17-year-old works on aunt's yard with 15-year-old brother, refuses to give him half of $30 payment because he didn't help in the front yard: 'It's unreasonable'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 12, 2026 3:45 PM EDT

A fair day's pay requires a fair day's work.

This is a statement that, in principle, a lot of people are likely to agree with. In reality, though, what constitutes hard work varies wildly depending on the individual and the context. 

Almost all of us have slacked off on the job at some point, and so long as that doesn't happen every single day, it is not so likely to cause a major issue. However, things get more complicated when another person's pay is on the line. If they felt like they pulled more weight than you, they are not likely to be happy to share out their earnings with you.

Doing any kind of paid work with family can get complicated for a number of reasons, but one of these is that relatives have a higher chance of making extra demands of you. Family supposedly helps family, even if it does not appear to be deserved. In these situations, it can also feel more difficult to say no, as many believe that they have some kind of obligation to their family members. That, or they are afraid of bigger consequences if they do not give in to whatever they are requesting.

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  • A woman hands carrots to a young man crouching in a garden
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A woman hands carrots to a young man crouching in a garden

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • A 17-year-old and her younger brother agreed to work on their aunt's yard for a day. They received a $30 payment to share in return. The sister believed she should get a larger share of the money, as she worked on both front and back yards, whereas her brother had only helped out in the back.

    In contrast, her brother argued that he deserved an equal payment, as she had taken an hour-long break during the day. She did not agree with the reasoning and felt she had earned her money, but wasn't sure if she wasn't seeing things so clearly.

  • Would I be wrong if I didn't give my brother the extra money?

    So I (F17) recently did some work on my aunt's garden with my brother (M15) for anonymity let's call him Alex
    via Still_Laugh2299
  • We were going to split the $30 pay between us ($10 for front garden $20 for the back) but Alex didn't end up doing the front garden and we did the back garden together so I asked him if he's fine with me getting the ten from the front garden and us splitting the twenty for the back garden but he's
    via Still_Laugh2299
  • refusing stating that since I went to the shop for our aunt he should get more despite him leaving early and me having stayed half an hour or so to finish the rest of the back garden
    via Still_Laugh2299
  • I told him that it's unreasonable seeing as he shouldn't get the full fifteen since he didn't do any work on the front garden he then told me to keep all the money if he can't get the full fifteen am I being unreasonable or is my brother in the wrong id really appreciate some unbiased opinions on this matter.
    via Still_Laugh2299
  • EDIT: Saw some people asking this I spent 2 hours on the front garden We both spent around three hours on the back I was at the shop for at most 20 minutes and they left half an hour early we split the gardens up into two days I did the front yesterday we did the back today
    via Still_Laugh2299
  • A young man and woman crouch in a garden, placing seedlings in plant pots
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A young man and woman crouch in a garden, placing seedlings in plant pots

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Unusual-Possible-763 Keep the money then he didn't do his job he don't get the full payment
    via Unusual-Possible-763
  • Aeoniuma NTA. Bro didn't do half the work, he doesn't get half the money.
    via Aeoniuma
  • Distracted-senior Pay him for the work he did
    via Distracted-senior
  • Anonymous4344 I don't get paid if I don't show up for work and do the work. NTA here.
    via Anonymous4344
  • short_fat_and_single 30 dollars for 8 work hours? Does your aunt think we live in the 80s?
    via short_fat_and_single
  • Spiritual_Oil_7411 NTA Keep the money. The shop was FOR your aunt, it's part of the job. You should get MORE for going to the shop. Your aunt is severely underpaying both of you, BTW. $30 for 8 hours of work makes auntie a cheap a
    via Spiritual_Oil_7411
  • Single_Evidence_867 NTA, why would he get any money when he didn't do the work.
    via Single_Evidence_867
  • Dismal_Flight_686 Like he doesn't deserve the even split but he's definitely going to screw you out of money in the future if you don't split it If you are ok with that then proceed
    via Dismal_Flight_686
  • Low_Notice4665 NTA. Pay him for the work he did. In front of your parents.
    via Low_Notice4665
  • Cabala03 NTA my brothers use to try that cr p on me. Don't fall for it. Keep the money. You will be "loaning" him plenty when you are adults.
    via Cabala03
  • IntrepidMuch Give your brother half of the yard that he worked on. He may not take it but that does not negate you doing the right thing.
    via IntrepidMuch

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family drama brother yard yard work aunt family money entitled people
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