First casual job
Many states allow work from 14 or 15 in set roles, paid at junior rates.
SourceFair Work Ombudsman
Mountain View row · ages 12 to 21
Many states allow work from 14 or 15 in set roles, paid at junior rates.
A youth account, a debit card and a Tax File Number so tax is not withheld at the top rate.
Handset, plan and accessories are usually still paid by parents.
Clothes, food and social outings start to come from own earnings.
Choices about subjects and vocational courses start to point toward later pay.
Search these names on the department sites below. Links go to each department's home page.
Figures from published research for the age groups that cover 14–15. Sources often publish wider age groups, so the group shown is the one that includes these ages. They describe groups of people, not any one person. Checked 23 October 2026.
May 2025. Persons. Enrolled in study includes school.
August 2025. Employees only.
Calendar year 2025. Top two scam types by total loss among reports that included a loss. Unreported scams are not counted.
Income for July 2020 to June 2021. Census 2021 linked with tax and payment records. The ABS cautions that incomes for older age groups are likely under-recorded.
2022. Share of people in the age group who provide informal care. About 11.9% of all Australians living in households (3.0 million) were carers.
2022. Share of people in the age group with disability. Overall 21.4% of Australians (5.5 million) had disability in 2022.
Dollar figures are in the dollars of the year shown. Average and median are not the same: the median is the middle value. Not financial advice.
Illustrative gross incomes: lower about $50,000, middle about $100,000, higher about $200,000 a year. For ages under 18, read these as household incomes. For retirement ages, read them as lower, middle and higher income and savings. They are examples, not official brackets.
Casual work may help cover school costs and the phone bill. Family income can affect eligibility for school-related support.
Earnings are mostly the teenager's own spending money. A bank account with a parent is used to build a first savings habit.
Work may be about experience rather than need. Tutoring, camps and an upgraded phone are usually funded by the family.