Teens in Canada can earn money online by selling skills, products or content, or by taking part in paid research. Two sets of rules decide what is open to them: each platform’s own minimum age, and, when an employer hires a teen, the province’s employment standards. This page covers both, plus taxes and safety. It is part of the side hustles hub; see also making money online and paid survey sites.
Online work for teens
| Type of work | What it involves | Age rules to check |
|---|---|---|
| Tutoring | Helping younger students in a subject you’re strong in, for example through family, neighbours or school | Tutoring services set their own minimum age |
| Selling crafts or digital products | Handmade items, art prints, printables or templates sold online | The marketplace’s terms; some need a parent to hold the account |
| Content creation | Videos, streams or posts that can earn from ads or sponsors | Platform minimum age, and the age for its payment program |
| Freelance design, writing or editing | Small projects for family, local businesses or clients on a marketplace | Freelance marketplaces’ terms |
| Social media help for local businesses | Posting and simple graphics for a business you know | Employment rules if the business hires you as an employee |
| Research studies and surveys | Answering surveys for points or small payments | Panel minimum ages (below) |
Platform minimum ages
Each company sets these in its own terms, and they can change.
| Platform | Minimum age in its terms | Under 18 |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 13 | Needs a parent’s or guardian’s permission |
| Google AdSense (pays YouTube earnings) | 18 | A parent or guardian can sign up with their own account; payments go to that adult |
| LEO (Leger Opinion) | 16 | Open from 16; residents of Canada or the United States |
| Toluna Influencers | 16, or the age required where you live | Cash rewards or prizes go to your legal guardian |
| Survey Junkie | 18 | Not open |
| Prolific | Over 18 | Not open |
Freelance marketplaces (Fiverr, Upwork) and Etsy publish their age and account rules in their terms of service; check them before setting up an account, since a parent may need to hold it.
Provincial rules for hiring young workers
When a business hires a teen as an employee, provincial employment standards set the minimum age and limit hours and types of work. The table summarizes the age rules on each government’s page; the linked page has the hours limits and the full list of restricted work.
| Province | Age rules for employees | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | At least 14 for offices, stores, arenas and restaurant serving areas; at least 15 for factories, including restaurant kitchens and warehouses | ontario.ca |
| British Columbia | From 16, the regular employment standards apply. Younger children need a parent’s or guardian’s written permission; from 14, light work needs no permit; younger than that, a permit except for a few listed jobs | gov.bc.ca |
| Alberta | From 15, any type of work with no permit; from 13 to 14, parent or guardian consent for all jobs, and a permit for work not on Alberta’s list; 12 and under, only artistic work, with a permit | alberta.ca |
| Quebec | Minimum legal working age 14; younger only in jobs the law lists, with a parent’s authorization | CNESST |
| Manitoba | No employment under 13; from 13 through 15, the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course comes first | gov.mb.ca |
| Saskatchewan | General minimum age 16; from 14 with a parent’s permission and the Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course; younger only with a special permit | saskatchewan.ca |
| Nova Scotia | Rules on employing children apply under 16, with stricter limits under 14 | novascotia.ca |
| New Brunswick | Limits on hours and work under 16; under 14, no work in listed industries such as construction and hospitality | gnb.ca |
| Prince Edward Island | The Youth Employment Act covers anyone under 16: no construction work and at most 3 hours of work on a school day | Youth Employment Act |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | An employer needs a parent’s or guardian’s written consent to employ someone under 16 | gov.nl.ca |
Taxes for teens
- Income tax. Income from online work counts at any age. The federal basic personal amount, $16,452 for 2026, means the first part of a person’s income has no federal tax; provinces have their own basic amounts. Self-employment income goes on Form T2125, with the expenses of earning it deducted.
- CPP. You contribute to the CPP if you are over 18, work in Canada outside Quebec and earn more than $3,500 a year; contributions stop when you turn 70, and from 65 someone already receiving a CPP or QPP retirement pension can choose to stop.
- GST/HST. You have to register for the GST/HST once you make taxable sales in Canada and are no longer a small supplier: that happens when your taxable sales go over $30,000 in a single calendar quarter (register from that sale) or over the last 4 consecutive calendar quarters (by the end of the month after that quarter); below that you can register voluntarily.
- RRSP room. Your RRSP deduction limit is your unused room from past years plus the lesser of 18% of last year's earned income and the year's dollar limit, minus your pension adjustment, plus any pension adjustment reversal and minus any net past service pension adjustment. Filing a return records a teen’s earned income, which starts building that room.
- TFSA. To open a TFSA you must be a resident of Canada for income tax purposes, be 18 or older and have a valid Social Insurance Number; where the age of majority is 19, you open it at 19 and keep the room from the year you turned 18.
Working while in school: taxes covers filing a first return, and side hustle taxes covers self-employment income in more detail.
Staying safe online
- Keep personal details private. A home address, school name or phone number isn’t needed to sell online work.
- Get paid through the platform. Payments and disputes stay on the record when they go through the platform.
- Involve a parent. Some platforms require it, and a parent can review contracts and payment accounts.
- Watch for scams. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre warns about job offers you didn’t apply for, jobs that require deposits or “upgrade fees”, and balances you can see but cannot withdraw. Making money online lists the Centre’s warning signs.
Related guides
Sources
The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 22, 2026 and October 1, 2026. How we check facts.
- Canada Revenue Agency: Indexation adjustment for personal income tax and benefit amounts
- Canada Revenue Agency: The Canada Pension Plan enhancement
- Canada Revenue Agency: Employers’ Guide – Payroll Deductions and Remittances
- Canada Revenue Agency: When to register for and start charging the GST/HST
- Canada Revenue Agency: How contributions affect your RRSP deduction limit
- Canada Revenue Agency: Opening a TFSA
- CNESST: Young people under 14 years of age
- Google Help: Eligibility requirements for AdSense - Google AdSense Help
- Government of Alberta: Employment standards rules – Youth employment laws | Alberta.ca
- Government of British Columbia: Hiring young people
- Government of Canada: Election to Stop Contributing to the Canada Pension Plan or Revocation of a Prior Election
- Government of Canada: CPP: How much you could receive
- Government of Manitoba: Employment Standards | Employment Standards | Young Employees
- Government of New Brunswick: Employment of children under 16 - gnb.ca
- Government of Newfoundland and Labrador: Get the Facts
- Government of Nova Scotia: Employment of Children | novascotia.ca
- Government of Ontario: Minimum age for work
- Government of Prince Edward Island: Youth Employment Act
- Government of Saskatchewan: Minimum Age and Workplace Restrictions | Employing Youth in Saskatchewan
- Léger Opinion: Terms of Use | Leger Opinion
- Prolific: Who can participate in studies on Prolific? | Prolific Participants
- Survey Junkie: Get Paid to Take Surveys & Make Money Online - Survey Junkie
- Toluna: Terms - Influence Your World | Toluna
- YouTube: Terms of Service