"You Know You Can Pay Her, Right?"
Five words from our CPA changed everything. Now we're building the app we wish existed.
We're Jennifer & Dylan: Mom and Daughter
I'm Jennifer. I've been running businesses since before Dylan was born. First a real estate investment company (17 years now), then software tools for investors like REPS Time (a time tracking app for real estate professionals) and Doorprofit (free crime mapping for property investors). Being an entrepreneur isn't just what I do; it's who I am.
Dylan is 11. She's curious, creative, and has opinions about everything. When she was little, she'd sit next to me while I worked, asking a thousand questions: "What's an invoice?" "Why do you have so many spreadsheets?" "Can I help?"
I always said yes. Because I remembered being that kid.
It Started Three Generations Ago
I'm a third-generation business owner. Some of my earliest memories are helping my parents in their retail and photography business: sorting inventory, greeting customers, learning that work was just part of life.
I'd visit my grandfather's manufacturing plant and watch him walk the floor, knowing every employee's name. He'd let me "help" with small tasks, and I felt like I was part of something bigger.
That's where I learned that family businesses aren't just about money. They're about passing something down: values, work ethic, the knowledge that you can build something with your own hands.
When Dylan started showing that same spark of curiosity, I recognized it immediately. And I knew I wanted to give her what my parents and grandfather gave me.
Our family, passing down the entrepreneurial spirit
The Conversation That Changed Everything
I wanted to give Dylan a real head start. Not just an allowance she'd spend on toys, but actual lessons in how money works. How you earn it, save it, grow it.
Then, during a tax planning session, our CPA said something that stopped me cold:
"You know you can pay her for the work she's doing, right?"
He explained that by paying Dylan a reasonable wage for legitimate work, I could shift income from my higher tax bracket to her zero percent bracket. Better yet, I could fund her Roth IRA with that earned income, giving her decades of tax-free compound growth.
It was completely legal, IRS-approved, and hiding in plain sight. I couldn't believe more parents didn't know about this.
From Spreadsheets to Software
Dylan was five when we started. For six years, we tracked her hours on paper, documented every task in spreadsheets, and crossed our fingers that we were doing it right.
It worked, but it was messy. I'd spend hours making sure everything was compliant, second-guessing myself, wondering if I'd missed something.
One day, Dylan looked at my spreadsheet chaos and said: "Mom, why don't we just make an app for this?"
She was right. If we needed this, other families did too.
Dylan at age 6, when it all started
We Built This Together
We're not a payroll company that added a "family" feature. We're a mom and daughter who lived this for six years, made the mistakes, learned the rules, and built the tool we needed.
Dylan isn't a mascot. She's my co-creator. She tests every feature, gives brutally honest feedback ("Mom, this is confusing"), and provides creative direction from a kid's perspective. If an 11-year-old can't figure something out, we redesign it.
This isn't a side project. It's personal. It's our story, and we built it for families like ours.
Jennifer and Dylan, building memories and wealth together
Our Mission
KidsPayroll exists for one reason: to help parents like you turn your family business into a family wealth engine.
- •No spreadsheets. No confusion. No guessing what's "compliant."
- •Just real payroll for real work, so your child's first earned dollars can become their first invested dollars.
"We built this for parents who want to give their kids more than an allowance, and for kids who are ready to learn that work has value. If that sounds like your family, we'd love for you to join us."
- Jennifer & Dylan
