Hustle: Price Your Work

What your kid learns

• Gigs you can do now

  At this age, gigs include pet sitting, yard work, crafts or helping younger kids read. Always get a grown-up’s OK first.

• Three parts of a price

  Check the market rate: what others usually charge. Then add your costs, like supplies, and count your time. Too high, and nobody hires you. Too low, and you work for almost nothing.

• Per hour or per job

  You can charge per hour or per job. To compare jobs, turn each one into pay per hour. Divide what you keep by the hours it takes.

• Reliable and safe

  Showing up on time, every time, brings repeat customers. Stay safe, too. A grown-up always knows where you are. Never go into a stranger’s home alone.

The story: Kayla’s pet-sitting gig

On a neighborhood street, Kayla and Ravi work out a fair price for pet sitting.

1. Helper: Kayla wants to start a pet-sitting gig this summer. A grown-up already said yes.
2. Kayla: What should I charge per visit? I have no idea.
3. Ravi: Other sitters near us charge about $8 a visit. That’s the market rate.
4. Kayla: Each visit takes me 30 minutes. And pet treats cost me about $1 a visit.
5. Helper: So at $8, Kayla keeps $7 for 30 minutes. That’s $14 an hour.
6. Kayla: And if I show up on time every visit, neighbors will call me again.
7. Helper: Price it right, show up right. And a grown-up always knows where you are.

The game: Price a pet-sitting business

Compare pretend choices for Kayla’s gigs. Pick the better choice each round.

Games use pretend money and work with taps or a keyboard. Nothing is timed.

New words

customer

someone who pays for your work or what you sell

market rate

what others usually charge for the same work

self-employed

working for yourself instead of for a boss

Also called: self-employment income

Questions at the end

• Others charge $8 a visit. Kayla charges $25. What will likely happen?
• A pretend job pays $30 and takes 3 hours. What’s the pay per hour?
• Why add your costs when you set a price?
• Why does showing up on time matter for a gig?
• Someone you don’t know asks you to come inside to talk about a job. What’s safe?

Remember this

Price it right, show up right.

Talk about it

What small job could you do for a neighbor? What would be a fair price?

Try it at home: Plan three gigs

1. List 3 gigs you could do with a grown-up’s OK.
2. Next to each, write what neighbors might pay.
3. Pick a price that covers the market rate, your costs and your time.

List 3 gigs you could do and what neighbors might pay.

For grown-ups: live facts

• Which jobs and hours are allowed for young workers

  Source: U.S. Department of Labor, YouthRules!(opens in a new tab)

• Self-employment tax starts at

  $400of net self-employment earnings

  Below this in net earnings from your own work, no self-employment tax is due

  As of February 8, 2026

  Source: IRS.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Gig income and taxes

  Source: IRS(opens in a new tab)

School standards

• Grades 6–8
• National Standards for Personal Financial Education: Earning Income
• Common Core Math 7.RP.A.3