First job
Age 14 and up, before the first shift
Nine cards for the week a teen gets hired: hours, pay, the forms on day one, what comes out of a paycheck, and taxes.
Table Night Cards
First job
Age 14 and up, before the first shift
- Teen reads the question.
- Parent reads the answer.
- Pick one thing to do tonight.
9 cards · free at alfheim-family-money-table-night-cards.pages.dev · cut along the dashed lines
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First job1 of 9
How many hours can you work in a school week?
Read aloud
At 14 or 15, federal rules allow up to 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week. Work has to fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., or 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day. At 16 and 17 there’s no federal hours limit, and our state’s rules can be stricter than the federal ones.
One option tonight
Greenlight Debit card and app for kids and teens with parent-set limits. Plans start at $5.99 a month. greenlight.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Employment Law Guide: Child Labor Protections (Nonagricultural Work), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, webapps.dol.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Greenlight: debit card for kids and teens, Greenlight Financial Technology, greenlight.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Greenlight: compare plans, Greenlight Financial Technology, greenlight.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job2 of 9
What’s the least they can pay you?
Read aloud
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. A worker under 20 can be paid $4.25 an hour for their first 90 days in a row with a new employer. If our state’s minimum is higher, the employer has to pay the higher one.
One option tonight
FamZoo Prepaid cards and a family app for kids and teens, with direct deposit for teens. famzoo.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Employment Law Guide: Minimum Wage and Overtime Pay, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, webapps.dol.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- FamZoo prepaid cards for kids and teens, FamZoo, famzoo.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job3 of 9
What will you fill out before your first shift?
Read aloud
Form I-9 checks that you’re allowed to work. Your part is due by your first day, and you show original documents. Form W-4 tells your employer how much federal income tax to hold back from each paycheck.
One option tonight
Capital One MONEY Teen Checking Joint teen checking with a parent, from age 6. No monthly fees, no minimums. capitalone.com/bank/kid-teen-bank-accounts
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Completing Section 1, Employee Information and Attestation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, uscis.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Completing Section 2, Employer Review and Attestation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, uscis.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- About Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Accounts for kids and teens, Capital One, capitalone.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job4 of 9
Why is the paycheck smaller than your hours times your pay?
Read aloud
Social Security takes 6.2% of your pay and Medicare takes 1.45%. Your employer pays the same amounts again on top of that. Federal income tax can come out too, based on your Form W-4.
One option tonight
YNAB A budgeting app with a 34-day free trial. ynab.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Topic no. 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- About Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- YNAB budgeting app, YNAB, ynab.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job5 of 9
Do tips count as income?
Read aloud
Yes. If you get $20 or more in cash tips in a month, you report them to your employer by the 10th of the next month. Tips under $20 a month still go on your tax return.
One option tonight
Greenlight Debit card and app for kids and teens with parent-set limits. Plans start at $5.99 a month. greenlight.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Topic no. 761, Tips: withholding and reporting, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Greenlight: debit card for kids and teens, Greenlight Financial Technology, greenlight.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Greenlight: compare plans, Greenlight Financial Technology, greenlight.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job6 of 9
Will you need to file a tax return?
Read aloud
Maybe not, but if income tax came out of your pay, filing is how you get it back. When tax comes out of your pay, your employer has to file a Form W-2, the Wage and Tax Statement, for you. We keep it in one folder until tax season.
One option tonight
YNAB A budgeting app with a 34-day free trial. ynab.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Publication 501, Dependents, Standard Deduction, and Filing Information, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- About Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- YNAB budgeting app, YNAB, ynab.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job7 of 9
Could some of this paycheck go into a Roth IRA?
Read aloud
Once you have earned income, a parent can open a custodial Roth IRA for you while you’re under 18. For 2026, the most anyone can put into all their IRAs is $7,500, or their taxable pay for the year if that’s less.
One option tonight
Fidelity Roth IRA for Kids A custodial Roth IRA for a teen under 18 with earned income. $0 to open. fidelity.com/retirement-ira/roth-ira-kids
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Fidelity Roth IRA for Kids, Fidelity Investments, fidelity.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Retirement topics: IRA contribution limits, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job8 of 9
Where should your paycheck land?
Read aloud
Money in a deposit account at an FDIC-insured bank is covered up to $250,000 per depositor, per bank, for each ownership category. Some teen apps say plainly that they aren’t banks and keep money through a partner bank, so we read where the money actually sits.
One option tonight
FamZoo Prepaid cards and a family app for kids and teens, with direct deposit for teens. famzoo.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- Understanding Deposit Insurance, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, fdic.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Greenlight: debit card for kids and teens, Greenlight Financial Technology, greenlight.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- Acorns Early, Acorns, acorns.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- FamZoo prepaid cards for kids and teens, FamZoo, famzoo.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
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First job9 of 9
Can you file your taxes for free?
Read aloud
IRS Free File’s guided software is free when adjusted gross income is $89,000 or less. Start at IRS.gov/freefile, because going straight to a tax company’s own site won’t get you the Free File version.
One option tonight
YNAB A budgeting app with a 34-day free trial. ynab.com
Not a paid link today. If we join their affiliate program, it will pay us.
Sources
- IRS Free File: Do your taxes for free, Internal Revenue Service, irs.gov. Checked Oct 19, 2026.
- YNAB budgeting app, YNAB, ynab.com. Checked Oct 19, 2026.