How Old Do You Have to Be to Get a Job? Ages, Permits, and Pay

Under federal law, you have to be at least 14 years old to get a regular job in most industries. That is the floor set by the Fair Labor Standards Act for non-agricultural work, and it is the answer to how old you have to be to get a job in almost every common setting: a store, a restaurant, an office. A few narrow exceptions let younger children work in specific roles, farm work runs on its own age scale, and states can set higher minimums. When federal and state rules disagree, the one that protects the young worker more is the one that applies.¹

Under 14: The Narrow Exceptions

Below 14, formal employment is mostly off the table. Federal law carves out a short list of situations where a younger child can still work:

Working for a business owned entirely by their parents, as long as the work is not in mining, manufacturing, or any job the Department of Labor has declared hazardous.
Delivering newspapers to customers.
Acting or performing in movies, television, theater, or radio, which has no federal minimum age.
Babysitting and minor chores in private homes, which the FLSA does not cover at all.

Outside of those categories, hiring a child under 14 for non-farm work violates federal law.²

What 14- and 15-Year-Olds Can Do

At 14, the door opens, but only to a specific set of jobs. Federal rules take an “if it’s not listed, it’s not allowed” approach for this age group. Permitted work includes:

Retail and food service: cashiering, bagging groceries, stocking shelves, busing tables.
Office work: filing, data entry, general clerical tasks.
Limited kitchen work: preparing food and beverages, cooking on electric or gas grills without open flames, and using deep fryers with automatic basket-lowering devices.
Creative and intellectual roles like tutoring, music, and art.
Lifeguarding and swimming instruction at traditional pools and water parks, for certified 15-year-olds.

Manufacturing, mining, and any work involving hazardous equipment are closed to this age group regardless of the specific role.²

Hours are tightly capped. When school is in session, a 14- or 15-year-old can work no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours total for the week. All work must fall between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., and none of it can happen during school hours. Between June 1 and Labor Day, the evening cutoff extends to 9:00 p.m.²

When school is out, the limits loosen to 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. Those are federal minimums; some states cap hours more tightly, so a quick look at your state labor department’s site is worth the time before you agree to a schedule.²

What Changes at 16 and 17

Turning 16 is the meaningful shift. Under the FLSA, all hour restrictions come off: no limits on daily hours, weekly hours, or time of day. A 16-year-old can legally work the overnight shift or put in 40 hours during the school year under federal law, though many states still cap hours and night work for this age group.³

Job options widen too. A 16- or 17-year-old can work in virtually any occupation that isn’t on the federal list of 17 hazardous jobs. The major categories on that list include:

Manufacturing or storing explosives
Operating power-driven woodworking or metal-forming machines
Coal mining and other mining
Logging and sawmill work
Roofing and excavation
Driving a motor vehicle on public roads as part of a job

The driving rule trips people up because so many jobs involve a car. Federal rules do allow 17-year-olds to drive on public roads as an incidental part of the job if specific safety conditions are met, but it has to be occasional, not the main duty.⁴

There is also a student-learner exception. A 16- or 17-year-old enrolled in a vocational training program recognized by a state or local educational authority can perform some otherwise-prohibited hazardous tasks. The work has to be incidental to the training, done in short stretches, and supervised by a qualified experienced person. The school and employer both sign a written agreement laying out the training plan, and either can have the exemption revoked if safety precautions slip.⁴

Farm Work Has Its Own Age Rules

Agricultural employment runs on a separate and more permissive age structure:

16 and older: any farm job, including hazardous work, at any time.
14 and 15: farm work outside school hours in jobs the Department of Labor has not declared hazardous.
12 and 13: non-hazardous farm work outside school hours if a parent consents or if a parent works on the same farm.
Under 12: only on a farm owned or operated by a parent.

Hazardous agricultural tasks, such as operating certain heavy equipment, handling toxic chemicals, or working in timber-felling areas, are closed to anyone under 16, with one exception for children working on their own parent’s farm.⁵⁶

Getting a Work Permit

Most states require minors to obtain a work permit or employment certificate before starting a job. The process is straightforward but involves several people:

Proof of age, such as a birth certificate or passport.
Parental consent, usually by signature on the application.
Employer information, including a description of the job duties, proposed hours, and the employer’s signature confirming the offer.

Forms are available from school guidance counselors, school district offices, or state labor department websites. The completed application goes to the school or a designated issuing officer, who approves or denies it. The permit itself may spell out the specific duties, work location, and maximum hours the minor is allowed to work.⁷

Employers are generally expected to keep the permit on file for the length of employment. Some states separately require age certificates verifying the worker’s age and mandate that employers post a written schedule of every minor’s work hours.

Pay for Young Workers

A working minor is entitled to at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, the same as an adult worker.⁸ Many states set a higher minimum, and the higher rate applies.

There is one federal exception. Employers can pay a youth minimum wage of $4.25 per hour to workers under 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days on the job. After 90 days, or on the worker’s 20th birthday if that comes first, the regular minimum wage kicks in. Employers cannot use the youth wage to displace existing workers.⁹

Tipped jobs follow the standard federal tip credit rules. The employer has to pay at least $2.13 per hour in direct wages, and direct wages plus tips must reach at least $7.25 per hour. If they don’t, the employer covers the difference. State tipped-wage rules vary and often require a higher base wage.¹⁰

1
U.S. Department of Labor. State Child Labor Laws Applicable to Agricultural Employment
2
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #43: Child Labor Provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for Nonagricultural Occupations
3
U.S. Department of Labor. Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor – Hours Restrictions
4
eCFR. Part 570 Child Labor Regulations, Orders and Statements of Interpretation
5
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #40: Overview of Youth Employment (Child Labor) Provisions for Agricultural Occupations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 213 – Exemptions
7
U.S. Department of Labor. State Child Labor Laws – Age Certificates
8
U.S. Department of Labor. State Minimum Wage Laws
9
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #32: Youth Minimum Wage – Fair Labor Standards Act
10
U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)