Child labor laws: hiring workers under 18

Why it matters

Teen workers are an important part of many hourly teams, especially in restaurants, retail, grocery, movie theaters, amusement parks and summer jobs. They also come with specific legal rules, and violations can lead to civil money penalties per minor. Most mistakes are scheduling mistakes: a 15-year-old kept on a shift too late, or too many hours in a school week. Good scheduling and accurate time records prevent most of them.

EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.

Federal rules by age

Hour limits for 14- and 15-year-olds

• Not during school hours.
• No more than 3 hours on a school day, including Fridays.
• No more than 18 hours in a school week.
• No more than 8 hours on a non-school day.
• No more than 40 hours in a non-school week.
• Only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., extended to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day.

These limits apply per employer and per week as defined by the school calendar, so check local school schedules, including holidays and summer breaks. A teen who works for two employers is a special risk, since each employer may not know about the other. Ask during hiring.

Jobs that are off limits

Federal rules list occupations that 14- and 15-year-olds may not do, and a separate list of hazardous occupations closed to anyone under 18. Examples relevant to many hourly employers include:

• For under 16: most baking and many cooking tasks (with limited exceptions), operating most power-driven machinery, working in freezers and meat coolers, and loading or unloading trucks.
• For under 18: operating power-driven meat slicers and many bakery machines, operating forklifts and other power-driven hoisting equipment, most motor vehicle driving on public roads, roofing and excavation work, and operating balers and compactors (with narrow exceptions).

These are examples, not the full lists. The DOL’s YouthRules resources set out each rule and exception in detail.

State rules

Many states have stricter rules than the federal law. Common examples include work permits or age certificates issued through schools or the state, lower daily or weekly hour limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, earlier evening cut-offs on school nights, required meal breaks for minors and limits on specific jobs. Some states have changed their rules recently, in both directions. Always check your state labor department before hiring minors, and follow whichever rule is stricter. Our state labor law pages are a starting point.

Pay rules for minors

Minors are generally entitled to the same minimum wage and overtime protections as adult employees. Federal law allows a lower youth minimum wage for employees under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment, subject to conditions, but many states do not allow it or set their own minimum. Keep date of birth on file for every employee under 19, which is also a federal recordkeeping requirement described in our guide to time and payroll records.

Scheduling teen workers safely

1. Record date of birth at hiring, and flag all employees under 18 in your scheduling system.
2. Collect school schedules and any work permit details, and note the state’s rules for each age group.
3. Build schedules within the limits: shift length, latest end time and weekly totals during school weeks.
4. Make sure closing shifts end in time for minors, including clean-up, so they are not asked to stay late.
5. Check hours weekly, especially during the switch between school terms and summer.
6. Train managers on which tasks minors may not do, and post a simple list in the work area.

Summer and seasonal jobs

Summer is when most teens start work, and also when rules change. From June 1 through Labor Day, the federal evening limit for 14- and 15-year-olds moves from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and non-school weeks allow up to 40 hours. When school starts again, schedules must switch back to the stricter limits straight away. Put the date in your calendar, review every minor’s schedule for the first school week, and remind managers. Our guide to seasonal employee time tracking has more tips for short-term hires.

Tracking hours for minors

Hour limits are only as good as your records. A teen who clocks out at 7:25 p.m. on a school night may have broken the federal 7 p.m. limit, even if the schedule said 7:00. With EZTime scheduling and the time clock, managers can see scheduled and actual times side by side, and overtime and labor rule alerts help flag shifts that run long. Read about break tracking for meal break rules that may apply to minors in your state.

Frequently asked questions

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