How old do you have to be?
For most jobs that are not farm work, the youngest age you can start is 14 years old. This is a rule from the federal government. The federal government is the government of the whole country.
A few jobs sit outside this rule. Here are some examples:
- Acting in movies, TV, or plays
- Delivering newspapers
- Casual babysitting — helping a family now and then
- Working in a business that your own parent owns
These jobs have their own rules. Being on this list does not mean a job is open to you. It only means the age-14 rule works a different way for them.
If you are 14 or 15: your hours have limits
Federal law limits how much you can work at ages 14 and 15. You can only work outside school hours. School comes first.
What times of day?
You can work between 7 in the morning and 7 in the evening.
In summer — from June 1 through Labor Day — you can work later, until 9 in the evening.
If you are 16 or 17
At 16 and 17, federal law does not limit your hours. There is no federal cap on how many hours you can work in a day or a week.
But some jobs are still off limits until you turn 18. The government has declared these jobs hazardous. That word means too dangerous for younger workers. The rule is there to keep you safe.
Your state may still set hour limits for 16- and 17-year-olds. Read the next part to see why.
Your state can be stricter
The rules above are the federal rules. They cover the whole country.
Your state can make tighter rules. Tighter means the state rules protect you even more. For example, a state might set fewer work hours than the federal rules allow.
Here is the key point: when the state rule and the federal rule are different, the rule that protects you more is the one that counts.
So always check your own state's rules too. Do not stop at this page.
Words to know
- Work permit
- A paper, or an online form, that says you are allowed to work. Some people call it “working papers.” Your state gives it out.
- Shift
- The block of hours you work at one time. For example, working from 4 to 7 after school is one shift.
- Hazardous
- Dangerous. A hazardous job is one that could hurt you badly.
- Employer
- The person or business that hires you and pays you for your work. Your boss works for the employer — often your boss is the employer.
- Minimum wage
- The lowest pay per hour that the law allows. Your employer must pay you at least this much for each hour you work.
Work permits (working papers)
A work permit is a paper — or an online form — that says you are allowed to work.
Work permits come from your state. They do not come from the federal government.
In many states, you get a permit through your school office. You usually do this after a business has offered you a job.
Each state has its own steps, so this page cannot list them all. Do this instead:
Ask your school office or check your state labor department's website for your state's steps.
Your first day: the paperwork
When you start a first job, you will fill out some forms. That is a normal part of starting work.
Your boss will also ask to see documents that prove who you are. This is normal too. Every new worker does it — not just teens, and not just you.
If you do not know which documents to bring, ask your boss before your first day. A parent or another trusted adult can help you get ready.
The honest part
These are the federal rules. Your state's rules may be different.
This page gives facts about the law — it is not legal advice.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor (dol.gov) — child labor rules.
Checked November 2026.