16-year-old tells dad she handing in her notice at work after he demands $700 a month from her salary: 'He said I owe it to him to contribute'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Aug 12, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

Getting your first part-time job as a teenager can be an empowering experience. While the realities of the minimum wage working world often come as a shock, the feeling of having some small level of financial freedom for the first time is incomparable. Finally, you do not have to rely on parents or other relatives for every last penny. You are hopefully taking one of the first steps towards independence.

However, things can become complicated when those around you start to feel more entitled to your earnings than you are. Some would argue that anyone who has a paid income should be financially contributing to the household, but there is a big difference between asking for a reasonable monthly amount and exploiting somebody for the money that they have. Most conventional jobs that teens are likely to have do not pay well, and if they are trying to save for their future as well as spend on themselves, there is only so much room for other kinds of expenses.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10540438528
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • This is how one girl felt after her father's escalating demands about how much of her income she should contribute towards the household led to her threatening to quit her hostess job at a restaurant. The 16-year-old got the job a year ago to save up for a car, but her dad insisted that she pay 70% of her $1000 a month salary towards bills and rent.

    She laid down her ultimatum when she realized that her father had stolen hundreds of dollars in cash from her room. He wasn't happy, and she wanted to know if she was in the wrong.

  • AITAH for threatening to quit my job if my dad continues what he’s doing?

    For some background, I (16F) have lived with my dad (64M) for about a year now. My parents are divorced and I am not close with my mother. I'm going into my senior year (I'm graduating a year early) and start school again in a week or so. Last year in November, I began working at a restaurant as a hostess to save up for a car. I take the bus to and from school, as well as to work, and a car would save me a lot of time. I make minimum wage, and I pull in a little over 1,000 dollars a month after
    via Exciting-Classic-812
  • In February of this year, my dad told me since I was making so much money I needed to start contributing to the household. At first this was fine. He asked that I pay for my phone bill and utilities. We rent from a family member so utilities are discounted, and my phone bill isn't too expensive either. Both things are about $200. With this I was saving less so I still had spending money, but still had set aside 4-500 dollars every month for the car.
    via Exciting-Classic-812
  • 306 납부방법 (가상전용계좌/방문/어 일이나 20% 33 ▶ 후생성기간 3일 소요 전화문의 방문 시 위로부터 납부가능
    via Chanhee Lee
  • In July he decided I needed to pay a portion of the rent. I tried to argue with him on that but he threatened to close my account (which he can do because he opened it for me). I had to start giving him 500 dollars on top of the 200 a month, totaling 700 a month. With the 300 I had left I saved 200 for the car and kept 100.
    via Exciting-Classic-812
  • I was pretty fed up at this point, but it gets worse. I have some cash in a jar in my room, in case I go do something that you can't use a card for. I had about 300 dollars in the jar from several months. Last week I came home from work and the jar is empty. When I asked my dad he said that since I'm his daughter he's entitled to the money I make. I was furious. I told him he had to give it back but he had already spent it on some BS Amazon purchases. Lucky me. He told me he wanted 100 extra dol
    via Excited-Classic-812
  • Last night I told my dad I was going to give my two weeks notice. I work hard and I'm exhausted, it isn't worth the few hundred dollars I get. He was absolutely furious and said that I owe it to him to contribute to the household. I go to work in a few hours and I'm planning on letting them know I won't be continuing. So, AITAH? TDLR: My dad takes the majority of my salary for himself, and working is no longer worth it, so I'm quitting my job
    via Excited-Classic-812
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    via Jp Valery

  • Commenters advised her on the difficult situation.

    allie06nd I'm not sure where you live, but your parents are legally required to provide food and shelter to you while you are a minor. These things are not your responsibility if he is your guardian, and he is not allowed to exploit you like this. Do you have other relatives you can live with? This is ab e, plain and simple.
    via allie06nd
  • GenoFlower Came here to say this. Talk to a counselor or other trusted adult.
    via GenoFlower
  • MapOk1410 Don't quit your job, stop paying your father for something he's legally obligated to provide. Let him pound sand. First, take the money out of that account and walk to the nearest new bank and open your own account that he can't touch.
    via MapOk1410
  • Inevitable-Place9950 Exactly. Paying her phone bill is one thing and needing help is one thing, but this sounds like he's just jealous and stealing her money.
    via Inevitable-Place9950
  • WildlyAdmired I'm going to mention something that may be off base, but: run a credit score report on yourself. Unfortunately unscrupulous parents have a bad habit of getting credit cards in their children's names, with their social security numbers. They rack up debt that doesn't show up until the child wants to buy a car or a home, and all of a sudden they find that there is a credit history out there that follows you every where. Did you ever stop to think that he may have done this to keep yo
    via WildlyAdmired
  • Interesting-Long-534 NTA. Do you have another trusted relative who will help you open a bank account?
    via Interesting-Long-534
  • Menace_78 Not at 16 you don't. He's legally obligated to support you, not vice versa. Where did you live before? Can you ask your mom to help you open a different bank account that he does not have access to? I would caution against quitting your job because it does give you some independence. I would try to find a different way to save outside of his control. I am REALLY sorry you are going through this.
    via Menace_78
  • TwoSpecificJ NTA. Can you move in with anyone else? Is your mother an option at all? I'm so sorry, this is absolutely not okay. Your dad is stealing from you and financially abusing you. I wonder if a police report would help at all.
    via TwoSpecificJ
  • IndependentMassive97 NTA at all, your dad is a complete
    via IndependentMassive97
  • Full-Dig-3048 Be ready though, have some place to go in case he throws you out. PS. Hes a real POS.
    via Full-Dig-3048
  • Financial-Parfait 181 You are his underage child who is still in school, he can't charge you rent. Can you move in with your mother? Would she be worse than a thief?
    via Financial-Parfait181
  • Sparklingwine23 NTA, he won a stupid prize for playing a stupid game.
    via Sparklingwine23
  • Dan_Amy Its bulls you feel the need to quit your job. Go open another bank account on your own. What a sh father. You sure he isnt using dr s? Its one thing to ask for money for bills, it a complete different story stealing money from you to buy some bs on Amazon. What the f is he going through your room for anyway? Also he legally has to provide for you until 18, if you want to help with bills thats your business, but he cant force you to help with bills. He is the one that would get it for not
    via Dan_Amy
  • ptprn11 You could try calling child protective services, or asked to live with a friend, otherwise I agree with you. Also check in with the bank to see if now that you're 16 maybe you can open up your own account?
    via ptprn11
  • N7BansheeBait Your Dad in 3 years: Why doesn't my daughter speak to me?
    via N7BansheeBait

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parenting family money family drama aita job teenagers dad hostess reddit thread daughter Reddit quitting entitled people
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