investigate your city or county’s recycling rules and redemption center locations, rates, and requirements. This is your child's market research.
2. Establish a "Sorting Station": Help your child set up a clean, organized, and safe area with clearly labeled containers for different materials. This teaches organizational skills.
3. Prioritize Safety and Hygiene: Always supervise your child. Provide gloves for handling materials and ensure they wash their hands thoroughly afterward. Partner with them for transportation to redemption centers.
4. Draft a Service Flyer: Create a simple flyer with your child outlining their "Recycling Helper" services. This can be shared with trusted neighbors to professionalize the venture.

7. Car Wash Assistant

A classic entrepreneurial venture, the Car Wash Assistant is one of the most visible and satisfying jobs for kids under 10. This role allows a child to help family or neighbors with a tangible, high-value task: keeping their vehicle clean. By breaking down the car washing process into simple, age-appropriate steps, a child can provide a genuine service, learn the importance of teamwork and attention to detail, and see their hard work pay off immediately.

How It Works

As a Car Wash Assistant, a child performs specific, manageable tasks under adult supervision. The key to making this a legitimate job is to move beyond a simple household chore. The parent helps the child formalize the service with a client, who could be a neighbor, family friend, or even the parent themselves operating in a business capacity (e.g., cleaning a company car).

The arrangement should include a clear list of duties, a set price per car or per task, and a schedule. This structure is what transforms the activity into bona fide earned income. This distinction is critical for establishing a work history for the child, which is a prerequisite for opening tax-advantaged accounts like a Custodial Roth IRA.

Real-World Examples and Implementation

Here’s how this can look in practice:

• Neighborhood Wheel Cleaner: A nine-year-old offers a "Wheels and Tires" package to neighbors for a set fee. With a parent supervising, they use a long-handled brush to scrub hubcaps and tires before the main wash.
• Family Car Detailer: An eight-year-old is paid a specific amount each week to be the "Drying and Polishing Specialist" after the family car is washed. They are responsible for hand-drying the vehicle with microfiber towels to prevent water spots.
• Fundraiser Car Wash Team: A group of seven-year-olds at a school fundraiser, under strict adult supervision, manages the "Rinsing Station," using gentle spray nozzles to pre-rinse cars before they move to the soaping stage.

Key Insight: To maintain IRS compliance, documentation is non-negotiable. Use a dedicated notebook or a simple app to log the date of service, the client's name (e.g., "Mr. Smith's sedan"), the specific tasks completed ("Rinsed, dried doors"), and the payment received. This record proves the existence of a legitimate service-for-payment transaction.

Actionable Tips for Parents

1. Assign Safe, Simple Tasks: Start with jobs far from the main washing action, like rinsing with a gentle hose spray, drying with soft cloths, or cleaning wheels.
2. Use Child-Safe Supplies: Ensure all soaps and cleaners are non-toxic and provide appropriately sized tools like small sponges, soft brushes, and child-sized gloves.
3. Prioritize Vehicle Safety: Always supervise your child around vehicles. Ensure the car is in park with the emergency brake on, and teach your child to stay clear of the front and back of the car.
4. Create a "Service Menu": Help your child design a simple menu of services like "Pre-Rinse," "Tire Scrub," or "Final Dry." This makes the service feel professional and teaches the child about creating value packages.

7 Kids’ Jobs Comparison Guide

Job Title	Implementation Complexity 🔄	Resource Requirements ⚡	Expected Outcomes 📊	Ideal Use Cases 💡	Key Advantages ⭐
Pet Helper/Pet Sitter	Low to moderate – needs supervision	Basic pet care supplies, adult supervision	Responsibility, empathy, trust-building	Caring for known gentle pets, short-term pet care	Builds empathy and responsibility, low risk
Lemonade Stand Operator	Moderate – involves setup and money handling	Supplies for drinks/snacks, signage, small capital	Business and math skills, customer confidence	Neighborhood sales, seasonal events	Teaches entrepreneurship and customer service
Yard Work Assistant	Moderate – physical outdoor tasks	Tools for gardening, protective gear	Work ethic, physical fitness, nature learning	Seasonal yard maintenance, neighbor assistance	Outdoor exercise, teaches about nature
Craft and Artwork Seller	Moderate to high – creation and marketing	Art materials, workspace	Creativity, business skills, confidence	Selling handmade crafts at school/community	Encourages creativity, flexible schedule
Snow Removal Helper	Moderate – seasonal, physical	Winter gear, shovels	Work ethic, physical fitness, community help	Snowy climates, winter months	High demand, builds perseverance
Recycling Helper	Low to moderate – sorting and collection	Storage bins, transportation assistance	Environmental awareness, steady work	Recycling drives, neighborhood waste sorting	Teaches sustainability, ongoing opportunities
Car Wash Assistant	Low to moderate – repetitive, detail-focused	Water access, cleaning supplies	Attention to detail, teamwork	Family/neighborhood car washing	Regular demand, teaches quality work

From First Job to Future Wealth: Your Next Steps

The journey from a simple childhood task to a powerful financial foundation begins with the small, actionable steps we've explored. Whether your child is assisting with yard work, operating a classic lemonade stand, or helping a neighbor with their pet, these initial experiences are far more than just ways to earn pocket money. They are the first, crucial lessons in work ethic, responsibility, and the direct relationship between effort and reward. The seven "jobs for kids under 10" detailed in this guide, from Pet Helper to Car Wash Assistant, serve as practical, real-world classrooms for these foundational principles.

The most critical takeaway, however, is the shift in mindset from "chores for an allowance" to "legitimate business services for earned income." This distinction is the key that unlocks a world of advanced financial opportunity.

Turning Early Gigs into Generational Wealth

By treating these first jobs with professional seriousness, you are creating a paper trail of legitimate, IRS-compliant earned income. This is the non-negotiable prerequisite for accessing powerful wealth-building tools that are typically reserved for adults.

Key Insight: The goal isn't just to help your child earn their first dollar. It's to document that dollar as legitimate "earned income," making them eligible for sophisticated investment vehicles like a custodial Roth IRA.

This simple act of documentation transforms a $10 payment for washing a car or selling crafts into a seed for a future multi-million dollar nest egg. It reframes the conversation around early work, focusing on the long-term potential powered by decades of tax-free compound growth.

Your Actionable Path Forward

Mastering this concept early provides your child with an unparalleled financial advantage. It instills habits of documentation, financial tracking, and forward-thinking that will serve them for a lifetime. The immediate next step after establishing a pattern of earned income is to channel it into an account designed for maximum growth.

Here’s your checklist to move from theory to action:

• Formalize the Job: Choose one of the job ideas and clearly define the services your child will offer.
• Set Fair Market Rates: Research what similar services cost in your area to establish a reasonable price. This is crucial for IRS compliance.
• Implement Meticulous Record-Keeping: Use a simple spreadsheet or notebook to log the date of work, the specific task performed, the time spent, and the amount paid.
• Open a Custodial Roth IRA: Once your child has documented earned income, use it to fund a custodial Roth IRA, a powerful investment account that allows their money to grow completely tax-free.

These first jobs for kids under 10 are the launchpad. By embracing them not just as activities but as the start of a lifelong financial strategy, you are giving your child the gift of time, the single most powerful asset in investing. You are setting them on a path toward financial security and independence before they even finish elementary school.

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Disclaimer: We are not a financial advisor and we do not provide financial advice. The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. You should consult with a qualified professional for financial advice.