I haven't looked to see what position the son has at his father's business or the nature of the business itself so I can't comment on specifics. I will say, however, that it isn't uncommon for parents to employ their kids under the table for below market wage commensurate with their lack of experience. If a job gets half done for a quarter of the cost (no taxes, benefits, etc) then for many people it's a win, not to mention that the employer/parent has a captive employee and the employee/kid has early job history and walking around money.