Everything people ask before joining Blockwork — how teens get paid, how things work behind the scenes, and what the rules are. Don't see your question? Reach out to our team.
Where Blockwork is open. Blockwork is open only in states we have reviewed. Check which states are open at /states. Rules depend on your state, and where a state requires a notice, it's shown in the app.
When a neighbor books a job, their payment is charged through Stripe and held until the job is done. The teen does the work, uploads photo proof, and the neighbor confirms it's done. Only then is the money released to the teen's parent, who receives it in their connected Stripe Connect account — the parent sets that account up before the teen's first cash-out, and earnings stay held in the teen's Blockwork Wallet until it's ready. The parent can distribute the earnings to the teen as they see fit.
Every job a teen completes and gets paid for is added to their Work Record — a real record of the work they've actually done, with dates, categories, hours, average rating, and review quotes. Teens and their parents can download it as a PDF for college applications, résumés, and job applications, or share a verification link a school or employer can open to confirm it's real. Nothing on it is typed in by hand: it only reflects completed, paid-out jobs, and every job on it was approved by a parent. It's recorded by Blockwork — it's experience a student can list under activities or work experience. The verification link can be turned off at any time.
It's a real record of work you did, which you can list under activities or work experience. Blockwork can't promise how any college or employer will view it. That's always up to them.
Blockwork is built around safety. A parent must link to their teen's account before the teen can post a service or take a job, and the parent approves every service and every booking before it goes ahead. Before any earnings can be paid out, the parent sets up a payout account through Stripe, which confirms they're a real adult. All in-person work happens outdoors — teens never enter a client's home — and all tutoring happens over video. Every message is screened automatically before it's delivered — messages are checked for contact details, off-platform payment requests, meeting-elsewhere requests and anything inappropriate, the risky ones are held or blocked, and the teen's parent sees what was flagged. A teen taps "I'm here" when they arrive and "Done, heading home" when they leave, so their parent knows they arrived and is on their way, and a teen can alert their parent instantly with the SOS button during any active job.
Teens set their own prices, and neighbors pay a fraction of what professional services charge. A typical lawn mowing or yard cleanup might pay $25–$60, and online tutoring often ranges from $15–$40 per session. Teens keep the majority of each payment; Blockwork takes a small service fee that's shown upfront at checkout. There's no limit on how many jobs a teen can take, subject to the work-hour limits that apply in your state.
Generally, no. The casual, irregular odd jobs offered on Blockwork — light outdoor tasks and online tutoring — are often exempt from your state's work-permit requirement under its odd-jobs exemption for irregular casual work in private homes. Where a state sets its own rules, the rules on file for that state apply. However, parents and teens remain responsible for confirming any permit requirements applicable to their situation — Blockwork does not determine permit eligibility. That exemption does not remove the child-labor hour limits or minimum-age rules that apply in your state, which Blockwork enforces automatically at booking. Limits vary by the teen's age, including daily and weekly caps and prohibited time windows. Parents are responsible for monitoring their teen's total hours, including any work done outside the platform. (Blockwork is open only in states we have reviewed — check which states are open at /states.)
No service is published and no job is confirmed without a parent's explicit approval. A service a teen posts stays hidden from neighbors until the parent approves it, and a job can't be confirmed until the parent approves the booking. When a teen accepts or receives a booking request, the parent sees the job details, the neighbor's name, the location, and the pay before saying yes. A parent can deny any booking at any time before it starts. The parent holds the account: they connect the bank account, receive the payouts, and can revoke consent at any time, which immediately suspends the teen's profile.
Two categories only: outdoor tasks performed entirely outside a residence (lawn mowing, leaf raking, yard cleanup, car washing, snow shoveling, and similar light odd jobs), and online tutoring and tech help conducted over video. Anything that requires entering a home, involves heavy machinery, childcare, transportation, or hazardous equipment is not permitted.
No — never. This is a core safety rule. All in-person work is performed outdoors on the exterior of the property, and all tutoring happens remotely over video. Requesting or allowing a teen to enter a residence for any reason is a material violation of our terms and grounds for immediate account termination.
Teens must be at least 13 years old. Users under 13 are not permitted. Teens aged 13–17 need a parent or guardian linked to their account, and consenting, before they can post services or accept jobs; the parent approves each one. Teens who are 18 or older may use the platform independently.